Dashiell was wrapping up his work and asked Thea to wait for him.
He would take her out once he finished everything for the day.
Thea sat calmly, flipping through a magazine.
She had assumed Dashiell would take her somewhere right after they’d finished making love, but instead he’d asked her to wait and handed her a fashion magazine to occupy herself with.
It didn’t matter, she would wait, and she would be the obedient wife.
She would enjoy her time there and not interrupt Dashiell, who was busy discussing business with a client on the phone.
Thea checked the time; it was already time for her medication.
She rose from her seat and walked over to Dashiell, who was still occupied.
His eyes followed her movements.
He assumed she was just coming over to grab her bag.
“In that case, I’ll go there!” Dashiell said, having just received an invitation to travel to Paris.
His gaze returned to Thea.
Perhaps he could bring the woman along.
“Of course, it would be an honor to receive an invitation from you, sir,” he said into the phone, already deciding he would take Thea along so he wouldn’t have to go alone.
Thea was taking her medication when Dashiell walked up behind her.
She hadn’t noticed he was already standing there.
“Do you want to come with me?”
“What?” Thea turned around.
Dashiell approached and sat down beside her.
“I’m going on a business trip. Do you want to come with me?” He wanted to see whether his wife would agree to go with him or not.
It was entirely possible Saphira would refuse, preferring to use the opportunity to enjoy herself with other men instead.
“Where, and for how long?”
“Just a week. Come with me to Paris, and I’ll let you buy whatever you like while we’re there.”
“Paris?” Her eyes went wide.
Wasn’t Saphira already there right now?
“Why? Don’t tell me you don’t want to come because you’d rather stay here and take advantage of the situation with those men of yours!”
“Th-that’s not it!” Thea tucked her hair behind her ear.
If they went to Paris, wasn’t there a strong chance they’d run into Saphira?
That would be incredibly dangerous, and their secret could unravel so easily.
Should she even go?
She thought it over for a moment.
It seemed safer not to go at all, because if Dashiell happened to run into Saphira without her there, he wouldn’t have any reason to be suspicious.
He’d simply assume Saphira had followed him in secret. Get faster updates on g.com.
“What are you thinking about?” Dashiell gripped her hand.
He looked displeased, as though Saphira had no real interest in accompanying him.
“Don’t tell me you actually want to go meet those men of yours, Saphira?”
“No. I wouldn’t do something like that!”
“Then what are you thinking about?”
“M-me?” This was bad.
What excuse could she possibly give Dashiell that he would actually believe?
“You’re my wife, don’t forget that. Wherever I go, you’re coming with me, so I won’t accept any excuses from you!”
“That’s not what I meant, Dashiell.” Thea shifted closer until they were nearly touching.
She looked at him with a soft, gentle gaze and stroked his face tenderly.
“This is all so sudden, and I can’t just leave like that. I have so much going on at campus. My professor probably won’t allow me to go, so I can’t just make this decision on my own.” It was the most reasonable excuse she could think of to turn down his invitation.
“You’ve really changed, Saphira. I never expected someone who likes to play around as much as you to actually think about something like that.” Dashiell placed his hand over the back of Thea’s hand and slowly pressed a gentle kiss against her palm.
“I-I’m afraid I won’t graduate, so I don’t want to keep playing around anymore!” Thea turned her flushed face away.
Her heart pounded from the tender way he was treating her.
“There’s nothing to worry about. It’s only a week, and I’ll contact your professor myself. He won’t refuse me. I’ll make sure he lets you come with me.”
“B-but?”
“No excuses, Saphira. I already told you, there’s absolutely no excuse, so don’t turn me down. In two days, we’re leaving, so get yourself ready.”
Thea didn’t answer.
This was truly a disaster.
She knew she was in serious trouble now.
If this was really happening, she had to warn Saphira so she could avoid them in case they ran into each other by accident.
Dashiell studied her closely.
What exactly was going through Saphira’s mind?
His curiosity about the woman kept growing.
“What are you thinking about?” His curiosity got the better of him, and he couldn’t help but ask.
“Nothing. It’s nothing.” Thea smiled.
It was better not to give him any reason to be suspicious.
“Is your work finished? If it is, can we go now?” If she had no choice but to go, then she would go.
“Just a bit longer.” Dashiell pulled her close and kissed her lips.
Thea no longer resisted, since doing so would only work against her.
Her eyes fell shut, but her feelings and her thoughts remained a restless, tangled mess.
Honestly, she was terrified that once they were in Paris, they might run into Saphira by accident.
After kissing her, Dashiell stepped away, since he still had work left to finish.
He asked Thea to find a nice place for dinner that night, and told her to pick out a piece of jewelry, since he intended to give it to her as a gift. Read this novel at novelping dot com for the best experience.
There was no refusing that.
Thea agreed without hesitation.
She would never be able to afford diamond jewelry on her own, so she decided she might as well take advantage of the situation.
Just by pretending to be his wife, she got to wear jewelry this expensive.
It felt a little sad, in a way, but it was true, their worlds were simply different.
Someone poor like her could never truly belong with someone so wealthy.
She reminded herself that all of it belonged to Saphira.
She would return it eventually, but for now, she wanted to wear it, at least for a little while.
Besides, Saphira would never even know.
While picking out jewelry and a restaurant, Thea sent Saphira a message.
Two days wasn’t much time at all.
She couldn’t afford to forget to warn her friend.
*In two days, I’m going to Paris with Dashiell.
He has a business trip and he’s insisting I come along.
I couldn’t refuse him, so you need to be careful and make sure we don’t run into each other.
Don’t contact me right now, I’m with your husband.* The message she sent left Saphira stunned.
“Damn it!” Saphira cursed under her breath as she typed out her reply to Thea.
*Why didn’t you refuse him, Thea?
This is incredibly dangerous, there’s a good chance we’ll run into each other.
You should have said no!*
*I couldn’t, Saphira.
I already tried to refuse, but he insisted I come.
If I kept pushing back, he would have gotten suspicious of me.
I didn’t have any choice but to go with him, so you need to be careful so we don’t cross paths!*
*Fine.
Just send me your information so I can make sure I don’t run into the two of you!* Saphira was on edge now.
*I know!* Thea felt just as uneasy.
Would luck actually be on their side?
Honestly, she was terrified.
“Let’s go!” Dashiell called out to her, his work finally finished.
Thea smiled, hiding every trace of anxiety in her heart.
She tried to convince herself that everything would turn out fine.
As long as she and Saphira kept exchanging information with each other, there was nothing for either of them to worry about.