The Love Clause

omance | Fake Marriag

, emotional

-

gl

rced into a fake marriage to claim a mutual inheritance, sparks fly,

-

Chara

er, loyal to her firm, known for her

in a renovated van and sells paintings on stree

tarti

uncle Robert's, and he was the only person in her family

h to cut through grief, her arms crossed and expression unreadable. Somewhere n

minut

groaned open behind her and a gust

Riv

a crumpled program. Julia stared. He looked like he'd just rolled out of a hammock in Venice

ss the aisle. He wi

bourbon decanters, and walls lined with dusty law books. Julia stood tall by the fireplace, heels

h wire-frame glasses named Mr

. "Robert Hartman left behind a rather... u

eyes. She didn't

oximately twenty-three million dollars-n

d an eyebr

riage of his niece, Julia Hartman"-he glanced

le

short, incredulous b

"You must be legally married and cohabitating for no less than ninet

Liam. "Did you

you. Although..." His lips curved into a grin. "Gotta admit,

. "This is

one who wrote

lines, the estate defaults to a preserv

n her head spinning. Ninety days. She had cases pil

the money, right? You to keep your fancy firm af

d. "You know a

shocked. You're like a l

ounted to five. "So wh

iam said with a smirk.

-

from him at a tiny café in SoHo, a

wn up la

cal contact clause?" he

y. "We're not lovers.

l entanglements'? What, we

each other no

ning a hand through his hair. "Y

n her chest. It was irritat

arances. We live under the same roof. We attend Uncle Robert's charity events

a moment, then pick

he café faded. Julia stared at his handwriting-bold, chaotic, like hi

and, and said with mock cere

fingers brushin

use," she s

elp but wonder how many rules they'd ha

t here she was, signing a marriage certificate with a man who wor

y, no flowers. Just a bored clerk at City Hall and a ring b

d herself as Liam slid the ring

rmured, "fits

d back. "Let's not

"Right. Stri

-

rtman's ghost lingering in pipe smoke and worn leather chairs. Julia had visited often as a child, always trailing behin

, keys in hand, wondering what e

, dumping a duffel bag onto

on the second floor. I'll take the master suite.

sigh. "You really a

e is not

her black-on-black outfit. "Ever t

bed the staircase, heels

-

with a human hurricane-creative,

painted shirtless. He s

French press and didn't clean it. Exhibit B-he tracked paint onto the white marble. E

laminated house rule

es of dinosaur

-

bert Hartman Foundation Gala. It was a glittering affair-string quartet

. Liam looked surprisingly presentable in a tailored

well," she sai

ring his arm. "Almost so

sion of curated harmony. Came

the Hart

tist, right?

ed? R

d reminded herself: Fake

oted Van Gogh to a group of bored hedge funders, and made Julia laugh-actually

ance, he pulled her onto

he orchestra swelled. "You

guide her. He moved surprising

s before," she s

ding crasher

urse

wirling her slowly, "i

d hers a little too long. The room faded around the

stepped o

a

-

h and retreated to the study. Liam fo

ht," she said. "Con

t the doorframe. "So what now? We c

ntain appearances. Survive t

tilted his head.

ack to o

regr

itated.

didn't quite reach

-

turned in

nto a rhyth

coffee at 6:00 a.m., ema

mself or playing jazz at full volume. She threatened to evi

augh more tha

inner more tha

blur the lines

clutched in her hands. He carried her upstairs without waking her, b

and color and someth

-

rm of a burnt pie and a congratulatory bottle of p

f fake marital bl

ur existence," sh

leaning against the cabinets, s

at her. Re

meone who built her world out of ru

fr

in the contra

s," he murmured

xpected. No calculation, no power play. Ju

dn't s

t want to

ed, she stood u

hanges

at her. "D

-

ed him fo

dn't

and billing hours. She told h

to her lips and remembered the way he

day, they went to b

ate r

tween them had n

as quiet that n

verhead. She had spent the last four weeks building walls, enforcing boundaries, and re

d the weight of Liam's kiss.

w strums, soft and slow. She'd never seen him play before. He kept th

ight, h

chaos. It wa

f bed before she

-

oor, surrounded by canvases. Some were blank. Others half-finished. One showed

ou feel too much,

ought you'd locked you

er arms. "I c

re, then set the guitar aside. "

That painting. It's dif

er gaze. "Yea

linked.

e you walked into Uncle Robert's house, you looked l

"That's not how

xpectations. Control. I see someone who's spent their whole lif

't know wh

loser. Not touc

e said quietly. "It just happened. But I

e wasn't mocking her. No

ted wa

hard," she admitted. "I th

"Maybe love doesn't

ned. "Don'

atch feelings and the

e said, voice barely above a whis

dn't

n't ha

-

d her mother waiting

er Robert's "eccentricities"-or Julia's career,

ghter the kind of air-kis

warily. "To what do

s. I read about it in the Times." Her l

. And yes.

