Chapter 2 THE THREE DAY COUNTDOWN

Chapter Two

It hadn't always been like this.

There was a time Serah had looked at James and thought,This is it. This is what love feels like.

It started with coffee. A spilled drink, a ruined white blouse, and a crooked smile from a man who offered to replace the entire outfit, not just pay for dry cleaning.

"I insist," James had said, flashing the kind of grin that made it hard to say no. "It's the least I can do after turning you into a walking latte."

Serah had laughed, and somehow, they'd gone from awkward coffee dates to dinners beneath chandeliers, weekend getaways, whispered promises in the dark.

And she had believed every word.

Because James knew exactly what to say, how to hold her, how to make her feel like the center of his world.

But now, sitting in the back seat of a luxury car, hours after landing, Serah stared out the window, barely noticing the blur of city lights. Her phone buzzed again. Another reminder from the lawyer.

Three days.

Just three days left to fulfill her grandmother's will.

You must be married by your twenty-eighth birthday, or the entire estate will go to your next of kin.

Eva.

The irony burned.

A soft memory flashed in Serah's mind,her grandmother sitting in the sunroom, eyes cloudy from age but voice sharp as ever.

"You've always given your heart too freely, Serah," Grandma had said. "The estate isn't just about money. It's a legacy. I need to know you'll share it with someone who deserves you."

"Are you saying I can't be trusted?" Serah had asked with a half-smile.

"No," her grandmother had replied. "I'm saying you trust others too easily. That's not the same thing."

At the time, Serah had laughed it off. She thought Grandma was just being cautious. Old.

But now, that warning echoed with painful clarity.

Serah tightened her grip on the folder in her lap. Inside were the official documents: the will, the deed, the clause about marriage-signed, sealed, and legally binding.

Three days or everything would transfer to Eva's name.

And now James, the man she thought would be her husband, was kissing Eva behind her back.

Was it planned from the beginning? Had they both known?

Her mind reeled.

She thought of how James had come to every Sunday lunch, charming her grandmother, making her laugh.

"How lucky you are, Serah," Grandma had said once, watching James pour her tea. "If he's the one, I'll sleep easier."

Serah's heart twisted at the memory.

She had wanted her grandmother to be proud. To see her settled, happy, secure.

Now, all that security had shattered in the sky.

The car stopped in front of the law office.

"Miss Serah," the driver said gently, opening the door.

She stepped out into the cold evening air, head held high. Inside, her chest felt like it was cracking.

The lawyer's office was on the tenth floor. She took the elevator up, watching her reflection in the chrome doors. Her eyes looked tired, older. Betrayed.

"Miss Winston," Mr. Daniel, the estate lawyer, greeted her with a nod. "Thank you for coming. I didn't expect you so soon."

"I needed to see it," she said, pulling out the folder and placing it on his desk. "The clause. All of it."

He adjusted his glasses and opened the documents.

"As you're aware," he began carefully, "your grandmother's will stipulates that in order to inherit the full estate-her properties, stocks, assets-you must be legally married by midnight on your twenty-eighth birthday. That's three days from now."

"And if I'm not?" she asked, even though she already knew.

"The entire estate automatically transfers to the next of kin listed-Eva Winston."

Eva. The sister she'd grown up with. The sister she'd shared clothes, birthdays, and secrets with. The same sister is now kissing her fiancé behind her back.

"Can I contest it?" Serah asked, desperation creeping into her voice.

Daniel hesitated. "You could try. But your grandmother was very clear. And very thorough. The only loophole is... marriage."

Serah let out a dry laugh. "Marriage. To a man who's probably in Eva's bed right now."

Daniel didn't respond.

"Can I marry anyone?" she asked after a beat. "I mean, does it have to be someone I've been dating?"

"No," Daniel said slowly. "It just has to be legally binding. But you would have to show proof-a certificate. Witnesses. And no signs of coercion or fraud."

Serah's mind whirled.

Three days.

Not to fall in love. Not even to be happy.

Just to survive. To hold onto what was hers.

"Thank you," she said softly, standing.

Daniel looked at her with sympathy. "Serah... your grandmother trusted you. She believed in you."

"I know," she whispered, more to herself than him. "I just wish I'd believed in myself sooner."

---

Back at the apartment she once shared with James, the air felt stale.

Their photos still lined the hallway-snapshots of what once looked like love. James kissing her cheek under the sun, James lifting her into the air at the beach as she laughed, James looking at her like she was the only woman in the world.

Lies. Every frame, a lie.

She walked into the bedroom, intending to rip the past out of the walls. But then she froze.

A box sat on the bed.

Small. Velvet. Familiar.

A ring box.

Her stomach twisted as she approached. With trembling fingers, she opened it. Inside lay the diamond engagement ring James had given her just six months ago-back when forever still meant something.

Next to it was a folded note. No envelope. Just sitting there, like it had been waiting for her.

She picked it up, unfolded it.

"You deserve better. I hope one day you'll understand."

No signature.

No explanation.

Just cowardice.

Her hands clenched around the note, crumpling it into a ball of betrayal.

Then, the lights flickered-once, then twice.

Her breath caught.

Footsteps echoed down the hallway. Slow. Measured.

She turned toward the door, heart beating against her ribs.

"James?" she called out, voice barely above a whisper.

Silence.

Then the door creaked open. Slowly-too slowly, like in a nightmare she couldn't wake up from.

And there, in the doorway, wasn't James.

It was Eva.

Her dark eyes gleamed with something unreadable. Her smile was calm. Too calm.

"You're running out of time," she said simply.

Then she turned and walked away, her footsteps fading like smoke.

Serah stood frozen, her heart pounding.

She didn't know how-but somehow, Eva knew everything.

And that terrified her more than James ever could.