My First Love Blackmailed Me Into Marriage

Aitana shot Jaxxon a sideways glance. "Who wouldn't be feeling this way?"

This was his first time dealing with a mess like this, and honestly, she wasn't any more experienced.

Her impatience flared. "So what's the plan now?"

"We'll come back in thirty days, like they told us."

Aitana let out a sigh. "Looks like that's all we can do."

"But..."

"What now?" A sudden unease prickled through her as she caught the wary look on Jaxxon's face. "Don't even tell me you're about to go on a business trip or that you won't have the time... The cooling-off period is thirty days, not exactly on the thirtieth day, you know."

Jaxxon frowned. "That's not what I was gonna say..."

"Then what?"

"I already took a day off this quarter. If I take another one, I'll lose my quarterly bonus."

Guilt washed over Aitana. She'd dragged Jaxxon into this whole complicated mess. Marriage wasn't some game, and here they were, tangled up in all kinds of trouble—first getting hitched, now getting divorced.

And on top of the hassle, the financial hit was huge.

Sensing her mood, Jaxxon added, "It's not your fault. I'm the one who suggested getting married."

That just made her feel worse.

"It takes two to make a marriage," she muttered. "I agreed to it, so I'm just as responsible."

Aitana wasn't the type to wallow in regret, but right now, she seriously regretted that impulsive decision to marry Jaxxon.

"I pressured you," Jaxxon corrected.

"You didn't have to. I'd already said yes." Her cheeks flushed pink and she looked away.

Back then, she hadn't exactly put up a fight against his proposal. Maybe if he hadn't been so damn obsessive about cleanliness...

"Your obsession with tidiness hasn't changed," Jaxxon remarked out of nowhere, fiddling with his phone. "I just sent you a recommendation for a mental health clinic. Check it out."

Her phone pinged. It took her a second to get what he was implying, and the realization instantly lit a fire inside her.

"Jaxxon! Are you calling me crazy?"

"No, it's just a suggestion. Take it or leave it," he said, all calm and collected.

Heart hammering with irritation, she glared at him. "A suggestion? You're basically saying I need a shrink!"

Mental health clinic? That was just a polite way of saying psych ward, wasn't it?

But Jaxxon met her gaze, his expression dead serious. "I'm being genuine," he said clearly. "Because only someone with some major hangups would end relationships over stupid little things."

Aitana was speechless for a moment.

After a beat, she asked cautiously, "Are you still stuck on why we broke up back then?"

Jaxxon seemed momentarily lost. His dark eyes flickered before he turned away, leaving behind a cool, "No."

Jaxxon's mood swings were so unpredictable, Aitana could never read him. But hearing his denial, she relaxed a fraction.

"Back then... don't worry about it. I just wanted to focus on the college exams, so I made up some dumb excuse to break up." She felt a twinge of guilt as she said it.

Her whole romance with Jaxxon had been a sham from the start—cooked up by her own petty, childish jealousy.

Looking back, her reasoning was laughably pathetic.

When Jaxxon transferred to her school, Aitana's class ranking dropped from tenth to eleventh, and she lost her spot on the coveted "honor roll."

The gap was small, but the school only honored the top ten. Eleventh place meant nothing.

Proud and naive, Aitana had wanted payback.

Weren't romantic distractions supposed to tank your grades?

So she'd hatched this stupid revenge plot: date him, break his heart, mess up his focus on studying.

As it turned out, her scheme worked way too well.

Jaxxon ended up at a different university, not his dream school, trading aeronautics for medicine.

Her methods might have been sneaky, but she couldn't deny that their brief teenage relationship had been full of genuine, innocent affection.

First loves are supposed to be unforgettable—and for good reason.

Back in high school, emotions were pure, free of hidden agendas or money concerns. That kind of thing was rare, something Aitana could never recreate as an adult.

Even if she met the same person today, the simplicity and innocence of young love had long since faded.

When she'd been weighing whether to accept Jaxxon's marriage proposal, her practical mind had sized him up in the most mundane, realistic ways possible.

