Page 184 of Strange Seduction
His eyes narrowed, not in anger, but in confusion.
“We can build a life here,” he said gently. “Together.”
“Teddy. You said all this was for when I visit. Staying was never what we agreed to.”
He smirked, “I remember you agreeing to it just a few minutes ago.”
“I’m not joking around right now,” I said deadpan, and his smirk faded.
“What are you gonna do, Carmen? Marry me and then go back to the States? You think I want my wife living that far away from me?”
“We can still do long-distance until we figure it out. I know it’s not ideal, but we’ve managed to make it work so far.”
He scoffed. “That’s bullshit and you know it.”
My voice cracked. “Come on, Theo. Don’t be like that. Don’t ruin tonight.”
“I’m not trying to ruin it, baby. I’m just saying maybe you staying here wouldn’t be such a bad thing.”
I looked at him, heart hammering.
“And what exactly am I supposed to do here?”
“I’m sure we can find a law firm that would be lucky to have you.”
“That’s not how it works, Theo. The terms of my scholarship, when Marcus granted it to me, were that I had to work for him after I graduated. Besides, I don’t want just any firm. I don’t want to work with people I don’t know. I want to work with Marcus. He’s one of the best, and I’m learning so much from him—”
His eyes rolled before I finished.
“There’s more to the world than Marcus Dazai,” he muttered. “Besides… I already talked to him about this.”
I blinked. My chest stilled.
“What?”
He froze like he’d been caught red-handed, the guilt already painting his face.
“Shit.”
“What did you speak with Marcus about?”
“Baby—” he leaned in.
“What did you say?” I pulled my hands back before he could reach me.
“I just told him you’d be looking into options here. It wasn’t a big deal. Nothing’s set in stone.”
Doubt: Oh shit.
I stared at him, each word tightening around my chest like wire.
“No. No, no, you didn’t do that. You wouldn’t do that to me.”
He was quiet now, sitting up straighter while searching for something to say that wouldn’t make it worse.
But it was already worse.
And the worst part was how familiar the betrayal felt. But it wasn’t like the incident with him letting the girl into his bed. This was deeper.
