By the time our plane landed in Denver, strangers had opinions about my marriage. Some thought I had seduced my boss. Others thought Luna had promoted an employee into her personal life because rich people considered rules optional. One financial blog had already calculated my salary and compared it with the value of the Sterling trust. Someone found my old college photograph. Someone else found my mother\u2019s alterations shop.<\/p>\n
That frightened me more than any insult.<\/p>\n
Luna\u2019s communications team met us through a private exit at the airport.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo statement tonight,\u201d she said before anyone finished greeting her.<\/p>\n
Her communications director, Elise, held a tablet against her chest. \u201cThe story is spreading.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI can see that.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe need a narrative.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have one.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
Luna looked at me.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe met through work. We kept our relationship private. We married because we wanted to.\u201d<\/p>\n
My stomach tightened at the final four words.<\/p>\n
Elise noticed.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo that is the official position?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAdam?\u201d<\/p>\n
Every face turned toward me.<\/p>\n
I had been married for less than a day and was already being asked to lie professionally about my feelings.<\/p>\n
I looked at Luna.<\/p>\n
Her expression remained neutral, but I saw the question beneath it.<\/p>\n
Could I do this?<\/p>\n
\u201cYes,\u201d I said.<\/p>\n
Elise nodded.<\/p>\n
\u201cThen that is the line.\u201d<\/p>\n
A black SUV drove us downtown.<\/p>\n
When it entered the underground garage beneath Luna\u2019s building, photographers were already waiting outside the main entrance.<\/p>\n
\u201cHow did they find your address?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy address is not secret.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMine was.\u201d<\/p>\n
Luna looked at me.<\/p>\n
\u201cWas?\u201d<\/p>\n
I showed her my phone.<\/p>\n
Someone had posted a photograph of my apartment building.<\/p>\n
The caption described it as \u201cthe modest residence of Luna Sterling\u2019s mystery husband.\u201d<\/p>\n
Within minutes, strangers had identified the street.<\/p>\n
Luna\u2019s voice turned cold.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou are not going back there.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMy clothes are there.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSecurity will collect them.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMy laptop.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThey\u2019ll collect it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMy neighbor has my spare key.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThey\u2019ll speak with him.\u201d<\/p>\n
I stared at her.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou cannot reorganize my life every time something makes you nervous.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is not nerves.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYour home address has been circulated publicly less than twenty-four hours after our wedding.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSo?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSo you live with me now.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know what the contract says.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThis isn\u2019t about the contract.\u201d<\/p>\n
The driver glanced into the rearview mirror and then carefully looked away.<\/p>\n
Luna lowered her voice.<\/p>\n
\u201cDerek knows your mother\u2019s hospital. Reporters know your building. Someone inside my company leaked our plans before you agreed. I am not leaving you alone in an apartment with a broken lobby lock because you dislike being told what to do.\u201d<\/p>\n
I felt anger rise.<\/p>\n
Then I remembered the hospital clause I had demanded.<\/p>\n
If Derek targeted Mom, I walked.<\/p>\n
I looked out the window.<\/p>\n
\u201cFine.\u201d<\/p>\n
The penthouse occupied the top two floors of a building where the lobby smelled faintly of stone and expensive flowers.<\/p>\n
I expected opulence.<\/p>\n
What surprised me was silence.<\/p>\n
The elevator opened directly into a wide room with pale wood floors, large windows, and almost no personal clutter. The city stretched beyond the glass, glittering as evening settled over it.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou live here alone?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow many people could live here?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat is a rich-person answer.\u201d<\/p>\n
Luna removed her coat.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019ll have the west guest suite.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThere are multiple guest suites.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThree.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOf course there are.\u201d<\/p>\n
