Luna did not sleep after the cameras were found. Neither did I. Victor\u2019s team swept every room twice, changed the security codes, reviewed building access, and discovered something worse than an obvious break-in: there had not been one. Whoever planted the devices had entered using legitimate credentials. The access logs had been altered afterward, which meant this was not some reporter sneaking through a service entrance. Someone with money, patience, and technical help wanted to know how our marriage functioned when nobody was supposed to be watching.<\/p>\n
By six in the morning, Luna stood barefoot at the kitchen counter drinking coffee she had forgotten to sweeten. Her college sweatshirt hung loosely from one shoulder. She had abandoned the polished armor she wore to work, and without it exhaustion showed clearly beneath her eyes.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou should sleep,\u201d I said.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo should you.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m not the one who has a board call at eight.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou have a meeting with communications at nine.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m beginning to understand why rich people always look tired.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s not why.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat\u2019s the reason?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMeetings.\u201d<\/p>\n
I smiled.<\/p>\n
She did not.<\/p>\n
I set my mug down.<\/p>\n
\u201cLuna.\u201d<\/p>\n
Her fingers tightened around her cup.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAre you all right?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat answer is ridiculous.\u201d<\/p>\n
She looked toward the windows.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t enjoy being watched.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNobody does.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo. You don\u2019t understand.\u201d<\/p>\n
Her tone made me wait.<\/p>\n
After a moment she said, \u201cMy father believed privacy encouraged weakness.\u201d<\/p>\n
I frowned.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat does that mean?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen Derek and I were teenagers, our schedules were monitored. Our grades were reviewed publicly at dinner. Our friends were investigated. If we made mistakes, my father wanted to know before anyone else could use them against the family.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat sounds miserable.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was educational.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThose are not mutually exclusive.\u201d<\/p>\n
Luna gave me a tired look.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe installed cameras?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo. Not like this.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBut last night reminded you of it.\u201d<\/p>\n
She did not answer.<\/p>\n
I understood enough.<\/p>\n
I moved closer but stopped before touching her.<\/p>\n
\u201cYour brother does not get to turn your home into another version of your childhood.\u201d<\/p>\n
Her eyes lifted to mine.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re surprisingly good at saying things I don\u2019t want to hear.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI write advertising. We specialize in unwanted messages.\u201d<\/p>\n
That finally pulled a small smile from her.<\/p>\n
Then Naomi called.<\/p>\n
By eight-thirty, Luna had become Luna Sterling again.<\/p>\n
Hair smooth.<\/p>\n
Dark suit.<\/p>\n
Voice controlled.<\/p>\n
The transformation bothered me more now that I knew what it concealed.<\/p>\n
At eleven, Derek sent an invitation.<\/p>\n
Not digitally.<\/p>\n
A cream envelope arrived by courier.<\/p>\n
Sterling Family Weekend \u2014 Blackwood Estate.<\/p>\n
Friday through Sunday.<\/p>\n
Luna read it once.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
I stood across from her desk.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re not going.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause Derek wants us there.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIsn\u2019t avoiding him suspicious?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen we go.\u201d<\/p>\n
Her gaze sharpened.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou saw what he did to my home.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe think he did it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWho else?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat answer is precisely why we should not spend two nights on family property.\u201d<\/p>\n
I leaned against the chair.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat happens if we refuse?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe tells everyone newlyweds are strangely reluctant to spend a weekend together where the family can see them.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cExactly.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI can manage suspicion.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cCan you manage another article saying our marriage is fake?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe board?\u201d<\/p>\n
A pause.<\/p>\n
I had her.<\/p>\n
She hated that.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re enjoying being right.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cImmensely.\u201d<\/p>\n
She looked at the invitation again.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy mother will be there.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou have a mother?\u201d<\/p>\n
Luna stared at me.<\/p>\n
