AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Michelle purses her lips, deep in thought. Finally, she speaks again. “But you look so happy in the picture.”
I nod again. “Because we were happy. We are happy. All of us were happy to be parting ways. Tom and I had marriages of convenience, for all the parties involved. Sarah and Victoria are decent people, but there’s no love lost there.”
At Michelle’s silence, I grow desperate, wanting to lay every detail before her so she understands our side of the story.
“Do you see, sweetheart?”
She shakes her head.
“But why would Sarah and Victoria agree to divorces? I mean, if they married you for your money and status, then what changed?”
My brother and I share a glance.
“Well, first because Tom and I will be paying alimony,” I say slowly. “We’re generous because our marriages have served us well over the years. We now have absolute control over our family company, and no one dares dispute the fact that we’ve been uber-successful as CEOs. But there’s more to it too.”
My brother and I share another look before he jumps in.
“You see,” Tom says. “Victoria and Sarah are lesbians. They’ve been in a relationship with one another for a few years now. For the duration of our marriages, in fact, and they’re sick of this charade too. They wanted out, and were more than happy to sign the divorce papers.”
Michelle gasps, her eyes going wide.
“They’re lesbian? Are you serious?”
I nod.
“Our marriages were marriages of convenience, not just for Tom and me, but also for our respective wives. I think Victoria and Sarah have always had bisexual tendencies, but somewhere along the way, they fell in love with one another, and are now fully lesbian. I’m not quite sure how that works, but that’s what they claim.”
The curvy girl’s eyes are as round as saucers now.
“Holy shit.”
I nod.
“That’s part of the reason why we didn’t want to jump the gun on anything. Victoria and Sarah are getting ready to announce their relationship publicly, and we wish them well. We didn’t want to tip off the media with the news of our divorces. The media will jump on anything, no matter how far-fetched or irrational.”
Tom adds, “Plus, we’ve never been public about our relationships anyways. There are too many gossip rags that fish for information about us, so we decided to handle everything as secretly as possible.”
Michelle blinks, perhaps finally processing what we’ve been saying.
“But why didn’t you tell me? Did you not trust me?”
“No, we trust you,” I explain. “But it wasn’t about trust. It was more about…” I search for the words. “It’s more about the fact that the less people who know something, the easier it is to contain a story.”
“Besides, we didn’t exactly get off to a normal start,” my brother adds wryly.
Michelle shakes her head, looking stunned, and I feel awful.
“We could have told you,” I admit slowly, “and sweetheart, maybe we should have, especially seeing that things were getting serious between the three of us. But what’s done is done.”
Michelle nods, looking less angry and more accepting.
“But wait – so you got married at around the same time, and now you’re getting divorced at the same time too?”
“Yes.” I respond, wondering where her questions are going.
“Do you do everything together?” she asks, a bit suspiciously.
I share another look with my brother.
“Only when it comes to you, sweetheart. We both fell in love with you, and we both want you, Michelle. We are being honest with you now, and I hope you can hear us, and accept us.”
But she’s not done yet. Her pretty brown eyes still look suspicious.
“But what about the mansion in Long Island then? Why were you staying there? Surely, you could have stayed in the city. It would have been more convenient, especially since your divorces are amicable. Were you trying to hide your relationships from me?”
I take a deep breath and continue, never in my life having felt so vulnerable.
“Tom and I made the decision to stay at the mansion because city life was getting to be too much. The parties, the questions, all the busybodies sniffing out whatever gossip they could.”
“It was making our lives miserable, and Gabriel and I hate being in the public eye like that,” Tom adds, his own expression somber.
I bob my head in agreement.
“So we decided to stay at the Long Island house to get out of the city, and because we have a lot more privacy there.”
“And what about me?” Michelle asks, still not letting go.
“You were a wonderful distraction, and yes, we wanted to keep you out of the public eye, too. Not because we’re embarrassed by our arrangement, but to protect you,” I say gently, not sure if Michelle will completely understand. “People can be bitter and mean, especially toward men who have a lot, and they would have tried to make our relationship with you into something negative. We didn’t want that to happen.”