She pointed down a hallway.<\/p>\n
\u201cBedroom, bathroom, closet, small study. My room is upstairs.\u201d<\/p>\n
I stopped.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou put yourself on another floor?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI assumed privacy would help.\u201d<\/p>\n
The gesture disarmed me.<\/p>\n
\u201cThank you.\u201d<\/p>\n
She nodded once.<\/p>\n
Then we heard voices.<\/p>\n
I turned.<\/p>\n
A man and woman stepped out of the kitchen carrying garment bags.<\/p>\n
Luna said, \u201cThis is Clara, who manages the house, and Victor from security.\u201d<\/p>\n
Clara was in her late fifties, silver-haired and unsmiling until she looked at me.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo you\u2019re the husband.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cApparently.\u201d<\/p>\n
She looked at Luna.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe has a sense of humor.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSo far.\u201d<\/p>\n
Victor held out his hand.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe collected your things, Mr. Bennett.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAdam.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYour apartment was clear.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cClear of what?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThreats.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked at Luna.<\/p>\n
She ignored me with impressive skill.<\/p>\n
Clara led me to the guest suite.<\/p>\n
My clothes had already been hung in a closet larger than my entire childhood bedroom.<\/p>\n
My battered duffel sat beneath a shelf that probably cost more than my car.<\/p>\n
On the desk rested my laptop, chargers, framed photograph of Mom and me, and a ceramic coffee mug shaped like a cactus.<\/p>\n
I picked it up.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou brought this?\u201d<\/p>\n
Clara said, \u201cMr. Victor was instructed to collect personal items.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked toward Luna.<\/p>\n
She stood in the doorway.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat mug cost four dollars.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou apparently value it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was a gift.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen it has value.\u201d<\/p>\n
I set it down.<\/p>\n
That answer stayed with me.<\/p>\n
Dinner was pasta at the kitchen island.<\/p>\n
No chef.<\/p>\n
No silver trays.<\/p>\n
Clara had gone home.<\/p>\n
Luna reheated sauce from the refrigerator herself.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou cook?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI operate a stove.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat is not the same thing.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt has prevented starvation.\u201d<\/p>\n
We ate in exhausted silence.<\/p>\n
Halfway through, I noticed she had barely touched her food.<\/p>\n
\u201cAre you worried about the article?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m worried about the leak.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSame thing.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
She set down her fork.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe article is noise. The leak is access.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhoever told Derek knew about the marriage before I did.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cExactly.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd whoever sent the certificate knew where we married.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYour lawyer?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNaomi?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou keep eliminating people because you trust them.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat is how people get betrayed.\u201d<\/p>\n
Her eyes lifted.<\/p>\n
\u201cExperience?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cObservation.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOf me?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOf humans.\u201d<\/p>\n
She almost smiled.<\/p>\n
My phone buzzed.<\/p>\n
A message from Mom.<\/p>\n
Mia had apparently shown her the news coverage despite my explicit instructions.<\/p>\n
Mom: Your wife photographs well.<\/p>\n
Me: That is your takeaway?<\/p>\n
Mom: The article says you married for money.<\/p>\n
Me: Technically\u2014<\/p>\n
Mom: Do not finish that sentence.<\/p>\n
A second message arrived.<\/p>\n
Mom: Also tell Luna thank you for sending the flowers.<\/p>\n
I looked across the island.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou sent my mother flowers?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cClara did.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOn your instructions?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou didn\u2019t mention it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI didn\u2019t realize flowers required a report.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did the card say?\u201d<\/p>\n