\u201cI assumed you were assembled in a corporate laboratory.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBe careful. I can still annul this.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cCan you?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMartin is excellent.\u201d<\/p>\n
She exhaled.<\/p>\n
\u201cHer name is Eleanor.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDoes she know about the arrangement?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat does she know?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat I married someone named Adam.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cStrong foundation.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe wants to meet you.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDoes she like anyone?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDerek?\u201d<\/p>\n
Her silence answered.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat will be fun.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt will not.\u201d<\/p>\n
Friday afternoon, we drove into the foothills.<\/p>\n
The city disappeared behind us.<\/p>\n
Blackwood Estate sat among pines on a wide slope, an old stone house expanded over several generations until it seemed less built than accumulated. There were terraces, guest wings, stables, and enough windows to make me wonder how anyone living there ever felt alone.<\/p>\n
Luna became increasingly quiet as we approached.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou haven\u2019t been here recently.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNot since my father\u2019s funeral.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked at her.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat was three years ago.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThis was his house?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOur family house.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBut you stopped coming.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI had reasons.\u201d<\/p>\n
Before I could ask, the front door opened.<\/p>\n
A woman in her early sixties stepped onto the terrace.<\/p>\n
Eleanor Sterling had Luna\u2019s posture but not her guardedness. Her gray-blond hair was pulled loosely back. She wore dark trousers, riding boots, and a sweater that looked expensive without advertising the fact.<\/p>\n
Luna got out first.<\/p>\n
Her mother hugged her.<\/p>\n
The sight stunned me.<\/p>\n
Luna stiffened for only a second before returning the embrace.<\/p>\n
Then Eleanor looked at me.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo.\u201d<\/p>\n
I stepped forward.<\/p>\n
\u201cMrs. Sterling.\u201d<\/p>\n
She held out her hands rather than offering a formal handshake.<\/p>\n
\u201cCall me Eleanor.\u201d<\/p>\n
She took both my hands and studied me with disconcerting concentration.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re taller than the photographs.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI didn\u2019t realize there were enough photographs to establish a baseline.\u201d<\/p>\n
Eleanor smiled.<\/p>\n
\u201cOh, I like him.\u201d<\/p>\n
Luna sighed.<\/p>\n
\u201cMother.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat? You married without introducing us. I\u2019m allowed an opinion.\u201d<\/p>\n
She led us inside.<\/p>\n
The estate smelled of cedar smoke and roasted garlic.<\/p>\n
Family photographs covered the corridor walls.<\/p>\n
Luna at eleven beside a horse.<\/p>\n
Luna at sixteen holding a debate trophy.<\/p>\n
Derek graduating from college.<\/p>\n
Their father standing between them in nearly every picture.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat was he like?\u201d I asked quietly.<\/p>\n
Luna followed my gaze.<\/p>\n
\u201cComplicated.\u201d<\/p>\n
Eleanor, ahead of us, said, \u201cThat means difficult.\u201d<\/p>\n
Luna\u2019s mouth tightened.<\/p>\n
\u201cMother.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt has been three years. We can describe him accurately now.\u201d<\/p>\n
I liked Eleanor more every minute.<\/p>\n
Then Derek appeared.<\/p>\n
He descended the staircase wearing a sweater and open collar, all weekend charm.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere they are.\u201d<\/p>\n
He embraced Luna.<\/p>\n
She barely responded.<\/p>\n
Then he shook my hand.<\/p>\n
\u201cAdam. Welcome to the ancestral interrogation chamber.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cComforting.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019ll survive.\u201d<\/p>\n
His smile suggested he hoped otherwise.<\/p>\n
Dinner included eleven people: family members, two board directors, Derek\u2019s fianc\u00e9e Celeste, an aunt named Margaret, a cousin whose name I forgot immediately, and a retired Sterling executive who appeared to have been invited specifically to observe us.<\/p>\n
The questions began before the soup arrived.<\/p>\n
\u201cHow did you keep the relationship secret?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWho said I love you first?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere was your first date?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid Adam propose?\u201d<\/p>\n
Each answer needed to fit every other answer.<\/p>\n
Luna and I had prepared a timeline during the drive.<\/p>\n
It survived seventeen minutes.<\/p>\n
Then Eleanor asked, \u201cWhat did you notice first about her?\u201d<\/p>\n
I could have repeated the prepared answer.<\/p>\n
Her intelligence.<\/p>\n
Safe.<\/p>\n
Predictable.<\/p>\n
Instead, I said, \u201cThat she remembers things she pretends not to notice.\u201d<\/p>\n
Luna looked at me.<\/p>\n
Eleanor smiled faintly.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat sort of things?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe people doing invisible work. Who stayed late. Who didn\u2019t get credit. Who was having trouble.\u201d<\/p>\n
