Jade, bubbling with more excitement than a shaken soda can, exclaimed, "Grace, we should go to the best shop to buy you a dress. We must buy the best dress!"

But Grace, bless her heart, was about as excited as a cat in a bathtub. She couldn't fully enjoy the moment, knowing this wasn't a real wedding. In the corner of her mind, a little fear danced around like a nervous chipmunk. No one even knew who she was marrying. Fortunately, Jade had forgotten that Grace never shared the name of her fiancé. If she asked, Grace decided she would say Dion. And if Jade questioned if it was the same Dion as Angelica's ex, Grace planned to claim it was another Dion.

"I don't think we should spend all the money on my dress. That's wasting money, isn't it?" Grace blurted out, her mouth running faster than her brain.

Jade's eyes bugged out like a cartoon character who'd just seen a ghost. "Girl, it's your wedding, and he's throwing money at you to buy whatever you want. He loves you, girl! Why do you think it's wasting money?" she asked, more surprised than a cat in a cucumber patch.

"I... you know I'm not used to spending that much money in one day," Grace said, her mind racing faster than a cheetah on roller skates. She was already thinking about sending some money to her mom, while her relatives treated her like their personal ATM, calling more often than telemarketers during dinnertime.

Grace had finally cottoned on to their scheme. She had called her mom, promising to find a caretaker and send money directly. Her mom didn't know their relatives were treating Grace like an ATM under the guise of taking care of her.

Grinning wider than a kid in a candy store, Jade chirped, "After you marry him, you'll never have to worry about money." She was more excited than Grace.

"I think that's our Uber," Grace said, spotting a car approaching. They hopped in quickly.

Jade, fidgeting like a long-tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs, finally blurted out her burning question. "Sooo, when are you guys going to talk about maid of honor and stuff like that?" She was clearly hoping Grace would pick her.

"Oh, I better call and ask about it. Maybe they think I'm handling that part," Grace said, pulling her phone out of her handbag.

"Grace, how are you supposed to do everything by yourself? Aren't your relatives pitching in?" Jade asked.

"They can't help me. You know how poor they are—they can't even scrape together enough for plane tickets. And there's no way I can ask Dion to cover all of them," Grace said, her words spilling out before she realized she'd slipped up.

"Ohhh, so his name is Dion, huh?" Jade asked, and Grace blushed harder than a tomato at a salsa competition, worried that the next question would be about Angelica's ex.

But instead, Jade just grinned. "Oh, you're blushing! How cute," she teased. Clearly, it never crossed her mind that this could be the same Dion Dimitriadis. I mean, what are the odds? She must be thinking it's some other Dion entirely. "Anyway, don't worry about it. I'll help you with everything. You won't be alone in this," she added with a tone so confident, she might as well have been wearing a cape.

Grace felt her heart swell like a balloon. "Thank you, Jade! I'm so glad you're my best friend," she said, trying to blink back the tears threatening to spill over.

"Hey, hey, don't you dare cry," Jade said, throwing an arm around Grace like a superhero sidekick.

Once they got out near the shop, Grace snuck off to a quiet spot like a spy in a movie, pulling out her phone to call Dion.

"Hey, Dion, can I buy a dress for the maid of honor, too?" she asked, her heart thumping louder than a bass drum.

"Well, we're not having maids of honor or best men. You know this is a fake wedding, right? Just a small ceremony with my family and yours. That's it," Dion replied, his voice as firm as a judge's gavel.

"Oh, okay," Grace said, feeling like a deflated balloon. She couldn't help but wonder why Dion was talking to her in that tone. This wasn't even her idea—it was their idea.

"As soon as we get married, we can get divorced after a few months. My dad's getting weaker every day. The doctor says in a few months, he could lose his memory too. He's that weak," Dion said, his voice now laced with frustration.

"I'm really sorry about your dad," Grace said sincerely.

She heard Dion chuckle, but not the good kind. "At least you know the right words to say. But we both know you don't actually care about my dad. You just want the money," he said with a bitter laugh that hit Grace harder than she expected.

Her heart sank like a stone. "But I meant it. I really do feel bad for him," Grace replied, her voice steadier now, trying to hold her ground.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm busy. Just make sure to buy something good-looking. Honestly, I don't care if you show up at the wedding naked, but you've got to impress the others," Dion said before abruptly cutting the line.

Grace stood there, the phone still pressed against her ear, feeling like she'd been slapped. She wanted nothing more than to call him back, scream her lungs out, and end this whole ridiculous charade. But then she remembered her promise to her mother—the one where she swore she'd take care of her, no matter what.

With that, she swallowed her pride and forced the pain down, burying it deep like an old photograph shoved in a dusty drawer. Quickly, she wiped the tears from her eyes before Jade could catch her crying.