Luna looked almost wary.<\/p>\n
\u201cI hope recovery becomes easier each day. Luna.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat is surprisingly normal.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI am capable of normal behavior.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve known you three days. Evidence remains limited.\u201d<\/p>\n
This time she did smile.<\/p>\n
It changed her whole face.<\/p>\n
The expression disappeared quickly, but I caught myself wanting to see it again.<\/p>\n
That annoyed me.<\/p>\n
We were not supposed to want things from each other.<\/p>\n
The next morning, our marriage became an office event.<\/p>\n
Luna had insisted I take the week off.<\/p>\n
I refused.<\/p>\n
So we arrived at Sterling together.<\/p>\n
The lobby went quiet.<\/p>\n
Not completely.<\/p>\n
That would have been theatrical.<\/p>\n
Instead conversations thinned one by one.<\/p>\n
People looked at their phones too intensely.<\/p>\n
The receptionist congratulated us with the facial expression of someone handling a suspicious package.<\/p>\n
In the elevator, I said, \u201cThis is horrible.\u201d<\/p>\n
Luna stood beside me.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou wanted to come.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI was delusional.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou can still leave.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen stop looking like you are awaiting execution.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cEasy for you. People already feared you.\u201d<\/p>\n
The elevator doors opened.<\/p>\n
Priya Shah stood outside holding coffee.<\/p>\n
She saw us.<\/p>\n
Her mouth fell open.<\/p>\n
\u201cAdam.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMorning.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cLuna.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cPriya.\u201d<\/p>\n
Priya looked at our hands.<\/p>\n
We were not touching.<\/p>\n
Then at our faces.<\/p>\n
Then back at our hands.<\/p>\n
\u201cOh, this is terrible.\u201d<\/p>\n
Luna blinked.<\/p>\n
Priya hurriedly added, \u201cNot the marriage. My reaction. I rehearsed something supportive.\u201d<\/p>\n
I laughed.<\/p>\n
Luna said, \u201cI appreciate the attempt.\u201d<\/p>\n
Priya grabbed my arm and pulled me aside.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYesterday.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cCourthouse.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked over her shoulder.<\/p>\n
Luna was speaking to Naomi.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s complicated.\u201d<\/p>\n
Priya lowered her voice.<\/p>\n
\u201cAre you okay?\u201d<\/p>\n
The question hit harder than congratulations would have.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cActually?\u201d<\/p>\n
I thought of Mom waking after surgery.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Priya studied me.<\/p>\n
\u201cAll right. Then I\u2019m on your side until evidence says otherwise.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat may be the nicest thing anyone has said this week.\u201d<\/p>\n
At ten, Luna and I entered a conference room for a staged internal announcement.<\/p>\n
There were no declarations of love.<\/p>\n
No invented story about moonlit dates.<\/p>\n
Luna simply said we had developed a private relationship, had chosen to marry, and understood that the unconventional circumstances would raise questions.<\/p>\n
One employee asked whether I would still work under her.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo,\u201d Luna said immediately.<\/p>\n
Another asked whether I had received a promotion.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo,\u201d I answered.<\/p>\n
A third asked whether the company had policies governing executive relationships.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes,\u201d Luna said, \u201cand outside counsel reviewed our situation.\u201d<\/p>\n
Then someone at the back asked, \u201cDid the marriage have anything to do with the Sterling trust?\u201d<\/p>\n
The room froze.<\/p>\n
Luna\u2019s gaze sharpened.<\/p>\n
\u201cWho told you there was a relevant trust?\u201d<\/p>\n
The employee, a finance manager named Caleb, turned red.<\/p>\n
\u201cI saw it online.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt hasn\u2019t been reported in detail.\u201d<\/p>\n
Silence.<\/p>\n
Naomi wrote something down.<\/p>\n
After the meeting, Luna pulled me into her office.<\/p>\n
\u201cCaleb had access to the financial analyst\u2019s team.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou think he leaked it?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI think he may know who did.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAre you going to fire him?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat surprises me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI want to know what he knows first.\u201d<\/p>\n
The door opened.<\/p>\n
Derek Sterling walked in without knocking.<\/p>\n
I had seen him twice before from across rooms.<\/p>\n
Up close, he was less imposing than photographs suggested. Mid-thirties. Perfect tailoring. Easy smile. Eyes that moved constantly.<\/p>\n