Derek lifted his wineglass.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat sounds almost sentimental.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt surprised me too.\u201d<\/p>\n
Luna\u2019s eyes remained on mine.<\/p>\n
Eleanor turned to her daughter.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd you?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did you first notice about Adam?\u201d<\/p>\n
Luna paused.<\/p>\n
I expected something dry.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe never laughs when the person being mocked has less power than the person making the joke.\u201d<\/p>\n
The table went quiet in a way she clearly had not intended.<\/p>\n
Derek\u2019s smile thinned.<\/p>\n
I suddenly wondered whether Luna had been thinking of a specific memory.<\/p>\n
Before anyone could ask, Eleanor changed the subject.<\/p>\n
After dinner, Derek cornered me near the library.<\/p>\n
He handed me whiskey.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t drink much.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNeither does Luna.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n
His eyes flickered.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou know?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve been living together.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cRight.\u201d<\/p>\n
The word contained everything he suspected.<\/p>\n
He leaned against a bookcase.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy sister can be difficult.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSo I\u2019ve heard.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe likes control.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve noticed.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe doesn\u2019t handle disappointment well.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDoes anyone?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re relaxed.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShould I be frightened?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNot of me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cGood.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOf what happens when this ends.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked at him.<\/p>\n
He took a sip.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhatever arrangement you think you have, Luna always protects Sterling first.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThere is no arrangement.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOf course.\u201d<\/p>\n
He smiled.<\/p>\n
\u201cJust remember something, Adam. Employees leave. Husbands leave. Family remains.\u201d<\/p>\n
I thought of hidden cameras.<\/p>\n
\u201cSome family probably should leave more often.\u201d<\/p>\n
His smile disappeared.<\/p>\n
Only for a second.<\/p>\n
But I saw it.<\/p>\n
So did he.<\/p>\n
\u201cCareful,\u201d Derek said.<\/p>\n
\u201cAbout what?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cGetting between siblings.\u201d<\/p>\n
I handed his whiskey back.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think you brought me there yourself.\u201d<\/p>\n
Upstairs, I discovered the next trap.<\/p>\n
One bedroom.<\/p>\n
Luna stood in the doorway staring at a king-sized bed.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked behind her.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere\u2019s my room?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is our room.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMaybe they forgot.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMy mother does not forget guest arrangements.\u201d<\/p>\n
On the bed sat one folded card.<\/p>\n
For the newlyweds.<\/p>\n
I started laughing.<\/p>\n
Luna glared at me.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is not funny.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is a little funny.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are surrounded by people trying to determine whether our marriage is genuine.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSo we sleep.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIn one bed?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt appears beds remain involved in marriage. Who knew?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou asked about this on day one.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI like to plan.\u201d<\/p>\n
She checked the room herself.<\/p>\n
Behind lamps.<\/p>\n
Inside vents.<\/p>\n
Beneath shelves.<\/p>\n
I stopped smiling.<\/p>\n
\u201cThinking about the camera?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe can ask Victor to sweep it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe already did.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThis afternoon.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou had security arrive before us?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cObviously.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cRomance truly is alive.\u201d<\/p>\n
Victor confirmed the room was clean.<\/p>\n
We changed separately.<\/p>\n
When I emerged from the bathroom, Luna was already under the blankets, reading from her tablet.<\/p>\n
She wore a plain black T-shirt.<\/p>\n
No makeup.<\/p>\n
Hair loose.<\/p>\n
I stopped before I could prevent myself.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNothing.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou stopped walking.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI was thinking.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDangerous.\u201d<\/p>\n
I climbed into the far side of the bed.<\/p>\n
There was enough space between us to fit another adult.<\/p>\n
Possibly two.<\/p>\n
Luna switched off the lamp.<\/p>\n
Darkness settled.<\/p>\n
Five minutes passed.<\/p>\n
