Chapter 51
I woke up with warmth against my back and someone’s arm across my waist. The tent was stuffy, dim, just a soft silver light slipping through the fabric. My legs were tangled with his. My skin was bare. His chest was moving slow behind me, steady, solid. His hand was resting on my stomach, right above the waistband of the shorts I hadn’t even been wearing when I fell asleep. I looked down.
We were both naked.
I didn’t move. Just stared at the dark air in front of me, heart racing while his breathing stayed slow. He was still asleep. Meanwhile, mine was hammering like I was mid–panic.
I shifted slowly, sliding out from under his arm. His fingers twitched but didn’t stop me. I reached for my shirt in the dark and yanked it over my head, then found my shorts and pulled them on. I didn’t look back. I grabbed my sandals and crawled toward the flap of the tent, unzipping it quietly.
Outside air hit me right away. Cold, dry. The woods were quiet, just the faint wind in the trees. The tents around us were still. Some lanterns flickered near the gathering spot, but everyone else was out. I sat on a flat rock under a low branch, eyes on the sky, but I wasn’t really seeing it.
My whole body was hot. Not just physically. My head wouldn’t stop spinning. I kept seeing flashes of last night. His mouth. His hands. The way he looked at me. The way I let it happen. I wasn’t drunk. Nobody pushed me. I knew exactly what I was doing. I wanted it. And I let it happen.
Now I had no idea what to do with any of it.
I hugged my knees, forehead resting on them. I didn’t know how to talk to him now. Didn’t know how to act like this was still just a game, a role, a fake marriage. I wasn’t made for this. I didn’t do casual. I didn’t do in–between. But I let him in. In every way. Like he was
mine.
I walked until the trail opened into a small clearing. I saw the water and let out a breath. A lake. Still Empty
I kicked off my sandals, peeled off my clothes, and stood in just my underwear, staring at the moon’s reflection. It wasn’t like it mattered anymore if someone saw me. People already had their opinions.
I stepped in. Cold hit my legs right away. My breath hitched when it reached my stomach, but I kept moving. I went in slowly, chest deep, then dunked my head under. When I came up, I ran both hands over my hair and wiped my face.
“God,” I muttered, barely above a whisper. “What the hell am I doing?”
I rubbed my arms, trying to shake off the cold and the memory of his hands. But his voice kept replaying.
“I think I love you.”
I scoffed under my breath and sank a little deeper.
Was that supposed to fix anything? Or make it worse?
The sex was already stuck in my head. His mouth. His eyes. How he looked at me like he needed more. I gave in completely. No resistance. He saw every part of me. Took it
Now what?
“Idiot,” 1 muttered. I didn’t even know who I meant anymore
I pushed off the bottom and floated a little farther from the edge. The cold helped. Not enough. My brain still wouldn’t stop. How was I supposed to lie next to him again? Was this just sex to him? Was the love part real or just something he said in the moment? He wasn’t exactly gentle before He barely looked at me most days. Now suddenly I’m supposed to believe I mean something?
I dunked again. This time 1 held my breath longer. When I surfaced, I wiped my eyes and stared at the trees across the lake.
“You really couldn’t keep your clothes on,” I muttered. “Not even once?”
Then I heard it Footsteps behind me. Not loud. Just steady. Close
I froze. Heart pounding again.
I turned slightly, already guessing.
Gypsy stood just at the edge of the trees. Her coat was wrapped around her. Makeup still perfect. Arms folded.
Chapter 31
She gave me a smile. “Out for a walk?”
I looked away, resting my chin on my knees “What do you want?”
She stepped a little closer. I didn’t move. I didn’t want this. But I knew she wasn’t going to walk away.
“I just want to understand, she said. “What’s really going on between you and Karl?”
1 let out a short breath. “I’m his wife.”
She tilted her head, like she didn’t fully buy it. “Yeah. I’ve heard that. It just didn’t feel real earlier.”
I stared down at the dirt beside my foot, hand tightening over my shin.
She folded her arms tighter, still talking like it was casual “I mean, yeah, people say you’re married. But is that all it is? A title? Or something more? Because it sure doesn’t look like the two of you act like an actual couple”
I turned my head now, eyes narrowing. “I don’t know what you’re talking about”
“Oh, I think you do,” she said, taking another step. “Karl was always cold. Always kept his distance. I had to work for every bit of him I got. And now suddenly he’s playing house? Taking care of you? You? No offense, but he never did that with me, and I was with him for –years.”
I didn’t say anything. My jaw stayed right
Her eyes stayed on my face, and then she smiled slowly. “The way you’re reacting? I must’ve hit a nerve.”
I stood up. The cold didn’t matter now. My body felt like it was on fire. She didn’t move back.
She stepped just a little closer. “You know what I keep wondering?” Her voice dropped. “What people will say when they find out Karl paid a nobody to be his wife,”
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