When I confronted them, the truth came out: Andrew and Kate had orchestrated the relationship, hoping we’d both benefit. I felt humiliated, betrayed by everyone—including Peter. But then he confessed something real: that he no longer cared about the deal, that he had truly fallen for me. “You made me feel alive again,” he said.
His words reached a part of me I didn’t know was still open. In the end, I forgave him. We kept the record player—not for Kate, but for ourselves. That Thanksgiving marked the beginning of something beautiful. Each year since, we play music, dance in the living room, and celebrate a love that began as a setup—but turned out to be the real thing.