Chapter 3 3

The morning air was crisp, smelling of exhaust and day-old coffee. Aria stood on the steps of the City Clerk's Office, checking her watch for the fifth time. It was 8:29 AM.

Maybe he wouldn't show. Maybe he had sobered up and realized marrying a stranger was insanity.

A loud, guttural roar echoed down the street. A Ford Bronco, painted a faded matte black with rust eating at the wheel wells, rumbled around the corner. It backfired once-a sharp bang that made a pigeon take flight-before jerking to a halt at the curb.

The driver's door groaned as it opened. Harland stepped out.

He wore the same leather jacket, a plain black t-shirt, and jeans that had seen better days. He looked like he had slept in his car.

Aria let out a breath she didn't know she was holding. She walked down the steps, wincing as she put weight on her swollen ankle.

"You came," she said.

"I said I would." Harland reached into the truck and pulled out a thick manila envelope. He handed it to her. "Read it. Sign it."

Aria weighed the envelope in her hands. It was heavy. "You wrote this overnight?"

"I have a... friend. He's a paralegal," Harland said, his face impassive.

Aria pulled out the document. Her eyes skimmed the pages. It was dense legal jargon, far more complex than she expected for a starving artist. There were clauses about intellectual property, confidentiality, and a penalty for breach of contract that made her dizzy.

"This says if I reveal any details of your private life, I owe you..." She squinted at the zeros. "This is a lot of zeros for a painter, Harland."

"I value my privacy," he said, leaning against the truck. "Take it or leave it."

Aria didn't hesitate. She pulled a pen from her purse and flipped to the last page. She signed her name with a flourish. Aria Young.

"I don't care about your secrets, Harland," she said, handing it back. "I just need the certificate."

He looked at her signature, his dark eyes unreadable. "Remember, Aria. The only way out of this contract is death. Or mutual agreement."

"Morbid," she muttered. "Let's go."

The process inside was uncomfortably bureaucratic. They stood in line behind a couple who couldn't stop kissing. Aria stared at the fluorescent lights, trying to ignore the heat radiating from Harland standing next to aher.

"Are you entering this union of your own free will?" the clerk asked, looking bored.

"Yes," Aria said.

"Yes," Harland said.

They signed the license. No rings. No vows. Just ink on paper.

When they walked back out into the sunlight, Aria held the certificate like a shield. It was done. The trust fund was hers.

"Where are you going?" Harland asked, twirling his keys.

"I need to go to the grocery store," Aria said. "Then I need to find a place to stay. The motel is... expensive."

"Get in," Harland jerked his chin toward the Bronco. "I'll give you a ride."

Aria looked at the truck. The passenger seat was covered in a blanket. "Is it safe?"

"It runs," he said.

She climbed in. The interior smelled of old leather and oil. The engine roared to life, vibrating the entire chassis. Aria grabbed the handle above the door as they merged into traffic.

"This truck has personality," she shouted over the engine noise.

"It's a survivor," Harland said, his hand resting casually on the gear stick. "Like me. Ugly, loud, but it gets the job done."

Aria looked at his profile. He wasn't ugly. Far from it. "I'm a survivor too," she said softly. "My family threw me away like garbage."

Harland glanced at her. For a second, the hard line of his jaw softened. "One man's trash is another man's treasure."

Aria felt a flush rise to her cheeks. "That's a cliché."

"It's true," he said.

"Since we're married," Aria said, trying to lighten the mood. "I'll cook dinner. To celebrate. If you take me to the store."

Harland raised an eyebrow. "You cook? I thought you had staff for that."

"I like cooking," she said defensively. "It's like architecture. Structure, balance, ingredients. Pull over at that market."

Harland turned the wheel. The truck lurched toward the curb.

"Fine," he said. "But I'm on a budget."

"Don't worry," Aria patted her purse. "I know how to stretch a dollar. I learned from YouTube."

Harland suppressed a smile. He parked the truck, the engine sputtering into silence.