Truth Untold (Eligible Bachelors #1)

Chapter Eleven

Monday morning, bright and early, Alexander arrived at his office with a prep in his step.

Breakfast that morning had gone over splendidly. Upon their return from Jonathan's house warming party last Friday evening, Alexander had been turned into a ball of nerves throughout the weekend. He'd admitted aloud – though only to his best friend – about his true feelings towards Vanessa. He'd known it for some time, and it started somewhere at the beginning of the thirteenth month of their marriage.

He'd had a brief moment of melancholy on one of the nights he'd gone home drunk. In his drunken haze, he'd let his defences down and thought fleetingly what it would be like to be married to a woman who made him happy. Subconsciously, he knew it was the glitter and glamour of dating the favoured Stein daughter that drew him to Daphne. Subconsciously, he also knew that he wasn't really happy with her often wondering how she could easily dismiss the problems in their relationship when presented with the offer of an expensive gift or some exotic trip. Then he'd thought about his wife who existed like a ghost in his house and life. It had bothered him like nothing ever had how easily she dismissed him.

He wasn't used to being dismissed by women. Vanessa had changed that. She'd proven time and again that she didn't care about looks as much as others did, nor did she care how many digits sat in his bank account. She was all about the heart and mind of a person and if neither were good, she'd write you off.

She'd written him off by then and that bothered him because he knew she hadn't given him a chance to show his real self. Not that he gave her reason to want it. Blinded by the glitz and glamour of Daphne Stein, and willing to do anything to keep up appearances, he'd allowed himself to be brainwashed into mistreating a woman who was an unwilling participant in this charade.

Then, in his drunken stupor, 'sense' returned, and he grimaced in disbelief over his own thoughts. He'd proceeded to find himself a suitable one-night stand and took her home, and yet, he couldn't ignore the bedroom adjacent to his. He'd barged in unannounced, and unbeknownst to what it actually meant; he'd grown used to seeing her – even if it were a glimpse – every day. Without realizing it, he'd grown dependent on seeing her, like some small part became restless at the thought that she might not be okay. It couldn't hurt to spy on her for two seconds.

Even if all they spat were hurtful words, at least she was at home. Tucked in safe. She was okay.

And then came the feelings.

Out of nowhere and terrifyingly strong, it had knocked him and sent his brain whirring. Suddenly, he minded very much that she had a male best friend. He minded very much when she was not at home, tucked safely into her room. He minded very much that his wife was berated in subtle fashion to the point that she ran from her bullies.

He minded very much that he was a fool, or as his wife would say, a puppet.

Throughout all of Sunday evening, he'd given himself pep talk after pep talk, weighing the pros and cons of his decision. He decided that the worst thing she could do was laugh and say no. But things had been good between them the last couple of days and the easy-going dynamic they had established strengthened his courage.

They'd sat down to breakfast, Vanessa dressed comfortably in a gray vest and red plaid pyjama pants, her glasses sitting on her nose. While they ate, it was quiet since Vanessa had come to the table with a copy of The Thirteen Problems by Agatha Christie.

"Reading for fun or research?" he asked with the intention to break the silence. If only it were a single word she uttered, he wasn't heading to work without having heard her say a word to him.

"Both," she had replied, setting the book aside after marking her page. She had picked up a piece of bacon. "I'm already planning the second novel in my trilogy. You know, the one that's being published."