\u201cSister.\u201d<\/p>\n
Luna\u2019s expression became unreadable.<\/p>\n
\u201cDerek.\u201d<\/p>\n
He looked at me.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd the husband.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAdam Bennett.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n
He extended a hand.<\/p>\n
I took it.<\/p>\n
His grip was warm and relaxed.<\/p>\n
\u201cCongratulations.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThank you.\u201d<\/p>\n
Derek looked around Luna\u2019s office.<\/p>\n
\u201cI confess I was hurt.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWere you?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI had to learn from the internet that my little sister had fallen in love.\u201d<\/p>\n
Luna said nothing.<\/p>\n
He smiled.<\/p>\n
\u201cAdam, forgive us. Family humor.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI assumed.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI hope she warned you we\u2019re difficult.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe gave me a contract.\u201d<\/p>\n
Luna\u2019s eyes snapped toward me.<\/p>\n
Derek laughed.<\/p>\n
My heart stopped.<\/p>\n
Then I added, \u201cFor the company confidentiality policy. Apparently marrying an executive creates paperwork.\u201d<\/p>\n
His smile remained.<\/p>\n
But something behind it sharpened.<\/p>\n
\u201cApparently.\u201d<\/p>\n
He wandered toward the window.<\/p>\n
\u201cHow did you two meet?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAt work,\u201d I said.<\/p>\n
\u201cHow romantic.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt wasn\u2019t at first.\u201d<\/p>\n
Luna looked at me again.<\/p>\n
I had no prepared backstory.<\/p>\n
Derek knew that.<\/p>\n
This was a test.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen did you first realize you liked her?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n
I could have invented a date.<\/p>\n
Instead I remembered Luna stopping me from being fired years earlier without taking credit.<\/p>\n
\u201cBefore I realized she liked me.\u201d<\/p>\n
Derek turned.<\/p>\n
Luna\u2019s face went still.<\/p>\n
I continued.<\/p>\n
\u201cI thought she barely knew I existed. Later I learned she noticed more than she let people see.\u201d<\/p>\n
That part was true.<\/p>\n
Derek studied us.<\/p>\n
Then he smiled.<\/p>\n
\u201cI look forward to hearing the full story sometime.\u201d<\/p>\n
When he left, Luna closed the door.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat was reckless.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI didn\u2019t lie.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou mentioned a contract.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe expected nervousness. I gave him a joke.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou are enjoying this.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNot remotely.\u201d<\/p>\n
She moved closer.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou handled him well.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSo did you.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI grew up with him.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhich means he knows when you\u2019re lying.\u201d<\/p>\n
Her expression tightened.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd he knows.\u201d<\/p>\n
I stared.<\/p>\n
\u201cKnows what?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat something about the marriage is arranged.\u201d<\/p>\n
My stomach dropped.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe can\u2019t prove it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNot yet.\u201d<\/p>\n
That evening we had our first public dinner.<\/p>\n
It was not originally planned.<\/p>\n
Elise insisted that disappearing after the courthouse story would make speculation worse.<\/p>\n
So Luna and I went to a restaurant where photographers predictably appeared outside.<\/p>\n
Before leaving the penthouse, Luna stopped me near the elevator.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe need to look comfortable.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI am comfortable.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou look like you\u2019re attending a deposition.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI am wearing a tie worth more than my television.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYour television was twelve years old.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow do you know that?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cVictor.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe need another rule about Victor.\u201d<\/p>\n
Luna reached up and adjusted my tie.<\/p>\n
The contact silenced me.<\/p>\n
Her fingers brushed the skin beneath my collar.<\/p>\n
We both noticed.<\/p>\n
She stepped back.<\/p>\n
\u201cBetter.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cRight.\u201d<\/p>\n
At the restaurant, every gesture became performance.<\/p>\n
My hand at her back as we entered.<\/p>\n
Her fingers resting lightly on my wrist.<\/p>\n
