Ask Cassandra
Dear Cassandra
I wanted to write in with an update, because I’m pretty sure you saved my relationship.
A few months ago, I told you about my wonderful boyfriend who was totally perfect, except I worried that he was keeping secrets from me. He seemed to have more money than a copywriter should have. When I told my sisters about some expensive jewelry he gave me, they encouraged me to snoop, telling me that I deserved to know the truth about who I was sleeping with.
I was right on the verge of breaking into his email accounts or stalking him around the city when I wrote to you.
Instead, I followed your advice. I sat him down and told him about my concerns. I told him that I understood if he wanted to keep some things private, but that I was starting to lose trust in him, and that was going to poison what we had. It was the hardest thing in my life, but I said I was prepared to walk away when things were still good between us, rather than wait until doubt had made me bitter.
You could have knocked me over with a feather when he laughed and told me the truth.
He’s not a copywriter. He’s a bestselling romance novelist!
I won’t name names, of course, but he writes a few series under a couple of super-secret pseudonyms. They’re very popular and really saucy, and his income is over seven figures yearly. He was on the verge of telling me anyway, but his mom was telling him he shouldn’t trust me, because I was acting shady—because I wasn’t sure I could trust him!
That’s the last time I’m gonna let my sisters give me advice on my relationship!
Talking to each other cleared everything up, but I don’t think I would have gotten there without your advice, so thank you so much. We’re both living in bliss, now that he can spoil me as much as he wants to and I know that he’s locked away on deadline and not a secret monster with another girlfriend.
Plus, I’ve gotta say, it’s really fun to help him research and plot the sex scenes!
Yours,
(Formerly) Psycho Psyche.
Dear Psyche,
Thank you for writing in! I’m so glad you were able to clear things up with your boyfriend. I am, of course, in my group chat right now trying to figure out if I’ve read any of his books, but the field is so huge that I think his secret is safe.
Enjoy that research!
Yours,
Cassandra.