“Cece, baby.” He seems to be at a loss for words. His heart pounding loudly.
I frown. “What—”
“Let’s go home,” he blurts, blinking rapidly. “I… my apartment. I need to explain… I…fuck. There’s some things I thought I could explain here but…” He’s fumbling over his words, almost frantic. So I agree.
He tangles his hand with mine, leading us both to his car. His gaze flicking toward my car briefly. “I’ll get someone to bring your car back,” he mumbles, opening the door for me.
My hands are growing colder and clammy. I wipe them on the skirt of my dress when I settle into the car.
He drives in silence, but his wary eyes keep lookingat me with a painful awareness at every stop light. I want to assure him that everything will be fine. That Iget it.But I’m also trembling—knowing that I’m headed to his place for a break up that might have always been inevitable.
I should’ve known. Even expected it when Iris came back. Add to that, the clause—
The moment we enter his place, he hugs me without hesitation. His grip is tight but I can feel him shaking.
“It’s okay,” I whisper as I rub his back, albeit hesitantly.
But I’m thoroughly confused. Because his actions aren’t matching with what I’ve been dreading. I get a feeling that I may have been assuming things for the past hour.
“I…” His voice cracks. “It’s not. I can hear what you’re thinking, baby. And you’re wrong.”
I am?
He leans back, giving me a watery smile. “Let me explain everything, okay?”
I give him a jerky nod before we settle on his couch. I find myself stupidly wondering if Iris has been here. The ugly feeling I’ve been trying to hide comes back full force. But I try to keep it down.
“Ten years ago,” he begins, my hands snug in his. “My parents threatened Iris to leave me. She did but gave me a letter that… seemed convincing enough. She said she was choosing her career over our relationship, and I believed her.”
I shift uncomfortably, willing myself to listen to him. Hoping I don’t start zoning out.
And then he explains everything. How he felt like he was missing a puzzle piece when Iris came back.How she told him the truth about the threats just a few days ago at the party. How the clause was an insidious attempt by his parents to control his life. Something that was only introduced over eight years ago. And how me digging into the financials due to the merger was an impediment for them to continue their secret activities. How Sebastian finally came through and arrests might happen soon.
I frown. Dots connecting quickly.
“It was Iris, actually. She found me at the office today,” he says. “Told me how the marital clause didn’t exist when my dad took over when she was digging through the old mergers. And that’s how I found out about how the clause was a farce. Then my parents confirmed it.”
I blink rapidly. My brain unable to process what he just said.Revealedrather. “She… knows about the clause?” I ask, my voice barely audible.
“Yeah, I…” He pales, his throat moving on a hard swallow. “Baby, I…”
“How? Did you t-tell her?”
No, he wouldn’t.
I try to remove my hands from his. Utterly mortified that something so personal about our union was shared with her. I want to believe that Levi wouldn’t have told her. But his face says it all.
“Wait, no,” he breathes out a ragged sigh. “I mean, yes. I did. But—fuck—I… I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have told her.”
I can feel the heat rising in my cheeks, my vision blurring with tears yet again. “When?” I whisper dully.
But inside, I’m already slipping into a place where his reasons won’t matter.
“It… it was when Grace and Iris had that impromptu meeting a month ago,” he admits, face red with what I can assume is shame.
I shake my head defeatedly. My mind reeling with uncertainty. He didn’t tell me about that meeting either.Taewondid.
She knew about the clause.
