Shit…That is so fucking long. How can someone casually fuck their friend for four years and not catch feelings? I sniff, trying to ignore the way my heart bleeds out a little more with every tear.
“How did you end up engaged?”
“Her father wanted to pull her out of Stanford so she could work with him. Our families suspected we were seeing each other, so we officialized it with an engagement announcement. That allowed her to stay in San Jose with me. But nothing changed. We still had our arrangement and barely saw each other.”
“And the wedding?”
“When Kev and I started Kelex, she was very involved. We almost named it Kevax. Kev had completely burned through his trust fund, and I refused to touch mine. Her father was investing in companies such as ours. He made me understand he’d lend us the money if I made an honest woman out of his daughter.”
“Oh, my God …”
“She was there for the entire conversation, and again, it benefitted her. Her father wasn’t as overbearing as long as we kept pretending. So, we got married to get the money, and she got her peace.”
Lex’s tone is deprived of emotions, like it’s a weather forecast, a baseball match, something utterly unimportant… Either he’s a fantastic actor, or she genuinely meant nothing to him.
“Why didn’t it last?”
“Hours after we married, she suddenly saw the limits of what I had to offer. She wanted more than I would ever give her, so we agreed to wait for the deal to go through with her father and get an annulment.”
“Would you still be married to her if she hadn’t changed her mind?” I wonder.
“I would have been perfectly fine keeping our arrangement, I think. It was practical and unproblematic. But meeting you would have changed that.”
“Why?”
“I was fine with a woman I never loved or barely saw and fine with not getting involved. But from the moment I met you, I realized I wanted so much more. The better I knew you, the more I craved. I wanteverythingwith you, Andrea.”
Wiping away my tears, I writhe around, seeking his eyes in the darkness. I can barely distinguish him, but he still finds my cheekbone to caress it with his thumb.
“I want a lifetime with you, Andrea. I want the anniversaries, the date nights, the cuddles in the morning, the movies on the couch, thecomfortable silences… There’s nothing I’ve wanted more than to grow old by your side and discover each wrinkle that will settle on your gorgeous face over the years. Decades of making you laugh, of holding you in my arms, of making love to you, of being there for you… It would be my greatest honor, my biggest accomplishment.”
I struggle to contain my sobs as he leans in to kiss me, his lips gentle on my forehead. “Legally or emotionally, Evora was never my wife. Not in the way I hope you’ll become mine one day.”
“You should have told me, then,” I ask.
“I know, and I wish I did. It holds no legal grounds and doesn’t matter to me, so I didn’t realize it would be so important to you.”
“We promised to tell each other the truth,” I remind him. “You should have told me before I had to find out in front of your whole family.”
“I realize that now.”
“It’s too late.”
“I know.”
Dismissing his hand on my cheek, I turn around to face away from him again. I feel a little better, but barely. At least when his arm comes to circle me this time, it doesn’t feel as wrong as it did earlier.
Minutes pass as I stare into the dark, trying to process everything I’ve learned. Four years… That number doesn’t feel right, and it makes it so hard to accept. He had sex with her a couple of times a week for four years. If they only did it once per hookup, that’s over four hundred times. How the hell did it never turn into more? I can’t imagine sleeping with someone four hundred times without catching feelings.
I’m still trying to figure that out when I notice Lex’s breathing has become regular and deep. Despite the mental exhaustion, I can’t seem to fall asleep, too. Carefully maneuvering out of his arms, I slither out of bed. I haven’t checked my phone in hours.
I dig it out of my coat on the armchair and walk to the bathroom, closing the door behind me. Once the light is on, I sit on the closed toilet lid and check my notifications. Tami sent me a bunch of random Reels, and Kate’s wishing me an amazing evening with my hot boss. Shit, Kate promised to wreck Lex if he ever hurt me again. I can’t tell her about any of this, or she’ll come in person to whoop his ass into oblivion.
It probably isn’t a good idea to open Google and type “Evora,” but I’m not in the right state of mind, so I can’t help myself. With a unique name like that, there aren’t many results that come through. It’s either acity in Portugal or… Evora Campbell, daughter of hotel mogul Kenneth Campbell and Brazilian model Alma Maldonado.
The profile could fit, so I add her name to the search, and… The woman in the pictures that appear on top takes my breath away. She’s tall, lean, and elegant, with the most perfect hourglass figure, beautiful curves, and a jawline that could cut granite. It hits me that Lex might have a thing for Latinas because she looks the part with her silky and wavy dark hair, matching eyes, and glowing olive skin. I click on a picture where she’s on a red carpet, wearing a gorgeous rose gold sequin dress that is absolutely perfect for her complexion and silhouette.
As I scroll through more pictures, my heart sinks lower and lower, panic making my throat swell and ache. Her smile is dreamy, and the delicate features of her face are as perfect as the rest of her. Fuck, she’s Lex’s ex-wife? She’s the woman he casually dated for four years?
