Page 117 of Marry Lies
I throw a cookie at him, and he laughs and ducks. “Alright, alright. Let’s call a truce.” His eyes track over my face, landing on my hair. “I assume from the sex hair that this is about Stella?”
“That part is obvious,” I answer petulantly, grabbing another biscuit.
“What’s the problem, then? You’re having sex with your wife. Isn’t that a good thing?”
“That’s just it. I’ve gone and fallen in love with her,” I admit, voice hard.
Liam sighs, eyes wide. “Well, I think you’ve officially outmatched all of our bets.”
“Your bets?” I growl, though I’m pretty sure I know what he’s talking about.
He ignores me. “So, that’s it? You’re in love? That’s the big emergency?”
I scoff. “Of course not. If that were the case, I’d be sleeping with my wife in our bed.”
He cocks his head as he studies me. “Your wife?”
Shrugging, I walk over to the cabinet, pulling a water glass down. “Well, sheismy wife.”
Liam gives me a small smile as I fill my glass with water. “Very well. So, explain the issue, then.”
“You know about the marriage of convenience,” I tell him, my voice low. “How father promised Estelle a million dollars to salvage my reputation.”
“Of course. Let me guess…” he trails off, narrowing his eyes. “That money has mysteriously disappeared?”
I nod once.
Liam lets out a slow, steady breath. “That motherfucker.”
“Trust me,” I growl. “I could kill him.”
“Okay, so just explain to Estelle what happened. If you love her, chances are she loves you too. It’s not like you can’t front her the money, right?”
I grind my jaw as I trail a finger along the rim of my water glass.
“It’s not that easy. She doesn’t want my money.”
“Okay. Well, I still think you should tell her.”
I look up at Liam. “I lied to her. I told her that father set up monthly transfers. I forged a contract that laid out the terms—how she would get that million equally dispersed over the course of the year.”
Whistling, Liam leans back and rubs the back of his neck. “Okay, that’s a bit more complicated. But again, just tell her the truth.”
I hang my head. “If I don’t tell her, she’ll never know.”
“I’ll never know what,husband?”
Both Liam and I jump, spinning around to find Estelle standing in the door of the kitchen, looking…furious.
Her eyes drag over my sweatpants and T-shirt before flicking to Liam.
“Hi, Liam,” she says curtly.
Liam stands up and gives me an apologetic look. “You know where I stand.” Ducking his head, he walks out of the kitchen, leaving Estelle and I alone.
Tilting her head and narrowing her eyes, she walks into the kitchen wearing nothing but an oversized T-shirt.
Fuuuuuck.
