His Secret Vow

Chapter Three

The apartment was nothing like Melody had imagined. She'd expected maybe a dark cave where Ryan hung upside down like a bat, or possibly just empty rooms with a single chair facing a wall. Instead, it was... nice. Really nice.

The living room was huge with big windows that let in tons of sunlight. There was a comfortable-looking gray couch, a coffee table, and absolutely nothing else. No TV, no pictures, no plants, just empty white walls like a blank coloring book.

"It's so... empty," Melody said, setting down her suitcase, the one she'd frantically packed that morning while Emma was in the shower.

"Ryan just bought this place," Grandma Ruth explained. "He said it was an investment property, but I knew he was preparing for marriage. My boy might be cold, but he's not stupid."

Melody explored the apartment like a detective looking for clues. The kitchen had a refrigerator, stove, and microwave, but no dishes, no pots, no pans, not even a spoon. The master bedroom had a huge bed and walk-in closet, but no blankets or pillows. The second bedroom had another bed and a dresser. The bathroom had towels at least, expensive-looking white ones that felt like clouds.

"He really doesn't live here, does he?" Melody asked.

"No, dear. Ryan has his own place across town. This is just for... well, for you now."

"So we're not even going to live together?" Melody didn't know whether to be relieved or insulted.

"Give it time. Ryan needs to adjust to changes slowly, like a cat getting used to a new home."

After Grandma Ruth left with promises to visit tomorrow, Melody stood in the middle of the empty apartment and did the only logical thing, she ordered pizza. Then she realized she had no plates to eat it on, so she also ordered dishes, pots, pans, and basic kitchen stuff online using the credit card Ryan had left.

She was halfway through eating pizza straight from the box when her phone rang. It was Emma.

"Where are you?" her sister screeched so loud that Melody had to hold the phone away from her ear. "I come home from grocery shopping and your room is empty! Your suitcase is gone! Did Jake say something? I'll kill him!"

"Emma, calm down. I'm fine. I... I got married."

The silence that followed was so long that Melody checked to make sure the call hadn't dropped.

"You. Got. WHAT?"

"Married! This morning! His name is Ryan and-"

"MELODY RIVERS! Or wait, you're not Rivers anymore! What's your name now? Who is this man? Where did you meet him? Why didn't you tell me? Oh my God, are you pregnant?"

"What? No! Emma, gross! I'm not pregnant!"

"Then why the rush? Is he dying? Are YOU dying? Is this a green card thing?"

"Nobody's dying and he's American! I think. Actually, I didn't ask..."

"You didn't ask if your husband is American?"

"There was a lot going on!"

Emma made a sound like a teakettle about to explode. "I'm coming over right now. Where are you?"

"Rosewood Gardens, apartment 42B. But Emma-"

"I'll be there in twenty minutes. Don't move. Don't marry anyone else while I'm driving!"

Emma arrived in fifteen minutes, still in her house slippers and carrying Tommy on her hip. Her blonde hair was sticking up in all directions like she'd been electrocuted, and her eyes were wild.

"Show me the marriage certificate," she demanded.

Melody handed it over. Emma studied it like it might be written in invisible ink.

"Ryan Cross. Why does that name sound familiar?" Emma muttered. "And this happened this morning? Today morning? Like, four hours ago morning?"

"Yes."

"And where is this Ryan now?"

"At work."

"At WORK? He married you and went to WORK?"

"He had a meeting."

Emma looked like she might faint. Tommy, meanwhile, had found Melody's pizza and was trying to grab a slice with his chubby little hands.

"Can Tommy have pizza?" Melody asked.

"My sister married a stranger and you're asking about pizza?!"

"It's pepperoni."

"Fine! Yes! Give the baby pizza! Everything is insane anyway!" Emma collapsed on the couch. "Start from the beginning. Tell me everything."

So Melody did, starting with Grandma Ruth's suggestion and ending with Ryan leaving for his meeting. She left out the part about Jake's mean comments being the final push, Emma didn't need that guilt.

"This is insane," Emma said for the tenth time. "You married someone you'd never met before today."

"Technically, I met him for like ten minutes before we got married."

"That doesn't make it better!"

Tommy had tomato sauce all over his face and was grinning like a tiny pizza monster. At least someone was happy.

"Look, I know it's crazy," Melody said. "But I needed a change, and Ryan needed a wife for business stuff, and..."

"What kind of business stuff requires a wife?"

"I don't know. I didn't ask."

"You didn't... Melody! What if he's a criminal? What if he needed a wife so he couldn't testify against him or something?"

"I don't think that's how that works."

"What if he's secretly married to someone else? What if he has six wives?"

"Then he's very bad at spending time with them because he's always at work."

Emma grabbed Melody's shoulders. "What if he's dangerous?"

"He's not dangerous. He's just... cold. Like a refrigerator. But refrigerators keep food fresh, so that's good, right?"

"That's the worst analogy I've ever heard."

Melody's phone buzzed. It was a text from Ryan: "Did you exceed the credit card limit already?"

She texted back: "No! I bought kitchen stuff. We need to eat."

Ryan: "There are restaurants."

Melody: "Not everyone eats every meal at restaurants, Rich Boy."

Ryan: "Rich boy?"

Melody: "Sorry. I meant Mr. Ice Prince Robot Husband Sir."

There was a long pause, then: "The credit card limit is now $2000. Don't buy unnecessary items."

Melody showed Emma the texts. "See? He's not dangerous. Just weird."

"This is still insane. When do I get to meet him?"

"I don't know. He's apparently super busy with work."

"What does he do?"

"Something in business. With numbers. Or people. Or numbered people."

Emma stared at her. "You don't know what your husband does for work?"

"It didn't come up!"

"IT DIDN'T COME UP?"

Tommy started crying because Emma was yelling. As Melody picked him up to comfort him, she noticed something weird. There was a black car parked across the street that hadn't been there before. A man in a suit was sitting inside, and he seemed to be watching their building.

"Emma," Melody said slowly. "Don't look now, but there's a weird car outside."

Emma immediately looked. "Where?"

"I said don't look!"

"How can I see it if I don't look?"

They both stared at the car. The man inside was reading a newspaper now, but Melody could swear he kept glancing up at their window.

"Maybe it's just someone waiting for a friend," Emma said, but she pulled Tommy closer.

"Yeah, maybe."

But afte

r Emma left (with many promises to check in every hour and threats to call the police if Melody didn't answer), the car was still there. Melody tried to ignore it as she unpacked her clothes and arranged her new kitchen supplies.