“Would You Pretend To Be My Husband?” She Asked… And I Asked, “Do I Get To Kiss My Wife?”

I was a Brooklyn electrician with rent due Friday, grease under my fingernails, and no business stepping into the life of a woman who looked like she had already survived one public humiliation too many.

But then she said his name.

Alex.

And everything changed.

PART 1
“Would you pretend to be my husband?” Hannah asked, and the diner went so quiet I could hear the neon sign buzzing over the window.

I stared at her like she had just handed me a live wire.