Then ten.<\/p>\n
Neither of us slept.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is absurd,\u201d I said.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYour mother likes me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe likes strays.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m not a stray.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou arrived with one suitcase.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTemporary stray.\u201d<\/p>\n
Silence.<\/p>\n
Then Luna said, \u201cDerek spoke to you.\u201d<\/p>\n
I turned toward her.<\/p>\n
\u201cHow do you know?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe always isolates people.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe warned me about you.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cPredictable.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe said Sterling comes first.\u201d<\/p>\n
Her breathing changed.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe would say that.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIs it true?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat the company always comes first.\u201d<\/p>\n
The silence lasted long enough to become an answer.<\/p>\n
Then she said, \u201cIt used to.\u201d<\/p>\n
Used to.<\/p>\n
I stared into the darkness.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat changed?\u201d<\/p>\n
She turned slightly.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m tired.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat is avoidance.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
I let it go.<\/p>\n
Sometime after midnight, thunder rolled over the mountains.<\/p>\n
Rain struck the windows.<\/p>\n
Luna shifted.<\/p>\n
Another flash illuminated the room.<\/p>\n
I saw her sitting upright.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou okay?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou keep saying that.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI dislike storms here.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy here?\u201d<\/p>\n
Another pause.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy father died in this house during a storm.\u201d<\/p>\n
I pushed myself up.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m sorry.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe had a heart attack in the library.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWas anyone with him?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI was.\u201d<\/p>\n
Her voice was different now.<\/p>\n
Flat from effort.<\/p>\n
\u201cI found him.\u201d<\/p>\n
There was nothing useful to say.<\/p>\n
So I didn\u2019t say anything.<\/p>\n
After several minutes, Luna spoke again.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe had been arguing with Derek earlier. About the trust. About control. About me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid Derek cause the heart attack?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
The answer came too quickly.<\/p>\n
I noticed.<\/p>\n
She noticed that I noticed.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re not discussing this tonight.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAll right.\u201d<\/p>\n
Another thunderclap.<\/p>\n
Luna flinched.<\/p>\n
Barely.<\/p>\n
But enough.<\/p>\n
I reached across the space between us.<\/p>\n
My palm rested on the blanket.<\/p>\n
Not touching her.<\/p>\n
Offering.<\/p>\n
She looked down at my hand.<\/p>\n
Then placed hers over it.<\/p>\n
We remained like that.<\/p>\n
Nothing dramatic.<\/p>\n
No declarations.<\/p>\n
Just two people in a dark room holding hands while rain hit the windows.<\/p>\n
Eventually she fell asleep.<\/p>\n
I was almost asleep myself when a knock came.<\/p>\n
Three sharp taps.<\/p>\n
Luna woke instantly.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
The door opened before we answered.<\/p>\n
Derek stood there.<\/p>\n
I moved upright.<\/p>\n
Luna released my hand.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat the hell are you doing?\u201d she snapped.<\/p>\n
He looked embarrassed with impressive precision.<\/p>\n
\u201cSorry. Mom thought she heard something fall.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAt one in the morning?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe worries.\u201d<\/p>\n
His gaze moved quickly across the room.<\/p>\n
One bed.<\/p>\n
Both of us inside it.<\/p>\n
Luna\u2019s clothes on a chair.<\/p>\n
Mine near the bathroom.<\/p>\n
He smiled.<\/p>\n
\u201cClearly everything is fine.\u201d<\/p>\n
Then he closed the door.<\/p>\n
Luna stared after him.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat was not my mother.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe wanted to see where we were sleeping.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019ll try again.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cProbably.\u201d<\/p>\n
Her jaw tightened.<\/p>\n
I realized something.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe expects us to overperform.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIf we suddenly become affectionate every time he enters, he knows it\u2019s theater.\u201d<\/p>\n
Luna looked at me.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSo we stop reacting to him.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe behave normally.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOur normal involves separate rooms and contractual boundaries.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen we need a new normal.\u201d<\/p>\n
I heard the sentence after I said it.<\/p>\n
So did she.<\/p>\n
Neither of us spoke for a moment.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat are you suggesting?\u201d she asked.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know yet.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat is reassuring.\u201d<\/p>\n
