Mr Reluctant Billionaire || BWWM

Thirty-three

“Move,” he says in a clipped voice. There is no trace of the man who gifted me a car earlier today but I maintain my stance and shake my head. “Elna, out of my way.”

“Why don’t you ever believe me?” I ask. “It was a mistake. I didn’t know he would do that. Joshua kissed me.” My knuckles caress his cheek. “You know when I am lying,” I whisper. Palming his face so he can see the sincerity in my eyes, I continue, “Look at me, please. I know it sounds stupid but it’s the truth, I didn’t know his plans. He kissed me.”

My confidence wavers at the cold look in his eyes. “There you go again with the excuses. Once a cheat, always a cheat.” I choke on a sob, my head shakes, I am not a cheat. “He kissed you,” he scoffs and his lips curl in disdain, “but for the ten seconds he had his lips on yours, you did nothing about it. You didn’t protest. Make that make sense, dear wife.”

Bile rises to my throat at the amount of hate he put into that one word: wife. “Shock.”

“Shocked enough for you to enjoy it?”

Throwing my hands up, I say, “I never saw it coming. What happened to what you see is not always what it is? You told me once that facts can be wrong sometimes and in this case, it is.” Fear of rejection stops me from trying to hug him again. “Believe me. Please.”

Brandon’s face softens and my shoulders relax but go rigid immediately when he stops me from embracing him. I don’t want him to travel without us reconciling.

“When I asked you if he would be at the café, why did you lie about it?”

My eyelids flutter furiously, I scan his face for any hint of malice and sigh. “I didn’t lie.”

“What did you say?” he asks in a small voice. My lips remain sealed, he arches a brow and I look down to the buttons of his shirt. “Answer me, Elna, what did you tell me?”

Shifting my weight to another foot, I reply, “That he won’t be there.” He offers me a tight-lipped smile, my lips quiver. “Josh just showed up, I never saw it coming. I didn’t know.”

My response seems to give rise to another question. “Did you tell him you’re married?”

“No,” I murmur. “But I was going to.”

I want to smack that sly smile off his face, more like smack my lips on his to show him how much I love him, that the last thing I’ll do is hurt him. I thought we were past this.

“Where’s your ring?” I refuse to look at him, I don’t like this. “Where is your ring?”

“In the car.” A brief pause ensues, I continue, “I was going to show him after I told him I was married.” The laughter that follows my reply irks me but I manage to put a lid on my temper. “Clarissa is already upset with me,” I say while massaging my empty ring finger with my gaze fixated on the floor, “I didn’t want him to find out the same way.”

Casting him an optimistic glance, the tiny rays of hope die at the emptiness in his amber eyes but I brave on, “I wanted to tell him, then show him the ring. That’s the only reason I removed it.” Brandon bursts into mirthless laughter, I suck in my lower lip and exhale, he is so difficult. “I love you too much to hurt you, you know that. I love you, baby.”

“More silly excuses.” He caresses my cheek, I lean into his touch. “You don’t love me, Elna,” he pauses to sigh, “I thought you did but you don’t. You are just like everyone else, only about hurting me, what you can gain from me. Now what?” Tears roll down my cheeks, I take a step back, I am not any of these things and he knows that. “Don’t throw the l word around expecting me to forgive you for a sin you already committed before.”