Page 50 of Keep Me

“What is that?” I ask.

“New Year’s Eve,” he replies in a disgruntled tone.

“Will you just think about it, please?” Anna implores.

His eyes find mine, and I see the warring thoughts written all over his face. This is part of the deal. It’s not about just staying married for a year. It’s about proving to his family that he’s settled down. That he has every right to keep the house.

Of course…tohim,that’s the plan.

To everyone else, it doesn’t really matter if he’s settled down or doing better. It’s about getting the rights out of his hands and into theirs.

“Fine,” he mutters. “I’ll think about it.”

“Thank you,” Anna replies, looking relieved.

Before Killian leaves the room, he lets his gaze rest on my face for a moment. I nearly forgot how intense his eyes could be.

“Now, stop talking about me,” he says before disappearing out the door.

The room is bathed in silence as I sit on the chaise lounge with my book still on my lap. There’s a lingering anger deep in my bones from my conversation with Anna.

We wait until we both hear the front door close, letting us know Killian has left the house before either one of us speaks.

“Don’t you feel bad?” I whisper. “For what you’re doing to him? Tricking him out of his own home with this fake marriage?”

“You wouldn’t understand,” she replies.

And I know that’s probably a jab at my family and how little they care about me, but I’ll never understand how lying to Killian about why we’re doing this is their way of showing they care.

“Please, Sylvie,” she mumbles softly. “Will you just try to help him? Talk him into going to that party, and I’ll sweeten the deal.”

My head perks up. “How much?”

“Ten thousand,” she replies plainly.

“He’s not going to listen to me,” I argue. “He hates me.”

When her eyes lift to my face, I’m surprised to find a hint of humor in her face.

“He doesn’t hate you,” she says. “At least not as much as you think he does.”

I scoff out a laugh. “What makes you think that?”

“I see the way he looks at you. You two are more alike than you think. If he didn’t like you, he wouldn’t bother arguing with you. He’s not afraid to hurt your feelings because he knows you can take it. He sees your strength, Sylvie. And I truly believe he will miss you when you’re gone.”

She picks up her purse from the table and walks toward the door. “If anyone can talk him into it, it’s you,” she says. And with that, she leaves.

Her words hang in the air after she’s gone. I’m lost in contemplation, running through everything over and over and over as if I’m trying to pinpoint something on a map. How do I feel about this? This house. This marriage. Him.

My feelings are scattered and confusing. I’ve been in this house too long. I’ve been so deep in this for so long that I can’t seem to find my way out anymore. The reward at the end doesn’t glisten as brightly as it did three months ago.

***

Boredom settles in my bones like a sickness. Not for the first time in the past month, I consider picking a fight with Killian because at least it’s something to do. But again, fighting with him has gotten dangerously heated. And that’s a line I don’t need to cross.

Fucking my husband would be a terrible idea.

I’ve tried working on my novel. But opening my laptop usually leads to opening a browser which leads to watching the lives of people I once knew and used to like flash by me like I’m stuck in some time travel simulation.

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