A ridiculous question really.
The man I’ve spent months with discovered I was married to his father.
Of course he has questions.
Countless ones.
The problem is that I don’t know where to begin.
Because the moment I do, all of it becomes real.
I’m not ready.
Then again, life rarely waits until you’re ready for anything.
“Start from the beginning.” His voice remains calm. “Were you already married the night we met? Did you do it on purpose?”
I flinch.
I suppose he has every right to ask.
Slowly, I shake my head.
“I knew about the marriage.”
His jaw tightens, but he says nothing.
“I knew I was going to be married. I agreed to it.” My voice falters. “And I knew it was your father. But I didn’t sleep with you to get back at him or anything like that. I hadn’t even met him at that point.”
Heat creeps up my neck.
“You caught my attention in a way no one ever had before. One thing led to another, and I was so devastated by the thought of signing my life away that I wanted one last taste of freedom. I wanted to give myself to someone I chose. Someone I wanted.”
I hold his eyes.
“And that person happened to be you.”
Shame twists in my stomach.
“I know how bad that sounds. I felt guilty from the beginning. I tried to stop. I just couldn’t.”
I take a shaky breath.
“And if I’m being completely honest, part of the reason I let it happen was because I never expected to see you again. I wasn’t supposed to see you for at least a year, not while I was at the academy.”
My fingers tighten together.
“I always knew I’d eventually meet you again after your father made the marriage public. I just convinced myself that bythen I’d be nothing more than a distant memory. Just another one night stand on your list.”
I’m rambling at this point, and heat floods my cheeks.
“Continue,” he says when I take too long.
“The next day, I left. I knew I shouldn’t have done what I did. I knew...” I trail off.
“My father was waiting for me in London. The deal was already in motion. Part of me wanted to run, to disappear. But I couldn’t.”
For a moment, neither of us speaks.
