37. Little Secrets
Little Secrets
Electra
" N ow would be the time to tell me what is going on between Andreas and you," I pointed out, opening a bottle of Chardonnay.
Zoe came to my apartment a few minutes ago, and I instantly started to bomb her with questions about the debt, but she was successfully dodging them.
However, when I mentioned Andreas, she momentarily froze.
“Right after you tell me about you and Sebastian, Mrs. Thorn," she countered, plopping on the chair in the monstrous kitchen. I adored the place Bastian chose for us, but without him, it was just a golden cage, and I found myself thinking a few times about returning to my old apartment.
"Well," I sighed, handing her a glass of red wine. "Long story short, I slept with his brother. He freaked out, we argued, and he left." I shrugged while she stared at me as if I’d lost my mind. She would've known all of that if she wasn't so engrossed in her work.
"Please, do continue," she prompted me when I started to play with a napkin. Initially, I planned to tell her everything, but it felt too personal to say to her about my special relationship and arranged marriage .
"Handsome Pete, from the threesome, is Bastian's half-brother," I explained.
Zoe's eyes almost fell out of their sockets, but she didn't interrupt me.
She gulped the wine, pouring a generous amount into her glass while I slowly proceeded.
"I had to come clean about sleeping with Peter, and we had a huge argument.
Not because of the sex, obviously. It happened before we met, but because I lied to him. "
"But how did you end up married? And when?" she asked, her brows furrowed.
"It's fake, Zoe," I whispered, raising my glass. "It's all fake."
She cast me a pitiful glance and gently took my hand, yet I didn't want her compassion.
I would only start crying, and I had enough of it for a lifetime.
I accepted my fate as Bastian's wife, even without him by my side.
My only goal for now was to keep his companies on track and defend his reputation from Sarah Pearson.
Other things weren't in my power to change.
"I'm sorry that I wasn't around to help you go through it, Ellie," Zoe said, moving glasses and bottles away and grabbing my hands despite my protests. "I'm the worst best friend ever."
"We both are." I smiled sadly, rolling my eyes. "When the hell did you start playing again?"
"I had to get to someone for the case," she uttered, avoiding my eyes. "He spent all his nights in the casino, and I just needed to fill in."
"Why didn't you refuse?" I inquired, opening the box with pizza and cheese rolls. My trainer wouldn't be happy about how many calories I planned to eat, but I didn't care. He would force me to run five miles anyway.
"I thought I had it under control," she replied, staring at the bottom of her glass. None of us said anything until she raised her head and pursued her lips. "Your turn now. How did you end up married?"
With an exasperated sigh, I told her everything since the day I started to work for Bastian, and I finished the story by signing the marriage certificate. I admitted having a Dom/sub relationship with him, his secret contract with Rosalind, and that Frederick and Peter gave me our wedding rings .
The massive diamond on my finger felt like a heavy boulder, yet I promised to wear it.
I loved the heart necklace Bastian gifted me as a collar more than the engagement ring he had never seen.
The press guessed the jewelry price at around half a million dollars, and my head spun from it.
It wasn't necessary, but it supported the charade.
"So, are you or are you not Mrs. Thorn?" Zoe asked, clearly confused and shocked by all the information.
"Andreas made it bulletproof," I answered, thinking if it was a good idea to tell her about it. I trusted her with my life, but it was also Bastian's life, and his family was involved in it, too. "Just don't start investigating me," I joked, and she snorted.
"Your protector would publicly skin me alive as an example for others who would ever try to tell or do something against you." She winked at me, and I smiled. She was probably right. Andreas was very capable of doing it.
"What is between you two, Zoe?" I whispered, watching her closely.
She did her best to avoid that question, but I wouldn't let her leave without an explanation. If she’d had an affair with him, I didn't care.
I just had to know about it. I had to be prepared for everything from the press.
Going through another surprising experience with hungry reporters wasn't on my to-do list.
"Do you remember the case with Zelda Pharmaceutical Company six years back?
" she asked, and I quickly nodded. She got it right after returning from Detroit, where she helped to catch a serial killer.
She should be working for the FBI now, but something happened there, and she was moved back to Seattle.
"I found a witness willing to confirm that the trials were forged, but she disappeared.
The CEO of Zelda wanted to help me, but they threatened his family, so he stayed quiet.
However…" she wiggled her eyebrows, smiling victoriously, "his conscience was stronger than his protective instinct, and he got me the phone number of someone who would help me. "
"You never told me that," I muttered, pouring us another round. We’d already drunk one bottle, but I didn't plan to go out tonight.
Peter was in his usual spot in Bastian's room, and Andreas was in New York because of some emergency.
If I needed something, Frederick or Derek were at my disposal, but I wanted to enjoy the night with my best friend.
It had been a long time since we had some girl time.
"It’s classified information," Zoe pointed out, leaning closer over the table as if someone was behind the door eavesdropping on us. "Anyway, the number was Andreas’," she grimaced. "That's how it all started."
"What started?" I pushed when she snorted and narrowed her eyes at me. I felt tipsy but still sober enough for a quick, spicy story between my best friend and brother-in-law.
"Nothing special," she mumbled, shrugging nonchalantly, but I saw the sadness behind her look. "He is devoted to his wife."