As an adult, love had gone from being a teenage given to an elusive, precious thing.

She stole a glance at Jaxxon. His serious expression hadn't changed. She murmured under her breath, "I can apologize if it'll make you feel better."

"No need," Jaxxon replied. "We broke up, and you didn't even ace college."

Aitana bristled at his bluntness. "River Valley University is pretty good, okay?"

"Depends on the major," he shot back.

She faltered, no comeback ready.

She hadn't done as well as she'd hoped on her college entrance exams, ending up in healthcare management instead of clinical medicine—a path she'd stumbled through for years, with more than a little regret.

"Let's head back," Jaxxon said coldly.

Frustrated, she tossed him a glare before following him to the car.

As they drove, she asked absently, "How much is the quarterly bonus?"

If it wasn't too much, maybe she could pay him back.

Jaxxon started the car and answered casually, "Five thousand dollars."

Aitana's eyes went wide. "Five grand?"

"Why? Too little?"

"Five thousand a quarter? That's twenty thousand a year—are you seriously asking 'too little'? Compared to that, my reselling side hustle barely brings in as much as your bonus for a single quarter."

Jealousy stabbed at her heart.

Both of them were in the medical field, but the difference in earning potential was ridiculous.

Frustrated, Aitana muttered, "I can't afford to pay five grand. The divorce... will have to wait till your next break."

"Alright," Jaxxon replied, his tone unreadable.

A moment later, he asked, "Where to?"

"My parents' place."

As they neared the neighborhood entrance, a sudden thought hit Aitana, and she urged Jaxxon to pull over.

He stopped the car discreetly, about a block away from the complex.

His voice dripped with sarcasm. "Afraid your parents will see us?"

Aitana felt her cheeks burn, memories from the past flooding her mind.

Back in high school, she and Jaxxon used to say goodbye right here, keeping a safe distance before heading home separately.

She dodged the question, changing the subject. "I heard your mom's moving here. You...?"

"She's moving in alone. I won't be staying—this place is too far from the East River East River University Hospital."

"True, the old neighborhood's too far for a daily commute," Aitana mused aloud. "If it wasn't so inconvenient, I wouldn't need to rent a place closer to campus."

Jaxxon's talent for sarcasm had clearly leveled up, since he started digging up old grievances.

Still, she decided to let it slide—he'd done Beau a favor, and he'd missed lunch because of it. So she held her tongue, focusing on peeling and dicing the potatoes.

She tossed them into the pan with the leftover pulled pork, gave it a quick sauté, and left it to simmer.

"Where's the bread?" she asked.

"Lower cabinet, right in front of you."

Opening it, she found an unopened bag of dinner rolls and shot him an incredulous look. "You haven't even opened it?"

"No time."

She grabbed a knife from the counter, aiming to cut the thread that sealed the bag.

When Jaxxon saw her with the knife, he stepped in. "Hold up, let me get scissors."

"No need," she started, about to show him how easily the string could be undone, but he snatched the knife away and came back with scissors, announcing, "I'll do it."

"Fine, I'll handle it," she retorted, reclaiming the scissors and deftly opening the bag.

Jaxxon opened the oven, pulled out the baking sheet, and Aitana scooped up two rolls to hand to him.

She crouched to tidy up while he warmed the rolls, his back to her.

The pan sizzled on the stove.

When lunch was ready, she dished up the food.

"I'll carry it," Jaxxon offered, retrieving the steaming bowl and setting it on the table.

He'd already set the places, opening the bread basket. "You gonna eat too?"

"No, I already ate."

Jaxxon served himself a portion. "Want some pulled pork?"

"No, I'm fine."

Without another word, he placed a piece of pulled pork in her bowl. "Eat something. It's lonely eating alone."

Aitana wanted to call him out on his weird whims, but the tender, savory pulled pork was impossible to resist. After all, her mom's cooking was unforgettable; she'd always loved it.

"Alright then," she said, taking a bite. "Just don't tell my folks I ate all your pulled pork."

Jaxxon chuckled softly. "I won't," and a gentle smile played on his lips.