A shared laugh when I accidentally called a tiny appetizer \u201cdecorative lunch.\u201d<\/p>\n
But somewhere between the cameras and the second course, the performance loosened.<\/p>\n
Luna told me she hated champagne.<\/p>\n
I told her I hated networking.<\/p>\n
She admitted she sometimes took the stairs at work to avoid elevator conversations.<\/p>\n
I told her half the company assumed she had a private elevator.<\/p>\n
She laughed.<\/p>\n
Not the quick office smile.<\/p>\n
A real laugh.<\/p>\n
I forgot the photographers existed.<\/p>\n
When we left, she slipped her arm through mine.<\/p>\n
Neither of us discussed whether it was still necessary.<\/p>\n
At home, the penthouse lights were low.<\/p>\n
I said good night and went to my room.<\/p>\n
At 2:13 in the morning, a sound woke me.<\/p>\n
A faint click.<\/p>\n
I sat up.<\/p>\n
Another sound came from the hallway.<\/p>\n
I stepped out barefoot.<\/p>\n
The house was dark except for city light.<\/p>\n
Then I saw someone moving near the stairs.<\/p>\n
\u201cLuna?\u201d<\/p>\n
She turned.<\/p>\n
She wore loose pajama pants and an old college sweatshirt, her hair falling untidily around her shoulders.<\/p>\n
For a moment she looked like a stranger.<\/p>\n
A younger, softer version of herself.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat are you doing?\u201d I whispered.<\/p>\n
\u201cI heard something.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSo did I.\u201d<\/p>\n
We moved toward the living room.<\/p>\n
A tiny green light blinked near the bookshelves.<\/p>\n
Luna stopped.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat shouldn\u2019t be there.\u201d<\/p>\n
Victor arrived twenty minutes later.<\/p>\n
He examined the device with gloves.<\/p>\n
\u201cWireless camera.\u201d<\/p>\n
The words chilled the room.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen was it installed?\u201d Luna asked.<\/p>\n
\u201cHard to say.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWho has access?\u201d<\/p>\n
Victor looked at her.<\/p>\n
\u201cStaff. Security. Maintenance. Family members with legacy credentials.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDerek.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
I stared at the camera.<\/p>\n
It had been aimed toward the living room.<\/p>\n
Toward the elevator.<\/p>\n
Toward us.<\/p>\n
\u201cHow many?\u201d<\/p>\n
Victor\u2019s team searched.<\/p>\n
They found three.<\/p>\n
One near the entrance.<\/p>\n
One in the kitchen.<\/p>\n
One outside my guest suite.<\/p>\n
Luna went pale when they removed the third.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat one points at his door.\u201d<\/p>\n
Victor nodded.<\/p>\n
I looked at her.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis isn\u2019t about proving we look married.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat then?\u201d<\/p>\n
Her eyes moved to the small black camera in Victor\u2019s hand.<\/p>\n
\u201cPatterns.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat patterns?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen you sleep. When I sleep. When we are alone. Whether we use separate rooms.\u201d<\/p>\n
The implication settled between us.<\/p>\n
Someone wanted proof our marriage was fake.<\/p>\n
Then Victor\u2019s radio crackled.<\/p>\n
A security officer upstairs spoke quickly.<\/p>\n
Victor\u2019s expression changed.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
Luna demanded.<\/p>\n
He looked at both of us.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s another camera.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIn your bedroom.\u201d<\/p>\n
Luna went completely still.<\/p>\n
I felt something cold move through me.<\/p>\n
\u201cWas it active?\u201d<\/p>\n
Victor hesitated.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFor how long?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe don\u2019t know yet.\u201d<\/p>\n
Luna stared toward the stairs.<\/p>\n
Then she said, almost too quietly to hear, \u201cDerek has been inside my bedroom.\u201d<\/p>\n
Her hands began to shake.<\/p>\n
Without thinking, I reached for one.<\/p>\n
She gripped my fingers.<\/p>\n
And for the first time since signing the agreement, neither of us was pretending to be anything.<\/p>\n
By the time our plane landed in Denver, strangers had opinions about my marriage. Some thought I had seduced my boss. Others thought Luna had promoted an employee into her … <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":16798,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-16801","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-insightdrama"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16801","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=16801"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16801\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":16827,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16801\/revisions\/16827"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/16798"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=16801"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=16801"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=16801"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}