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“I don’t even know where to start,” I say, eyes still closed.
“Start anywhere.”
My shoulders slump, my lids finally fluttering back open.
“So… umm…”Just out with it.“I have this ex-fiancé…” The next lie forming on my lips slips out so easily, I’m almost impressed—if I wasn’t so busy cursing myself for it. “It was from before we met, and well… he was really abusive. I managed to run, and I thought I was done with him. I thought it was all over—until he showed up in town last week, threatening me.”
Sunny’s hand covers her mouth in shock and I feel downright horrible. Irredeemable. The worst friend someone could possibly have.
“The only thing I thought of doing at the time was ask Connor for protection.”
“Why not Byzantine?” Sunny asks and I can hear a small twinge of hurt in her voice. “I thought you hated Connor?”
“I did! I do… but… there’s more,” I say tentatively.
I place my hand on top of hers, trying to keep her as close as possible.
“But before I tell you, I need you to know how sorry I am that I’ve kept this from you and that I love you and… and just—just please try not to judge me.”
Because I’m doing enough of that for the both of us.
Sunny’s eyes soften before she says, “I promise, Lenix.”
“So… the reason I hate Connor is that… well, we ended up getting married on a dare when we were partying in Vegas together two years ago.” I scoff, suddenly feeling foolish. “And he’s refused to sign the divorce papers ever since.”
Her eyes widen, then harden and I can’t really make out the emotion behind it or who it’s aimed at. “Why?”
“Why what?”
“Why is he refusing to get divorced?” she asks, confused.
I look at her, with ayou know how Connor islook and answer, “Because he thinks it’s one big joke and notactuallysomething serious or legally binding.”
Sunny just sits there stunned. “That’s insane,” she finally says.
“Yeah, well…Connoris insane.”
She blinks a few times, seemingly trying to find the words to respond to the bomb I just threw at her feet. “This is all starting to make a lot of sense,” she mutters almost to herself. Her gaze then refocuses on me. “So what does being married to Connor have to do with hiding from your ex-fiancé?”
I squirm in my seat before answering, “I sort of called Connor and led my ex straight to him. I used us being married to my advantage. And told him that Connor was my husband and to leave me alone—or else.”
“Wow…”
I squeeze her hand. “There’s more…”
And before she can even synthesize all the information I’ve already flung on her, I tell her all about our agreement and how it led me to move into Connor’s house. I successfully leave out the fact that he now owns my orgasms as a condition of the agreement, and how we’ve already had sex, after less than a week. That little tidbit of a detail is wrapped tightly into a bundle of shame. And I’ll leave it to fester in some dark corner of my mind, desperately hoping her boyfriend won’t recount every dirty detail of the meeting this morning.
Sunny suddenly springs up to her feet, her nostrils flaring. “I can’t believe him! What a psychopath.” She turns to me, hope but also pity in her eyes. “You don’t need to do this, Lenix. Byzantine can help you.Ican help you. You don’t have to do this,” she says worriedly.
I look up at her with all the love and affection I have for her. Of course she would say that. Of course she’d want to help. But I’ve done enough harm. I’ve lied enough to last me a lifetime.
“I know you would, babes,” I say slightly defeated, watching her fall back on the couch. “But I don’t want you involved in this.” She opens her mouth to protest but I raise my hand to silence her and continue, “I need you as far away as possible from all of this. Connor didn’t even want me to tell you the real story in the first place.”
“Why the hell not?” she replies in a perplexed tone.
“According to him, it would make the lie more believable,” I grumble.
I watch Sunny rifle through every single emotion under the sun before finally slumping against the couch in defeat and resignation.
