Updated Mar 21, 2026 • ~7 min read
SUMMER – TWO YEARS AGO
“We’ve found you a husband.”
My mother says it over dim sum. Casual. Like she’s announcing the weather.
I nearly choke on my soup dumpling.
“What?”
“The Lancaster family. Very prestigious. Old money. Their son Theo is twenty-seven. Educated. Successful.”
My father nods. “It’s an excellent match.”
“You want me to marry a stranger?”
“Don’t be dramatic, Summer. You’ll meet him first. Several times. Get to know him.”
“I’m twenty-two!”
“Exactly. The perfect age.” My mother refills my tea. “You’re young. Beautiful. From a good family. But you’re also aimless. No career. No direction.”
The words sting.
Because they’re true.
I graduated with an art history degree. Worked random gallery jobs. Nothing stuck.
I’m… floating.
“The Lancasters are invested in our business,” my father continues. “This union would strengthen both families. Secure your future.”
“What about what I want?”
“What do you want?” My mother’s voice sharpens. “To work retail jobs forever? To disappoint us?”
The guilt hits like a tidal wave.
Disappointing them. The worst possible thing.
“Just meet him,” my father says. “One dinner. If you truly hate him, we’ll reconsider.”
It’s a lie.
They won’t reconsider.
This is happening.
I’m being sold.
SUMMER – FIRST MEETING
Theo Lancaster is handsome.
Tall. Well-dressed. Perfect posture.
He holds out his hand. “Summer. It’s nice to meet you.”
His grip is firm. Professional.
We’re at Per Se. Expensive. Elegant. Our parents watch from across the table like referees.
“You as well,” I manage.
Dinner is excruciating.
Our mothers discuss wedding venues. Our fathers discuss business mergers.
Theo and I sit in silence.
Finally, he leans over. Whispers, “Want to get out of here?”
I blink. “What?”
“This is insane, right? They’re planning our wedding and we’ve known each other for twenty minutes.”
Relief floods through me. “You think this is crazy too?”
“Completely.” He stands. Addresses the table. “Summer and I are going to take a walk. Get to know each other without an audience.”
His mother looks like she might protest.
But his father nods. “Good idea.”
We escape.
SUMMER
Central Park at night. String lights. Couples everywhere.
“I’m sorry about them,” Theo says. “My parents are… intense.”
“Mine too.”
“They’re trying to arrange our entire lives.”
“I know.”
He stops walking. Looks at me. “Here’s the truth. I don’t want an arranged marriage. I want to fall in love. For real.”
My chest loosens. “Me too.”
“But I also know my parents won’t back down. Neither will yours.”
“So what do we do?”
He considers. “We date. Actually date. Get to know each other. If we fall in love, great. If not…”
“If not?”
“We tell them it didn’t work. Together. United front.”
It sounds reasonable.
It sounds safe.
“Okay,” I say. “Let’s try.”
He smiles. Holds out his hand.
I take it.
SUMMER – THREE MONTHS LATER
Theo is nice.
That’s the problem.
He’s kind. Thoughtful. Respectful.
He takes me to museums. Fancy dinners. Weekend trips to his family’s house in the Hamptons.
He holds doors. Pulls out chairs. Asks about my day.
He’s everything my parents want.
And I feel absolutely nothing.
No spark. No butterflies. No chemistry.
“I think we should tell them,” I say one night. “That this isn’t working.”
We’re at his place. Watching a movie. His arm around my shoulders.
Like friends.
“Is it not working?” he asks.
“Theo, you can’t tell me you’re in love with me.”
He’s quiet for a moment. “No. But I care about you. And I think we could build something. Love doesn’t have to be fireworks, Summer. It can be… steady. Comfortable.”
“I want fireworks.”
“Fireworks burn out.” He looks at me. “My last girlfriend? Blake? That was fireworks. It was also chaos. She cheated on me. Made a fool of me in front of everyone I know.”
There’s pain in his voice.
