Business Contract ✔️

Chapter 33: Escaped and Hidden

We slept on the same bed for the first time in two months. Married for 5 months now and never actually slept together. I don't mind anymore. His presence is enough for now.

He sat across from me on the bed with his eyes shut and light snores escaping him. I lay staring at the ceiling thinking of the fact that my dead brother is actually alive and hiding in one of the bedrooms down stairs and that my husband's ex-girlfriend is asleep in another room. More importantly, how many rooms does this house have?

When did life get so complicated? I used to have no worries besides passing my next test and completing my degree.

I turned around on my side to face him, one arm under a pillow. He was facing away from me. The smooth muscles of his bare back contracted slightly as he took each breath and his hair was all over the place. I bet you his flight attendant never saw him like this, maybe Rachel did but I never thought of caring about her.

I didn't understand what all the fuss was about abortions. If there's any debate about it, then maybe it isn't the greatest thing. Like the presidential election of 2016 between Trump and Hillary.

I decided to turn away from him but didn't want to move in case it moved his side of the bed.

He suddenly turned around to face me, his bare chest glistening with the sleekness of the moonlight from our skylight.

I shut my eyes quickly pretending to be asleep. I think I have depression, to be honest. I haven't had the urge to have sex in over two months, ever since Jase 'died'. The damn liar.

"Eleanor," Adam whispered into the moon lit room. I didn't know if he knew I was awake when he reached his hand over to stroke my cheek. "I'm so sorry Eleanor." He had scooted closer and it seemed the temperature of the room burned higher too.

I was already too comfortable around him. Five months can feel like years if you let it.

I slowly opened my eyes to be met with his intense stare. He had a sad look on his face and as soon as he noticed I was awake pulled me to hug him. My cheeks felt like they were flaming red and my entire body burned with desire.

"For what?" I finally asked as he kissed my forehead. His lips so soft. We lay down on the bed our faces so close that whispering would sound like regular speech. He smelled so damn good. One arm was around my waist and the other was behind the pillow he was resting his head on.

"I should have called, or at least told you what I was doing. I am sorry that I said I couldn't trust you." He whispered, I was confused, but maybe it was just his sleepiness talking. "I have to tell you something. Something important." He whispered, I felt a tingling in my stomach and backed away slightly from him, I didn't know if I could control myself anymore. Especially not at this close proximity. "But please don't freak out Eleanor." He added as an after thought.

"Unless you tell me that baby was yours, I won't." I hadn't realized how big of a lie this actually was. I would get mad at whatever he said. He had left me alone for two damn months without a trace or a heads up to where he might be.

He gulped and a strange tension filled the atmosphere.

"Before I broke up with Rachel all those years ago." I rolled my eyes. I couldn't stand her or her name or anything about her. I was still confused as to why she was here and what her intentions were with my husband. "I had a kid with her." He continued and my damn heart stopped. I felt my breathing become shallow and I literally felt as though I couldn't move.

I stared at his face, a worried expression on it as he stroked my cheek. I had a glazed look in my eye as I continued to stare, unable to speak or move. I felt like my heart been ripped out and shattered. And I didn't know why I even felt that way.

"I was gone the first month to go to some business meetings. And on the day I was about to go on the airplane home, I got a call from her husband." His voice seemed to sound choked out and a small tear fell out pebble eyes." He said, Adam gulped audibly, this seemed so difficult for him, "my son, he was playing on his bike with his friend and someone came out of nowhere and hit him with their car. They needed me for the lawsuit so instead of coming home, I went to Indiana to go to his funeral." he said, his eyes glossing over with unfallen tears. "Luke was the reason I had stayed with her all those years ago even with her gambling addiction. I was trying to raise my child. And. . ." I couldn't hear any more of this. "I know I should have told you earlier but. . ."

He had just answered the biggest question I had for him when we were on our honey moon. He was definitely not a virgin.

I didn't know what took over me, anger, or betrayal probably, and hopped out of the bed. I walked into the bathroom and locked the door so I could go puke in the toilet. That was disgusting. He had a kid before. He left his girlfriend at the time. And now she is back because she had an abortion with her husband's son. Poor girl must've experienced so much tragedy. I almost felt bad for her.

But mostly jealousy seemed to take over; he was willing to have sex with her and not me. And I was actually married to him.

Adam opened the locked door, which I guess I had thought I locked but hadn't. He walked beside me and sat on the ground beside the toilet just like the hotel in Texas.

I didn't know if I should believe it, but there was so much drama in my life and not enough romance going on that it made me want to believe it.

I stood up, wiping my mouth. I pushed past him, bumping his arm with my shoulder purposely.

"Eleanor please?" He reached for my wrist but I quickly pulled it away.

"Don't touch me." I wanted to puke by just looking at him. How could he live with himself after creating a child and leaving it with the mother? He just walked out on her, even with her gambling addiction? And how had his son never popped up in any of my searches? I felt sick to my bones.

I pushed past him and out the door. I walked down the hallway, staring over tube glass covering of the stair case that contained our living room in the center downstairs. If I fell from that, I definitely wouldn't live, even if I landed on the couch.

I opened the door to the room beside us to my broken brother, he had kept his secrets hidden for such a long time. It must have been so exhilarating to share them with me.

The image of Jase's cold face and frozen fingers at his open casket funeral kept playing in my head as tears streamed in my eyes when I opened the door earlier today and my brother walked in.

I felt like I was dreaming, the whole casket thing was so realistic that I couldn't contain myself when I immediately ran up to hug him.

"Jase." Tears welled up in my eyes, tears of joy filled me with such raw emotion that it hurt to try to hold back the feelings. I wasn't just crying out of the excitement of seeing him. I was crying because my husband had lied to me those whole time.

"I'm fine El." He grinned. He clearly was not fine. He had a broken arm, two broken ribs, and a broken ankle and he couldn't go to the doctor because he was already pronounced dead.

It was all just a cover plan for him though and I didn't understand why he wouldn't tell me who he was hiding from. Or who hurt him so badly or even if he actually fell off the bridge and had Christian in on it with him.

He must have had to make such a well though out and thorough plan about how to fake his death.

"Everyone is a liar." I decided, turning around and walking out. I was sleeping outside for the rest of tonight.

I quietly walked out the door into the cool midnight air, I felt overwhelmed and exhausted as I fell in tears outside the door, crying myself to sleep.