Chapter 1

After I turned thirty, my mom nagged me daily about going on blind dates.

After twenty-nine failed attempts, she introduced me to a man named Marcus Hayes.

To my surprise, this guy seemed pretty decent.

He personally prepared candlelit dinners for me and designed a birthday bracelet just for me.

Until I stumbled upon a post on Instagram:

"Bros, I've hooked a rich girl. Both parents are state government officials, family owns three mansions. She's average-looking but super easy to fool.

We've met three times now, should be able to get her in bed next time."

When I saw the photos attached, my blood ran cold.

The pictures showed the dinner he'd made for me and the bracelet I was wearing.

Someone asked how he planned to get me into bed.

He replied smugly in the comments:

"Easy! Just slip her some aphrodisiacs! That's how I got the last girl."

Right then, my phone buzzed with a message from Marcus:

"Evelyn, free tomorrow night? Let me take you to dinner?"

I read the post several times, unable to believe that Marcus -- who seemed so proper in person -- could be this disgusting online.

But the photos were right there. That was my dress, my hand. How could I not recognize myself?

The evidence was irrefutable.

Cold sweat broke out all over my body. I took a deep breath and texted back:

"Sure, see you tomorrow night."

The next day at the restaurant, I found Marcus already there with all the dishes ordered.

Seeing me enter, he quickly stood up with a smile and pulled out my chair:

"Evelyn, you look beautiful today."

The perfect gentleman.

I'd barely touched my food when he said:

"Evelyn, we've met several times now. We should make things official. My mom says she wants to arrange our engagement next week."

Including today, we'd only met four times. We hadn't even confirmed our relationship, and he wanted to get engaged?

I swallowed the curse on my tongue. "Marcus, I don't think we're compatible."

Marcus's smile froze. "What are you saying, Evelyn?"

"I'm saying I don't think we're right for each other. You can't force a relationship. Let's not contact each other anymore."

Marcus's face immediately darkened.

"Evelyn, what's your problem? Are you playing games with me?"

"Why go on blind dates if you don't want a relationship?"

I listened silently without responding.

Marcus sneered and pulled a piece of paper from his pocket, slapping it on the table. "Fine, you want to break up? Let's settle the bill first."

I looked down to see an itemized dating expense list!

A long, dense column of numbers with a clear total at the bottom: $12,047.

I was shocked and looked up at him.

His expression was completely matter-of-fact. "Not a penny less."

"But I also treated you. It's not like you paid for everything."

I'd spent about as much on our dates as he had.

"That was your choice. I didn't force you."

I laughed in disbelief. "You're charging me for gas money to drive here?"

The list showed $120 for gas, but his drive was only twenty minutes.

"Would I make the trip if not to see you? Who else should pay for it?"

I pointed at the $280 haircut entry. "What does your haircut have to do with me?"

"Wouldn't have gotten a haircut if not to see you," Marcus said righteously.

I nearly choked with anger. "Then show me the receipts, the order screenshots. Let's go through this line by line. Empty claims won't do."

Marcus slammed his hand on the table. "What receipts? You ate and drank on my dime -- don't you have any sense of how much you spent?"

"Never satisfied with freeloading, are you?"

This aggressive display finally matched the sleazy man I'd seen online.

Instead, I calmed down. "How about this -- post this list on your Facebook, get two hundred likes, and I'll transfer the money immediately. Not a penny less."

Marcus's face stiffened. His eyes darted around, then he immediately switched to a nice-guy face. "I was just joking around, Evelyn. I like you and don't want to break up. I was just teasing. Don't take it to heart."

He pushed the orange juice on the table toward me.

"Here, have some juice and cool down."

I stared at the glass of juice for a moment, then reached out and picked it up.