LOGINI gave him a look, half amused, half incredulous , and tilted the menu toward him so he could see the prices I was staring at. “I’m trying to decide if I should order the cheapest thing on here so I don’t feel like I’m bankrupting you… or if I should just ask for a glass of tap water and call it dinner.” He laughed, quiet, warm, the sound that always made something in my chest loosen.“Baby,” he said, reaching across to gently turn the menu back toward me, “order whatever you want. Tonight’s not about the price tag. It’s about being here. With you. With Clara. No budget.”Clara snorted softly without looking up from the wine list.“He says that now,” she murmured, “but wait until the sommelier starts talking about the 2018 Château Margaux. Then you’ll see him sweat.”Adrian shot her a mock-glare. “I do not sweat over wine.”“You absolutely do,” she replied, eyes still on the page. “You did the exact same thing last time we came here. You stared at the bottle like it had personally in
The drive to the restaurant wasn’t long, maybe fifteen minutes through the quieter streets on the edge of downtown, but it felt longer with Clara in the front seat. She had the window cracked just enough to let the evening breeze slip in, The radio was on low, some smooth R&B playlist Adrian always defaulted to when he wanted the mood light, and Clara was yapping over it, half stories about a disastrous client meeting earlier that week, half off-key singing along to the chorus whenever a song she liked came on. Her laughter filled the car. We were all dressed elegantly, almost too elegantly for a Thursday night. Adrian wore a charcoal blazer over a black dress shirt, sleeves rolled to the elbows, the top button undone just enough to look effortless rather than calculated. Clara had chosen a deep emerald green dress that hugged her shoulders and flared at the knees, sleeveless, simple, expensive. I’d gone with the floor-length black silk slip dress I’d bought months ago and never worn
“Cheers to that,” Adrian said, a warm smile spreading across his face as he lifted his glass slightly before taking a sip. He turned to me then, his expression still light, unaware of the tension tightening around my chest.“…I’m sure you and Clara must be getting along in the office,” he added, his eyes moving between the both of us with an easy confidence that made my stomach twist. For a split second, I hesitated. Then I forced a small smile.“You can say that,” I replied. The sarcasm sat right there in my voice, thinly veiled, sharp if you listened closely, but Adrian didn’t catch it. Of course, he didn’t. Clara let out a soft, polished laugh, the kind that sounded effortless but felt anything but real. I didn’t need to look at her to know it was fake.“I’m glad you both are…” Adrian continued, leaning back comfortably, clearly pleased with himself. “…we’ll be going out for dinner tonight,” he said. “You know, to celebrate this.”Celebrate? The word echoed strangely in my head. Ce
“Alright, I’ll be down…” he started, his tone shifting slightly, like he was forcing the conversation to pause instead of ending it.My chest tightened.“…and Clara followed me straight from work. She’ll be staying for some time…” he added. He began walking toward me, closing the small distance between us. My body tensed instinctively, every nerve suddenly aware of his presence. I didn’t move.I couldn’t.My mind was no longer fully in the room. It was somewhere else entirely, so that bitch really did that, On the realization slowly settling into my chest. The blackmailer wasn’t bluffing. This was real. Adrian stopped in front of me, close enough for me to feel the warmth of his body. For a brief second, I thought he might say something else, press further, demand an answer, corner me again.But he didn’t, Instead, he leaned in and pressed a soft kiss against my cheek. I stayed still, Completely still. My body didn’t respond the way it normally would. No soft smile, no relaxed shoul
“I’ve never asked before,” he said quietly, repeating the words like he was testing their weight. “And you don’t speak on it either.”He didn’t raise his voice. Didn’t accuse. Just stated it, “You’re right,” I said after a long beat. My voice came out steadier than I felt. “I haven’t spoken about it.” “Does it matter if I was once married?” I asked, my voice softer than I intended. I tilted my head slightly, trying to make the question sound casual, but there was a hint of challenge in it too. A small part of me hoped the tone would make him feel a little guilty for even bringing it up.“Depends…” he began.My chest loosened slightly at that single word. At least he hadn’t said yes immediately. I watched his face carefully, trying to read what direction he was about to take.“…if you are not over him,” he continued slowly, as if he was choosing each word carefully. “Or if you’re just taking time out… like a break. If you’ve not actually been divorced yet.”The relief that had started
Slowly, I turned my head toward him. My eyes widened in pure shock, searching his face for any sign that he was joking, that this was somehow a random question thrown carelessly into the air.But his expression remained serious, My mouth parted slightly, but no words came out. Why would he ask that? And why now?. “Huh?” I said.The sound left my mouth almost automatically, more a reflex than a real question. My mind had already heard him the first time, but I repeated it anyway, trying to buy myself a few seconds, just enough time to gather my thoughts. My fingers tightened slightly around the shirt I had just taken off.“Were you once married?” he repeated.This time his voice was slower, more deliberate.I looked at him, he had already moved across the room and was now sitting on the edge of the bed. His legs were crossed casually at the ankle, but there was nothing casual about the way he carried himself. His arms were folded tightly across his chest, his shoulders squared, his eye