The next morning, breakfast was held on the covered terrace.<\/p>\n
Rain misted the valley.<\/p>\n
Derek watched us constantly while pretending not to.<\/p>\n
So I poured Luna coffee without asking.<\/p>\n
She passed me the butter.<\/p>\n
I stole half her toast.<\/p>\n
She kicked me under the table.<\/p>\n
I whispered, \u201cThat seemed real.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was.\u201d<\/p>\n
Eleanor watched with obvious amusement.<\/p>\n
Derek did not.<\/p>\n
After breakfast, everyone scattered.<\/p>\n
Luna and I walked toward the stables.<\/p>\n
The wet gravel crunched beneath our shoes.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is working,\u201d I said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe hates not knowing.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSo do I.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou married the wrong employee.\u201d<\/p>\n
She stopped near an old stone wall.<\/p>\n
\u201cI mean it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Her voice had changed.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI hate not knowing what happens next.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat describes most of life.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI have spent years eliminating uncertainty.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow is that going?\u201d<\/p>\n
She looked back toward the house.<\/p>\n
\u201cPoorly.\u201d<\/p>\n
I leaned against the wall.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou can\u2019t control Derek.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou can control what he sees.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFor now.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd you can decide what parts of your life belong to him.\u201d<\/p>\n
Her eyes moved to mine.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe will keep digging.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019ll find things about you.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThere are not many interesting things to find.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe may invent them.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen we deal with that.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou say \u2018we\u2019 easily.\u201d<\/p>\n
The observation caught me.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo do you.\u201d<\/p>\n
A breeze moved damp strands of hair across her face.<\/p>\n
Without thinking, I reached up and brushed one away.<\/p>\n
My fingers touched her cheek.<\/p>\n
Everything stopped.<\/p>\n
Luna did not move.<\/p>\n
Neither did I.<\/p>\n
The distance between us had become very small.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is where one of us should make a joke,\u201d I murmured.<\/p>\n
\u201cProbably.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDo you have one?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMe neither.\u201d<\/p>\n
She looked at my mouth.<\/p>\n
That was all it took.<\/p>\n
I kissed her.<\/p>\n
For one second.<\/p>\n
Maybe two.<\/p>\n
Then I stepped back so quickly my heel struck the stone border.<\/p>\n
Luna stared at me.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m sorry.\u201d<\/p>\n
Her face gave nothing away.<\/p>\n
\u201cI shouldn\u2019t have\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n
She caught the front of my jacket.<\/p>\n
And kissed me back.<\/p>\n
This kiss was not an accident.<\/p>\n
Not polite.<\/p>\n
Not staged.<\/p>\n
Not for photographers.<\/p>\n
Her fingers tightened against my chest.<\/p>\n
My hand found her waist.<\/p>\n
Every rule we had written suddenly seemed to belong to two different people.<\/p>\n
When we separated, both of us were breathing too quickly.<\/p>\n
Luna looked almost angry.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat cannot happen again.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAgreed.\u201d<\/p>\n
Neither of us released the other.<\/p>\n
\u201cAbsolutely not.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cCorrect.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThis arrangement is already complicated.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cExtremely.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are not adding this.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
Her fingers remained curled in my jacket.<\/p>\n
I looked down.<\/p>\n
She let go.<\/p>\n
Then we heard applause.<\/p>\n
Slow.<\/p>\n
Deliberate.<\/p>\n
Behind us.<\/p>\n
We turned.<\/p>\n
Derek stood twenty yards away beneath the covered walkway.<\/p>\n
He smiled.<\/p>\n
\u201cWell,\u201d he said. \u201cThat looked convincing.\u201d<\/p>\n
Luna\u2019s face went cold.<\/p>\n
\u201cHow long have you been standing there?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cLong enough.\u201d<\/p>\n
My stomach dropped.<\/p>\n
Because Derek was holding his phone.<\/p>\n
And the camera was pointed directly at us.<\/p>\n
Luna did not sleep after the cameras were found. Neither did I. Victor\u2019s team swept every room twice, changed the security codes, reviewed building access, and discovered something worse than … <\/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-16802","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\/16802","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=16802"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16802\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":16828,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16802\/revisions\/16828"}],"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=16802"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=16802"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=16802"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}