A few months later, Ryan’s mom invited me and the kids to their annual Fourth of July family party.
She and I had stayed on wonderful terms, and even though I didn’t want to go, she convinced me. She told me to ignore Ryan, who would be there with Lucille.
Acting on impulse, I hired an actor named Daniel to pretend to be my boyfriend.
Maybe it sounds ridiculous, but I wanted Ryan to see that I was living my life without him.
When Daniel arrived, my jaw nearly dropped. He was handsome, tall, and athletic.
I wanted to cancel everything. How could someone like him ever be with someone like me?
I explained the whole situation to Daniel.
He just smiled and said:
“Don’t worry. We’re going to that party. Don’t you want to finally show him that you’re happy?”
So we went.