As she ate, she asked, "Who buys your groceries? Your mom?"

"Yeah, she orders them online."

"You're old enough to take care of yourself. Give her a break, okay?"

"…" Jaxxon's hand paused. "I'll handle it from now on."

Realizing her concern sounded out of place, Aitana backtracked. "Not that... just, take care of yourself."

"Okay," he replied easily.

Even though she'd started with an appetite, Aitana found herself too troubled to eat much.

"Done?" Jaxxon asked as she set her fork aside.

"Not that hungry after all."

"Okay. I'll finish up and take you back."

"No rush," she said, noticing how quickly he was eating—clearly hungry, yet he kept his composure like always.

Jaxxon was one of the few men she knew who ate so gracefully. He never attacked his food like a starving wolf; even with bony meat, he nibbled carefully instead of gnawing on it like most people.

The first time she noticed, Aitana had found it totally at odds with his otherwise lazy nature.

Jaxxon caught her staring. "What? Want to eat but worried about gaining weight?"

"Huh?" she didn't follow.

"Meat's high in protein. It's fine to indulge sometimes—just control your carbs."

"No," Aitana hesitated. "It's... you look good when you eat."

A beat of silence, then a faint flush crept to his ear tips. Jaxxon smiled, picking up a piece of potato. "That's a first."

Seeing him smile loosened the knot in her chest, and she smiled back.

After the meal, Jaxxon cleaned up while Aitana relaxed on the couch.

He came back from the kitchen, grabbed his car keys, and said, "Let's go, I'll take you back."

"But isn't your car at the hospital?" she pointed out.

"Yeah, so we'll swing by there first."

As they headed toward the East River East River University Hospital, Aitana realized it was a two-for-one: a post-meal walk would be nice anyway.

During the drive, she asked absentmindedly, "Why did you park at the hospital?"

"Convenience."

"For what?"

"Meetings or emergency calls."

She nodded. "Oh."

"Next time, if something like Beau's situation comes up, let me know ahead of time," Jaxxon suggested.

"That's weirdly specific," Aitana commented. "I doubt it'll happen again. My mentor doesn't have that many students."

Jaxxon clarified, "I mean for cases where patients can't afford pricey treatments. I can arrange a visiting specialist."

"What's that?"

"It allows doctors from the university to perform surgeries closer to where the patient lives, so they don't have to travel all the way here."

"Really? I didn't know that."

"It's a newer policy," he explained.

"Are you registered anywhere else?"

"My registration is still processing. I'm planning to register in a rural county."

"Why there?"

"Because those counties have the worst healthcare."

"I didn't take you for a bleeding heart," she joked.

"Not at all," Jaxxon replied. "A lot of our colleagues are registered there."

Aitana chuckled but didn't argue.

They reached her parents' place without a hitch. Since Jaxxon's car was registered, the gate opened smoothly, and he pulled up to the building.

He stopped the car, and Aitana unclipped her seatbelt.

Jaxxon's grip tightened on the steering wheel. "Not inviting me up?"

Aitana froze, staring at him warily.

"I'm kidding. Go on home." A smirk crossed his lips.

She stepped out, waved goodbye, and headed inside.

Watching her disappear, Jaxxon adjusted the rearview mirror and caught sight of a vaguely familiar figure staring back. He drove forward, accelerating past the person, leaving the unease behind.

"Does this have anything to do with me?" Aitana asked.

Arturo Howell hesitated, totally unsure how to respond.

Lucia and Bodhi exchanged glances, just as lost.

Jaxxon cut in, "Aitana, do you accept me?"

She was stunned.

Was Jaxxon seriously confessing in public?

His expression was earnest, almost innocent—completely unreadable.

Even his mom, Lucia, looked taken aback by his bluntness.

Jaxxon was known for his one-track mind, but this level of boldness caught everyone off guard.

Forcing herself to stay calm, Aitana didn't let his words sweep her away. "Accept what?"

"My explanation," Jaxxon replied with complete sincerity.

The abruptness of his statement threw everyone for a loop.