He Made A Fool Of Me On April Fools, So I Married Another Man Chapter 01

He Made A Fool Of Me On April Fools, So I Married Another Man Chapter 01

Liam Hayes invited me to get our marriage license on April Fool’s Day.

But when I arrived at the Willow Creek County Clerk’s Office, all dressed up, he pointed and smirked.

“It was an April Fool’s joke,” he sneered. “You really fell for it?”

His so-called “bro” Skyler Quinn slung an arm over his shoulder, pretending to care.

“Look at Joy,she’s all dolled up. Why don’t you just marry her?”

Liam’s face twisted in disgust. “Marry Joy? I’m not getting tied down that easy.”

He gave my shoulder a dismissive pat. “Joy, give me a few more years of freedom. Then we’ll talk marriage.”

I slapped his hand away, my voice cold. “No need. I’m not here for you.”

********

“Don’t act tough,” Liam shot back. “Dressed like that? You came to marry me, admit it.”

I shook my head. “No.”

Taking my coldness for anger, Liam glared.

“It’s a joke! You’re throwing a fit over April Fool’s? Who gets married today anyway?”

A bitter laugh escaped me.

“But I do want to get married today.”

Liam’s face darkened. He yanked my arm. “Joy, enough. Didn’t you hear me?”

“I told you, it’s a joke. I’m not marrying you. Are you deaf?”

Skyler smirked. “She’s desperate. At the clerk’s office,she won’t back down. This is a shakedown, plain and simple.”

“She won’t leave without that license,” Skyler added.

Liam scoffed. “Joy, are you that desperate to marry me?”

“I’ll say this one last time. I’m not done playing. I won’t marry you. Get over it.”

“Now get lost. Don’t make a fool of yourself here.”

He hauled me toward the exit.

He had it all wrong. I wasn’t there for him.

I struggled free, shoving his hand off.

“Liam, leave if you want. But I’m not marrying you today.”

Liam froze, eyes wide. “What do you mean? Are you trying to marry someone else?”

I opened my mouth to reply, but Skyler cut in.

She snickered. “Bro, you know Joy. She’s been obsessed with you for years. Now she’s marrying someone else? Please.”

Understanding dawned on Liam’s face. “Wait,are you making up some guy to force my hand?”

“When did you get so manipulative? This just makes me not want marriage. You scare me. Keep it up, and we’re done.”

My chest still ached.

I’d dated Liam for five years. We were going to marry,until Skyler returned from overseas. Then he changed. Freedom was everything; commitment was a cage.

Every time I brought up marriage, he’d say he wasn’t done “living free.” That dragged on for three years.

But my family gave me an ultimatum,marry, or agree to an arranged marriage with another family. So I was desperate.

I thought he’d finally chosen us when he asked me to get married. But it was all a joke.

I looked at him, dead serious. “Liam, I knew last night that your ‘marriage license’ invite was just a prank.”