Untitled Part 18
"You're legally married. There's no reason to hide it."
My fork slipped from my hand and clattered to the floor.
Keeping my voice as steady as I could, I rose from my chair.
"I'm going to get another one..."
Back when Ethan first suggested keeping our marriage secret, it was for Vanessa's sake.
When Vanessa found out we were getting married, she fell apart.
She dragged herself through her days, spent night after night in bars, and then tried to resign.
She said that if people at the company found out Ethan had remarried, she'd become office gossip—everyone's favorite punchline over lunch and happy hour.
She wasn't going to give anyone the chance to laugh at her.
Ethan said the company couldn't afford to lose Vanessa.
She couldn't leave.
He told me the secret marriage would only be temporary.
Once Vanessa had moved on, started a new life, found someone else, then we could go public.
But Vanessa stayed alone.
And somewhere along the way, I stopped hoping Ethan would ever acknowledge me openly.
That night, when I went back to the bedroom Ethan and I shared, I asked,
"Why do you suddenly want to make it public now?"
Our bedroom had a sitting area attached, and he was still working at the desk.
The bluish glow of his laptop reflected in his eyes, making them look even colder.
"Wasn't that what you wanted all along?"
He paused, then added,
"Besides, once people know, men like Manager Brooks will stay away from you. Wouldn't that protect you too?"
My head was throbbing.
I pressed my fingers to my temple.
"But we're about to get divorced."
Ethan looked at me quietly.
"Claire, I've already compromised."
Our eyes locked, and I understood exactly what he meant.
He had always thought I was being unreasonable for asking for a divorce.
Offering to go public now was his concession, the step down he was willing to take for me.
What he was really saying was: enough already. Don't push it further.
So I answered him just as calmly.
"I don't need this kind of compromise from you."
"What I need is for you to divorce me as soon as possible."
"And honestly, if our marriage comes out now, it'll only humiliate me even more. How could you possibly think this counts as giving in?"
He closed the laptop.
Then he leaned back in his chair.
"Explain."
So he really didn't understand the problem.
I let out a tired breath and repeated what any of our coworkers would say.
"You must really not love me. The rumors about you and Vanessa are all over the company, and you've never cared enough to deny them or clear things up. Even when I was being harassed, you still put business interests and your precious principles first."
"So don't make it public. I don't want them laughing at me like that."
His voice was unreadable.
"So you think I don't love you too?"