Total pages in book: 29
Estimated words: 28033 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 140(@200wpm)___ 112(@250wpm)___ 93(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 28033 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 140(@200wpm)___ 112(@250wpm)___ 93(@300wpm)
Because the moment she heard her own name on his lips—that careful, almost tender way he said it—it was as if invisible flood gates had broken open, invisible tears had started flowing, and her pain—
“You...”
It was unseen. But audible. Palpable. A living thing that seemed to fill the space between them.
“You have a mistress.”
Four words. Just four words. But they unlocked everything. Four words, and everything became visible. Not just about the present. But the past eight damn years.
Leonidas went completely still.
The absurdity of it—the sheer, painful absurdity—hit him all at once.
And it almost...almost...
Lexy could not believe her eyes. “Are you—are you seriously, oh God, are you seriously smiling?”
He pressed his lips together, trying to contain it. This was not the moment. Not when she was standing there with tears tracking down her cheeks, her small body practically vibrating with hurt.
And the straight line lasted.
Or seemed to.
But after two more seconds—the sheer ridiculousness of the misunderstanding, the mental image of himself practicing celibacy for the rest of his natural life—
Lexy had already raised her hand without even thinking. Because that smile...for her husband to actually smile in the face of her pain—
But just as her arm started to swing—
“You asked me, remember?” His hand shot up, catching her wrist mid-air. Gently, but firmly.
Oh my gosh, was he actually going to try wriggling out of this when their lawyer already told her the truth?
“You asked me to take care of my needs.”
Lexy let out a strangled gasp.
And now...and now, oh the gall!
Was he seriously going to turn it into her fault—
“You even said—”
“I know what I said!” It was her first time to yell at her husband. Her first time. And despite everything, she hated having to do it. Hated it so much that her voice cracked on the last word, but—
“You didn’t care how I’d do it—”
Unbelievable!
“For as long as it didn’t cause any trouble—”
“And you said yes,” Lexina cried out, trying to pull her wrist free. He held on. “Do you remember that part, too? You said yes—”
“And that’s why I had a mistress.” His tawny eyes locked onto hers. “Because you gave me permission.”
“But you—”
Lied.
That was what she was about to say.
He had lied.
“You said you wanted me to take care of it—”
Or did he?
Her mind stuttered, trying to replay that conversation from eight years ago. The specifics were blurry now, softened by time and embarrassment. She remembered the burning in her cheeks. The way she couldn’t meet his eyes. The stammering, roundabout way she’d tried to tell him that she understood if he needed...if he wanted...
“I meant for you to take care of it by doing you know what!”
Finally, Leonidas thought. Finally.
The truth was out.
“No.”
And now it was time to make her understand what that truth was.
“I don’t understand how else could I have taken care of my needs—”
“You’d take care of it yourself!”
“Which I did,” he pointed out.
“No, you didn’t!”
“Lexina—” He still had her wrist. Could feel her pulse racing beneath his thumb.
“Because when I...when I said that, it meant you’d take care of it on your own, like alone—”
He looked at her.
She looked at him.
Her cheeks were flushed. Her eyes were red-rimmed and slightly wild. And she was refusing to meet his gaze now, staring instead at some point past his shoulder.
“Alone, you say?”
“I thought that was what you meant.” Lexy pressed her hands to her cheeks, and they felt awfully hot. As in...as awful as how defensive her tone sounded.
“W-Why are you making it seem like I forced you to do anything? You chose to say yes—”
“Because I did not think it was possible for someone to be so—”
Stupid.
Naïve.
Brainless.
Those were just some of the words that went through his mind, but Leonidas, having seen the way his wife was still gazing at him with red-rimmed eyes, her lower lip trembling slightly—
“Innocent,” he said finally. “Only someone so...innocent would have seriously believed that it was healthy—”
Lexy could barely keep herself from squirming. Why couldn’t this conversation just...end?
“—for any man to take care of his needs on his own for the duration of his lifetime.”
Lexy could no longer understand herself. When did she go from heartbroken to embarrassed?
“And that is why I can stand by what I’ve said earlier.”
It still hurt to hear her husband’s voice, but the pain was not like before.
“I never lied to you, Lexina. I simply never spoke of it because to do so with my own wife would be in...bad taste.”
She tried...she tried to think what this all meant. But her mind simply refused to work. The embarrassment was too overwhelming, the relief too sudden, the confusion too thick.
“Lexina—”
She knew he would reach for her again.
And this time...she let him.
His fingers once again circling her wrist, but softer now. Almost careful.
Tawny eyes taking hers captive, searching for something she couldn’t name.
And that was when she realized...