“Lisa! Even if you wanted to make me jealous, did you have to throw yourself at him like that? Have you lost your mind?” He roared, “When did you start seeing him behind my back?”
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I stayed silent. He yelled again, “Answer me!”
His voice echoed through the hallway.
Compared to his hysteria, I felt strangely calm. I watched him, detached.
“Ben, at least with him, I have a title. I’m his girlfriend, out in the open, not some dirty little secret.” I added, “And he’s rich, handsome, and faithful. Why wouldn’t I want to be with him?”
My words only fueled his anger. “Lisa, are you saying you’re upset I didn’t make you my girlfriend?” His voice was laced with disbelief. “Being Tom Anderson’s girlfriend is some kind of prize? He’ll get tired of you, and then you’ll be out on the streets, not even welcome in this city. You think he’ll marry you? Even if he
wanted to, his family would never let you in. You’re so naive!”
He saw that I wasn’t backing down. “You’ll
roarnt think” ho
regret this!” he spat, and stormed off.
I knew Tom wouldn’t marry me. But in the meantime, he was acting like the perfect
boyfriend. He was attentive, caring, and
surprisingly domestic. He’d show up every
morning and make me breakfast, leaving it on the table before I woke up. In the evenings, he’d have dinner with me, then leave promptly
afterwards. It was so normal, it almost made me wonder if those passionate nights had been a figment of my imagination. He walked that‘ fine line perfectly, making it impossible for me to reject him.
One day, Tom didn’t come. I found myself missing him. But Ben showed up instead, perhaps feeling a pang of guilt. He’d lost his usual arrogance. “Lisa,” he said quietly, “I was out of line the other day. I just didn’t want to see you get hurt. I don’t know what you
promised Tom to get him to play along with your little charade, but…” He hesitated. “I still
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care about you. We have so much history.” He
paused again. “Lisa, stay with me. I’ll make you
happy.” His voice was almost pleading.
“Stay with you?”
“Yes.”
I couldn’t help but ask, “What about Amy? What
happens to her?”
“She won’t know. Things will be just like they
were before.”
I laughed bitterly. “So, she’s the wife, and I’m
the mistress? Is that it?”
Ben’s face faltered. “Lisa, don’t put it like that.
Marrying her will help my business. But that
doesn’t change how I feel about you. True love
conquers all, right?”
I almost applauded his performance. “Ben, get
out of here before I slap you. And don’t come
back.”
He wouldn’t give up. “Lisa, Tom isn’t here
today, is he? Don’t you want to know why?”
“His family set him up on a date with Olivia
Hughes. She’s the woman they’ve chosen for him, his future wife.” His voice dropped to a
whisper. “If the Hughes family finds out about
you, they’ll crush you.”
My breath caught in my throat. So that was it. Why did it bother me?
Ben pressed on. “So, just… end it with him. I know you still have feelings for me.” He
lowered his voice further. “You just wanted me
to grovel, right? Are you happy now?”
I decided to push it. “I’m not happy, Ben.
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Unless… you marry me. If you can’t do that, then leave.” I tilted my chin towards the door.
As I turned away, I saw Tom. He was back from his date. I didn’t know how much he’d heard, but it didn’t matter.
Ben, oblivious to Tom’s presence, continued, “Lisa, don’t be ridiculous. Even Tom Anderson can’t just marry whoever he wants…”
Tom’s voice, edged with annoyance, cut him, off. “Ben, you’re not me. How would you know what I can and can’t do? And who gave you the right to try and convince my girlfriend to be your… side piece?”
Ben blinked, then recovered his composure. “Tom, shouldn’t you be with Olivia Hughes? What are you doing here?”
Tom ignored him and looked at me. “Miss Hughes is with my cousin. She’s my future
sister–in–law.”
He was explaining himself to me. Why? It had
nothing to do with me. I looked down, suddenly
shy.
