Almost Married , Fully Broken Webfic 1/3 Chapter 1 Nora Graham and Elliot Ward found themselves trapped in endless arguments just one month before their wedding . Every single argument was about the same thing - Elliot wanted to have a child with his professor's daughter . " Nothing physical will happen between us since it's just in vitro fertilization . Professor Reeves is gravely ill , and his biggest wish is to see Claire happy and have a child . She has no one else to turn to . I'm her only option , " Elliot explained . Nora was stunned and furious when she first heard this ridiculous proposal . But now , after weeks of fighting , all she felt was exhaustion . " We're supposed to get married in a month , yet you want to have a child with another woman . Doesn't that sound insane to you ? " she demanded , her voice trembling as tears welled up in her eyes . She tried to hold her tears back , but eventually , the dam broke , and the tears streamed down her cheeks . For a moment , Elliot was shaken . He'd never seen her cry before , after all . He opened his mouth to say something , but before he could get a word out , his phone chimed . Glancing at the screen , his face hardened , and all that conflict vanished . " I have to go . Maybe you should take some time to calm down , " he said , turning away . As Nora watched him leave , she suddenly realized that she had always been the one staring at his back throughout all their years together . Back in university , Elliot was the kind of guy everyone admired . He was always at the top of the secret admirer lists , but he never accepted anyone's confession and ended it all by saying he wasn't interested in dating during university . Most women gave up because of his aloof attitude , but Nora stayed persistent and determined . until she finally won him over , and he became her boyfriend . But even after years together , Elliot was always distant . Still , Nora never let it get to her , always . playing the part of the sunshine in his life . She never imagined he would disregard her feelings and make such an absurd request . Just then , her phone buzzed . It was a message from Claire Reeves , with a screenshot of her conversation with Elliot . Claire said , " Elliot , my dad's not going to make it much longer . Let's not worry about Nora anymore . Can we just go through with the IVF ? Please ! " Chapter 1 Elliot replied , " Okay . I'll come over . " Z Nora felt like she'd been struck by lightning . So , that was why Elliot left in such a hurry . She didn't even know how to put her feelings into words . Everything was weighing on her chest , so heavy she could barely breathe . She wanted to scream and cry , but she was just too tired to do either . At that moment , she looked up and caught her reflection in the mirror . She barely recognized herself . She used to be vibrant and full of life . But now , her eyes were clouded with a sorrow so deep it felt like it would never fade . She didn't look anything like the person she once was . All of this was because she fell for Elliot . In trying to win his heart , she had lost herself . But in the end , Elliot ran off to have a baby with another woman , just weeks before their wedding . Suddenly , a thought crept in . If Elliot cared so little about their relationship , maybe she shouldn't , either . She took a deep breath , picked up her phone , and typed out a post for her social feed . After making sure Elliot couldn't see it , she hit send . " My wedding's in a month , but I'm thinking of swapping out the groom . Is anyone interested ? " Most of her friends assumed she was joking . The comments section filled up with lighthearted replies . Nora scrolled through them , feeling emptier than ever . Just when she was about to put her phone down , a call came in . It was from Lucas Reynolds . Nora stared at the phone screen , stunned for a moment . It had been years since she'd heard from . him . They'd grown up together . Back in school , she was the popular girl , and Lucas was the guy everyone crushed on , but the two of them were always butting heads . From kindergarten through high school , they'd bickered nonstop . Then , they went to universities in different cities , and their story faded out . Back in university , she fell for Elliot at first sight . She spent nearly every break trying to be with him , rarely going back home . After graduation , she stayed in Harbor City for Elliot and lost touch with Lucas , except for a random comment he left for her when she announced her engagement . " Can you not marry him ? " She thought he was just being difficult , like always , so she ignored him . She never expected he'd be the first to call her now . As she picked up the call , Nora braced herself for his teasing , but Lucas went straight to the point . " Nora , if you're looking for a new groom , how about me ? " As soon as he finished speaking , silence filled the air . Chapter 1 3/3 Nora wasn't sure if he was joking or not , but she couldn't deny that Lucas was probably her best option . He was her equal in every way , and she knew him inside and out . After a long pause , she answered , " Alright . What's your condition ? " " I don't have any conditions . Just one thing - if we're getting married , change my contact name from Butthead ' to ' Honey . "" His request was so simple that Nora had to check if she had heard him right . " Is that it ? " " That's it . Oh , also , I want everything regular married couples have . " Nora was genuinely surprised . She'd assumed Lucas was just being pushed by his family to settle down . All these years , she had never pressured Elliot to get married . Since he had already agreed to be her boyfriend , she didn't dare to ask for anything more . However , with her grandfather's health getting worse and his wish to see her walk down the aisle , she decided to propose herself . But now , just weeks before the wedding , Elliot had thrown her this curveball , She tightened her grip on her phone . " I don't want a fake marriage . If I'm doing this , it's for real . " Lucas laughed softly . " Good . I'll come to Harbor City and pick you up . Let's talk about setting a date for the marriage license and wedding " Nora went quiet for a moment . " Give me two weeks . I need time to wrap up a few things . " She didn't need to explain what those things were . They both knew she meant Elliot , If this was going to be a real marriage , the past had to be left behind . Lucas understood and didn't say anything . When she hung up , the first thing Nora did was update Lucas ' contact name . She stared at the new contact name and let out a mocking laugh . If Elliot could sneak around and have a baby with another woman , then fine , Nora would just go behind his back and get herself a new groom .