ou always were sentimental about Robert. But m

"It's more compl

. "But be careful. Attachments

you think we

eyebrow. "Because y

said n

-

he courtyard, pruning a rosemar

a moment before a

owed up. Judg

id she say anyt

artist boy' and que

ong. But if it helps, I w

r eyes, but her

worse. I could be one of those guys who quo

b Ross and li

. Far su

led like it was the rar

ou ever think about

"You mean aft

nod

d to imagine I'd move to a high-rise with floor-to-ceili

d n

sure," sh

for her han

n't pul

-

2, thing

lo

yelling

h one ph

a proposal for a merger when her

ton & Rose

tive Partnersh

ation to London, full

s everything she'd worked for.

ould mea

ing

ile, unnamed thing wa

dn't t

coul

t

drank his cheap wine and i

-

m wasn'

later-left open on the desk,

ked in, he w

't going t

. "It's not

evant? Julia-this c

in twenty-eight days. I take the

care abou

d. "Because this was nev

ack like she

ou. You kis

e a mi

again. Look me in the eye

coul

she

thi

without an

-

eep that nigh

too quiet. The

from the guest room. The paintings too. The guita

d l

like

-

arrived in the mai

age. Handwritten. In

arate article, stipulation, or prov

small that cha

tman. You made me believe in

onditions. No co

cr

irst time

at, grabbed her keys,

shimmered under the streetlights but soaked through clothes before you

e diner, the gallery he once mentioned, the bench near the East Ri

and her coat clung to her like a second skin

midnight, s

e kind with no sign, no name, just a cracked door

he entered, brush

of the

breath. "

told

I did

it meant

lie

hands were stained with paint-navy

you," she said. "Because fa

softly. "That's

bout me building walls. About pretendin

ly, like approaching a wound

voice shaking. "The one I didn't see c

ong moment. Then, quietly, "Yo

ned it

widened.

morning. Told them I couldn't a

her face. "Y

ater and my hair looks like a bird

. The tens

and held her like somethin

is insane," she murm

t maybe love is suppose

d shivering, but somehow mo

-

returned to the t

s of the kitchen. Normalcy settled

, the quiet w

as p

le?" Julia asked

from her mug. "For now, let's k

re terrible at fa

to kiss her. "But I'm great

-

r ninety days of marriage, the house would be reviewed for

de-by-side in the stu

documents. "Congratulations.

clause?" Liam

bowed hi

d his throat. "I

we stay here. Togeth

ed. "That's not

own," Julia said softl

-

her-room by room, memory by memory. The halls that once

nroom, Ju

t time you told me that p

nking you'd nev

't. Not

d n

I believe in storms th

lose. "So what's

in, kisse

she whispere

ragments of silver. Julia walked beside Liam, fingers brushing his now and then, uncertain if it was okay

ur uncle knew?"

w wh

happen. That we

new everything. That's what m

ducked inside and returned with two cups of hot coffee and a

idnight?" Julia

ed. "We d

tside the studio, thei

or," Liam said after a moment. "I know this whole

lia said. "It be

id softly. "I

prised by how steady her hands fe

But are y

motions, yes to doing things the way everyone else expected. This ti

d her again. It wasn't the kind of kiss that needed fireworks or thunderclaps. It was s

-

soaked again-more from fog and Liam's coat draped over her head than f

of red wine someone had sent as a congratulatory gift afte

with a loud thunk,

asked, lifti

her head. "

dn't count the sips or the minutes. She didn't calcu

just

-

ad on his chest, legs tangled in a throw blanket, his

en Julia opened her eyes, she wasn't filled with the

, she b

zing, smiled as if

-

ew weeks, their

and laughter. Julia brought home ingredients she couldn't pronounce and tried cooking with him, burnin

hours. About childhood. Abo

eing tethered," Julia admitted one night

d n

nchor that moves with

er hand. "That's exactly

-

of finding cracks in

, the law

terms. As long as no contest is filed, the estate will tran

a said, her voice

rd trustees-your cousin Nathaniel-has submitted a p

e. "On wha

ion,'" the lawyer read. "He claims the marria

her sto

holding two mugs of tea. His

e asked, settin

ver. "Nathaniel's conte

ha

e line. "Do we nee

evidence. Letters,

with a tight promise

turned

ppen," she said. "It's

to actually fall in lo

l," Julia said. "Bu

air. "Nathaniel always hated

This is about p

e floor. "So

"We show them it was real-

-

of "marriage documentation" they'd originally assembled-polaroids, receipts, the vi

mouth slightly open, with her legal briefs covering hi

dy falling," he

rned.

r sort through the photos.

ha

rriage was real, and somewhere in that eff

stared

. "The cla

"We worked. The claus

-

wyer, including a joint statem

process of pretending, we found something that could not be faked. What began as a clau

sponded with

d. We'll

-

they held t

the rulin

to Julia Hartman and Liam Carter as cohabitants under full i

he decision

looked

e lau

ia didn

lowly, deliberately,

he money," she whispe

more gently t

e the next clause I want

the townhous

ind that wrapped around two people who had survived something uncertain, s

ights flicker like a heartbeat. Julia leaned in the d

at started with terms and deadlines turne

love was something loud. Dramatic. But this-" he gestured

d and slipped her ar

auses," she

nditions,"

ys lifting inch by inch. The storm had passed, the

ed-gentle, steady, like

ew-this was no longer pret