Total pages in book: 28
Estimated words: 26238 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 131(@200wpm)___ 105(@250wpm)___ 87(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 26238 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 131(@200wpm)___ 105(@250wpm)___ 87(@300wpm)
At this point, I’m fuming. I can feel my cheeks turning a bright red and my hands, curled into fists, are trembling at my sides. I stare daggers at the alpha male, waiting for his response, but he doesn’t rush. He sits in thought for a long moment, expression contemplative, before asking me a simple question.
“Do you want to get a divorce?”
“Yes!” I cry out, but then I find myself beginning to sputter. “Well, yes, shouldn’t I? Isn’t that what we agreed on?” My mind whirls in confusion, and I realize with sudden clarity that in fact, I don’t want to divorce this man. I want to be with Brent. I want a family with him, and to grow old together for the next few decades. But that isn’t possible because those weren’t the terms of our deal. He hired an escort, for crying out loud, because he needed a professional who would walk away when the time came, no questions asked. So what are we doing right now? It doesn’t make sense. The whole situation makes me second guess everything I’ve felt for the past few months.
“I- I don’t know.” I quickly look away, fighting back tears suddenly. Then I unload on him, emotion gushing to the fore. “But it doesn’t matter what I want or don’t want! We had a deal, and this is a business proposition. You understood the terms just as well as I do,” I say in an accusatory fashion. I’m doing my best to keep my composure, but the more I say, the more things slip out of my control and become a great, whirling vortex. I feel as if I’m spiraling, but then, the sound of Brent’s soothing voice pierces the chaos that is my mind.
“Calm down, sweetheart. I know that this is really sudden, but circumstances have changed, and sometimes, it’s appropriate to reassess the situation and decide if you want to re-negotiate. So long as both parties are open to renegotiating, of course.”
“Renegotiating?” I ask weakly, staring at him as my lower lip trembles.
He smiles and shrugs a bit.
“Yeah, I thought we might want to re-jigger the deal a little. I didn’t expect you to find out that I became CEO quite like this, but if both parties feel it’s appropriate, I think a renegotiation could be in order.”
I stare at him.
“Renegotiate how? What do you mean?”
My husband shrugs and smiles again, still devastatingly handsome.
“Well, I’ve given our business proposition a lot of thought over the last few months—” At that, I can’t help but cut in. My heart is pounding in my chest and I’m so overwhelmed and confused as to what the hell is happening here.
“What do you mean ‘you’ve given it thought’? We had a plan. What is there to think about?” I can’t fight it anymore, and tears burst from my eyes now. Brent gets up and pulls me into the circle of those strong arms, and even though I shouldn’t, I lean my head against his broad chest and let my sobs soak his shirt. Meanwhile, he strokes my curls with one big hand.
“Shhhh, you’re right, honey. I am the CEO now. I thought Frank would dilly-dally and drag this thing out, but he was actually eager to step down and hand over the reins. My dad is in his seventies now, so I think he wants a couple years in Boca with the warm sun and sparkling sand,” Brent soothes.
“But I don’t understand!” I sputter through heavy sobs. “Why didn’t you tell me, if Frank’s already handed you the position?”
Brent’s palm on my head stills for a moment, but then he continues stroking my curls, his chest rumbling against my cheek.
“I guess everything just took me by surprise. You. Our marriage. Your sweetness. How compatible we are. I didn’t expect to find a fake bride that I actually enjoyed sharing a life with, and with whom I’d get along so well. In fact, I was expecting the worst. I thought I’d have to put up with some harpy living in my apartment for a year, spending my money and being a bitch, but you were nothing like that. You’re everything that I’d want in a real wife, Sansa.”
“A real wife?” I repeat, wiping away tears from my cheek as my sobs finally begin to quiet.
“Yes, a real wife. Someone like you, Sansa. Someone intelligent and sweet, with nary a mean bone in her body. Someone who’s resourceful, humble, and intelligent, and who makes me laugh. Someone who fits with me, both in life and in bed.” He runs a thumb across my cheek, wiping away the remaining tears. “I’ve enjoyed my time with you, honey. Things went smoothly almost from the start, and I guess I just figured, why rock the boat? I loved being with you, and I want to continue.”