Real pain.
“I’m sorry,” I whisper.
“I want someone I can trust. Someone who shares my values. Someone from a good family who understands what’s expected.”
“I’m not that person.”
“You could be.”
And there it is.
The expectation.
The mold he wants me to fit.
“I need time,” I say.
“Take all the time you need.”
But our parents are already planning the engagement party.
SUMMER – SIX MONTHS IN
I meet Jax at an art gallery.
I’m there for work. Representing my boss. Networking.
He’s there because his best friend Felix is showing tattoo designs.
Our eyes meet across the room.
Fireworks.
Actual fireworks.
He approaches. “You look like you’d rather be anywhere else.”
I laugh. “Is it that obvious?”
“Completely.” He grins. Crooked. Charming. “I’m Jax.”
“Summer.”
We talk for three hours.
Art. Music. Life. Everything.
He’s covered in tattoos. Pierced. Rough around the edges.
Everything my parents would hate.
Everything I want.
“Can I take you to dinner?” he asks.
I should say no.
I’m technically dating Theo.
But Theo and I aren’t… we’re not real.
“Yes,” I hear myself say.
SUMMER – FIRST DATE WITH JAX
He takes me to a hole-in-the-wall ramen place.
It’s perfect.
We sit on stools. Share gyoza. Talk until they kick us out at closing.
“I like you,” he says. “A lot.”
“I like you too.”
“Can I see you again?”
“Yes.”
He walks me to the subway. Kisses me on the platform.
It’s the best kiss of my entire life.
I’m floating.
Weightless.
Alive.
For the first time in months, I feel like myself.
But then I go home. And there’s a text from Theo.
My parents want to announce the engagement next month. I told them we’re ready. That okay?
Panic.
Pure panic.
I should tell him no. Tell him about Jax. End this before it spirals.
But my parents’ voices echo in my head.
Don’t disappoint us, Summer.
Family comes first.
This is your duty.
I text back: Okay.
And just like that, I’m living two lives.
THEO
I propose at the engagement party.
It’s choreographed. Planned by our mothers.
I get down on one knee in front of two hundred people.
Summer looks shocked.
But she says yes.
Everyone applauds.
My mother cries happy tears.
Summer’s father shakes my hand.
I slip the ring on her finger. Five carats. Flawless.
She stares at it like it’s a shackle.
Later, in the coat check, she whispers, “Theo, I don’t know if I can do this.”
“Cold feet are normal.”
“It’s not cold feet. It’s—”
“Summer.” I take her hands. “I know you’re scared. But we’re good together. We make sense. And I promise I’ll make you happy.”
She looks at me with something like despair.
But she nods.
“Okay.”
SUMMER – THAT NIGHT
I go to Jax’s apartment.
He doesn’t know about Theo. About the engagement.
I told him my family is traditional. That I’m taking it slow telling them about him.
It’s not technically a lie.
It’s just… incomplete truth.
“You’re shaking,” Jax says. Pulls me close. “What’s wrong?”
“Family stuff. It’s complicated.”
“Talk to me.”
“I can’t. Not yet.”
He studies my face. “Are you in trouble?”
“No. I just… I needed to see you.”
He kisses me. Soft. Careful.
“I’m here. Whatever you need.”
I need to tell him the truth.
I need to come clean.
But I’m terrified.
Terrified of losing him. Terrified of disappointing my parents. Terrified of the choice I’m being forced to make.
So I don’t tell him.
I kiss him instead.
And the lies begin.
SUMMER – PRESENT DAY
That was a year ago.
Now I’m three months from marrying Theo.
While dating Jax every weekend.
Telling Theo I’m visiting family.
Telling Jax I’m working up the courage to introduce him.
Lying to everyone.
Including myself.
Melody was right.
This is going to explode.
But I don’t know how to stop it.
So I keep spinning both plates.
Keep playing both roles.
Keep pretending I can have both lives.
Until gravity wins.
And everything comes crashing down.
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