MY BEST FRIEND BECAME MY HUSBAND 💗

The Hayes family had always been welcome in our home. Amari had spent half his childhood running through these halls, stealing snacks from our kitchen, arguing with me over everything, and promising that no matter where life took us, we would always remain best friends. That was why no one found it strange when his car stopped outside our family house that Saturday afternoon. No one except me. I had not seen Amari in nearly three years. “Miss Carter,” our housekeeper called from the doorway. “Mr. Hayes is here to see you.” I looked up from the designs spread across my desk. “Amari?” She nodded. A few minutes later, I found him standing on the balcony overlooking the garden. He wore a dark suit, and his expression was unusually serious. “You came all this way without calling?” I asked. He turned toward me. “I needed to speak with you privately.” “That sounds worrying.” “It might be.” I studied him carefully. Despite the years apart, Amari still had the same calm eyes. But something was different. He looked tired, almost as though he had been carrying a problem alone for too long. “What happened?” I asked. He reached into his briefcase and placed a folder on the table between us. “My parents want me to get married.” I blinked. “And?” “They have already chosen someone.” “Vanessa Sterling?” His silence answered the question. The Sterling and Hayes families had been close for years. Everyone knew their parents wanted the two families connected through marriage. “Why are you telling me this?” Amari opened the folder and turned it toward me. My eyes moved across the page. Then I stopped. PRIVATE MARRIAGE AGREEMENT Below the title were two names: Amari Hayes Ayana Carter I slowly looked up. “What exactly are you asking me to do?” Amari held my gaze. “Marry me for one year.” I stared at him, waiting for him to laugh. He didn’t. “You want me to pretend to be your wife?” “Yes.” “And after one year?” “We end the agreement and return to our lives.” I looked back at the contract. It sounded simple. Too simple. Then Amari added, “There’s one condition I haven’t told you yet.”