Page 30 of Wife Unwanted
Darcy took another sip of her drink and placed it slowly on the table. "I'm listening."
"Carey and I are in a sort of…" I couldn't find the right words, "…arranged marriage."
"Arranged marriage. Like what? Both of your parents agree you two get married without your consent."
"Not exactly. Carey's father is grooming him for political office and he approached me. He thinks I would make a good politician's wife. Scandal free. From the right background, his words not mine, and pretty but not two beautiful. Again his words." I left out the part about the payment for my mother's medication. I was still too embarrassed to admit that I agreed to marry Carey for money, essentially.
"Huh." Darcy nodded.
"You don't seem that surprised."
"In this town, in these circles, nothing surprises me. There are plenty of 'arrangements', as you call them. Most to solidify business relationships. But I don't know." Her eyes narrowed as though she was working out something about me. "I had always thought you two were the real deal. If you've been fooling the world the entire time, y'all are doing a bang-up job at it."
I couldn't help but smirk, feeling a little proud of our ruse. "Thanks."
She frowned. "So you two aren't even…" she tapped her fork and knife together at the ends.
How would I even explain that part of our relationship? We've had sex before the marriage and after the marriage. But all the circumstances were different. Especially the times we had sex in the marriage. I still don't know why we did it at his father's greenhouse. For him, it was about control and regaining some of that. And for me? Fuck. I just wanted him inside me again and I would take whatever crumbs thrown my way, shameful as that was.
I went with the simple response. I shook my head.
Darcy's eyes bugged out. She shook her head. "I would never have guessed. I mean, the way he looks at you. Are you sure he doesn't want some of that?" she pointed at me with her knife.
"Trust me, he doesn't. We sleep in separate rooms. We barely talk. It's almost like we're roommates, in a way."
She leaned back in her chair and rubbed her chin. "I don't know. I think he kinda likes you. The way he looks at you…"
"And how does he look at me, exactly?"
"Like he wants to fuck you. It's hard to imagine he doesn't want to get you into a room and fuck you senseless."
I chuckle in disbelief. Every time I have caught him staring, I see revulsion in his eyes. Sometimes disappointment. Rarely lust. "I will compliment his acting then. Trust me, whatever you're seeing, it's all for show."
Darcy looked like she was about to rebut me, but then she shrugged and changed the subject. I felt a little lighter after telling someone else. We changed subjects and chatted about the food and other things, like the next event Darcy was invited to. I wondered if she ever tires of all the parties, fundraisers and galas. Darcy looked at me as though I had two heads and simply said, "That's how it's always been, I guess."
"So you and Carey," Darcy said after we were done eating. "If you don't have sex, are other people invited?"
"You mean affairs?"
She nodded.
"We can both have affairs as long as we are discreet. Do it with someone who won't sell the story to the press. You know that sort of thing."
"Oh. Oh, well, that makes a lot of sense then." Her face washed with relief that only made me anxious.
"What do you mean?"
"Uh. It's probably nothing, but you said it's fine, right?"
"Darcy?"
She glanced at a spot beyond me, then back to me as though finally committing to what she was going to say. "You know Gemma. She lives in my apartment building. And a few days ago, I saw your husband coming out of our apartment building. I was going in. He didn't see me and, I was kinda hiding from him, but it was him I saw."
My heart clenched as I listened to Darcy. It shouldn't matter to me he saw Gemma. They were friends, right? However much I tried to not see it as a big deal, it was hard not to be bothered by it.
"I mean, you said they are friends. Maybe he was just visiting."
"Yeah totally. And like you said, it doesn't matter right, your relationship is unique."