"He's getting a divorce," I corrected her, and she flashed me a surprised glance.
I slapped my hand over my mouth, but it was too late to take the words back.
Andreas kept his situation off the radar because of the kids, and he didn't want anyone outside the family to know about him and Ava splitting up.
"What?" Zoe whispered, watching me like she expected me to explode into laughter. "He has a perfect marriage."
"Obviously, he hasn't," I muttered, wrinkling my nose. "Don't say anything to anyone, Zoe, please. I shouldn't have told you."
"Of course not," she agreed, taking a slice of pizza. "I have no interest in hurting you, or him, or anyone in that family."
"So, nothing happened between you two?" I asked carefully, watching her slowly chew the undoubtedly great food. I took my own piece of cheesy deliciousness, patiently waiting for her to finally give me some details.
"I got drunk, and I hit on him," she replied eventually, picking onion with her nails and placing it on an empty plate. "He politely sent me to hell. Since then, I've been a nervous wreck around him."
"That's all?" I lifted an eyebrow at her, and she blinked in confusion.
"Yes, that's all," she confirmed, but I didn't believe her. I knew her too well to know this wasn't the end of the story.
"Tell me the truth, Zoe," I sighed, faking annoyance, and she rolled her eyes at me.
"It's the truth," she claimed, but when she saw I didn't buy it, she mumbled, "It's complicated."
"Because?" I licked my fingers from the cheese remains and wiped them with a napkin while she was mustering the courage to admit that she cared for Andreas Thorn more than she ever cared for any other man in her eventful life.
"Fine," she snapped, glaring at me. "Do you want to hear I like him?
Of course, I do. Which woman in her right mind wouldn't?" She angrily hit the table with her open palm and stood, staring at me as if I were her enemy.
The sudden change in her demeanor took me aback, but she didn't allow me to react.
"He is a successful lawyer, devoted partner, father, and a respected and highly appreciated man in society. He is intelligent, loyal, and absurdly attractive. And when he says he has your back, you can be one hundred percent sure he won't let you down. Who wouldn't want such a man by their side?"
She threw her arms helplessly in the air. All kinds of emotions were written all over her beautiful face.
"But he never cared for me more than he cares for his assistant or colleagues," she said. A lone tear escaped her left eye, and she quickly wiped it with the back of her hand. "His family and you are his main interests right now. I'm just a means to accomplish a goal."
"I'm sorry, Zoe," I whispered and embraced her. "I'm sorry you never trusted me enough to tell me."
"Tell you what?" she sobbed, resting her forehead on my shoulder. "That I'm platonically in love with a married man who doesn't know I exist?"
"Shut up," I groaned, and she giggled, moving away.
"I'm fine. Don't worry." She smiled, and even when I didn't believe her, I let her be. I hoped she knew she could tell me anything, yet I hid things from her, too. We both had our little secrets.
We drank another bottle of expensive wine and ate everything within our reach before Zoe decided to leave.
I suggested she could stay, but she didn't want to because she had a meeting with her boss early in the morning and didn't want to wake me.
I knew it was only a lame excuse, but I wasn't in the mood to argue.
Since my relationship with Bastian started, we grew apart, and I couldn't blame her for having a life.
So, I again stayed alone in a vast apartment, wandering halls without a particular reason. Eventually, I showered and went to bed, missing Bastian next to me more than ever.
Alcohol probably heightened my anxiety and fear for him, and I couldn't stop the tears from falling from my eyes.
I tightly hugged his pillow, thinking that his scent was barely noticeable, and I let my feelings flow freely through me.
In the privacy of our bedroom, I could allow myself to crumble and whine in pain.
No one would judge me for not being strong enough.
Totally lost in my suffering, I almost didn't hear my phone buzzing on the nightstand.
Only because it didn't stop after nearly two minutes, I stretched my arm and took it, inhaling a deep, shaky breath.
Peter's name was blinking at me from the screen, and I tapped the green button to answer the call.
"Yes?" I whispered, trying to locate a napkin because my face and nose were wet.
"Come to the hospital ASAP!" Peter ordered, and I froze on the spot. My heart painfully skipped a beat, and it felt as if the entire world stopped.
"Why?" I beeped, dreading to hear him say the most horrible words. I was scared he would tell me that Bastian had died.
"He's waking up," Peter announced, his voice soaked with happiness. "Get your ass here, Electra. You're the only one he would want to see."
Without another word, he hung up and left me completely stunned. I was so shocked I didn't know what to do. My hands trembled, and I barely closed the button on my jeans as I rushed to get ready. Only when Daniel burst through the door of my room did I understand it was really happening.
"Mrs. Thorn," he yelled, grabbing my bag and phone, "we should've already been on our way!"
I followed him out into the frigid night, feeling like I was in a dream. So many times, I imagined this moment, but I didn't believe it when it was finally here. What if it was only a false alarm? What if the doctors made a mistake?
I shouldn't think like this, but it was all that was on my mind. I desperately needed Bastian by my side, and it was about time for him to finally wake up and join me. I couldn't fight alone.
No, scratch that, I could fight alone, but I didn't want to. It was his battle, too, and we should win it together.