Fake Fiancé

Secrets Revealed

They sat across from each other, slowly eating. In order to continue playing the role of an engaged couple, they decided to go to lunch together every day. Joe looked up, his smile faltering when he noticed Isabella's suddenly shrunken form.

"Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," she stuttered. He reached over and grabbed her shaking hand.

"Isabella, what's wrong?"

She glanced behind him at the last person she ever thought she would see again. Joe followed her gaze, his eyes darkening when he saw someone at the restaurant bar glaring at Isabella.

"Who is that?" Joe asked through gritted teeth.

"No one," she said, her voice shaky.

He turned back towards her and cleared his throat. "Who is he, Isabella?"

"My ex," she whispered. Anger filled his eyes when he saw the fear in hers.

"What did he do?" Joe asked through his teeth.

"He didn't. . ." She stuttered.

"Bella," he cut her off. "What did he do to you?"

"Do my eyes deceive me or is that Isabella Lucas?"

Joe noticed Isabella completely freeze. He reached over and tried to grab her hand, but she quickly pulled her hands back and tucked them under the table.

"Hi, Pete." Isabella looked at her plate, not having touched a bite since she first recognized her ex.

"What are you doing here?" Pete asked with nothing but judgment in his voice. "You can't afford to eat here."

"I can, actually," Isabella stuttered.

"Right," Pete scoffed. "And I rule Britain. You know, Izzy, you always were hilarious."

Isabella cringed at his nickname for her. Joe tighten his hands into fists when he noticed her reactions to Pete kept getting worse.

"I'm not. . ."

"Who's this?"

Isabella looked up at Joe, her eyes wide. She opened and closed her mouth, struggling to find her voice. Pete smirked as he looked Joe up and down.

"I have to admit," Pete sighed, "I didn't think you could get a guy like me again. Here I was, thinking you would die a lonely, cat lady."

"That's enough," Joe said through his teeth as he stood up. Isabella tried to grab his wrist to get him to sit back down but he pulled his hand out of her hold.

"You will not speak to my fiancé like that."

Isabella's breath got caught in her throat when her ex's smug look changed into a glare.

"Fiancé?" Pete scoffed. Tears built in Isabella's eyes when he fake gagged.

"Why is a man like you engaged to that?"

"I would stop talking if I were you," Joe warned through his teeth.

"Wow, Izzy," he continued to laugh. "You finally tricked a guy into marrying you. How'd you do it? Huh? Did you promise to give him hand jobs every day or something? I know. He never has to touch you. I can barely believe I used to touch her. Then again, there isn't much to touch. I mean, it's not like she has that great a body. She's a little chubby for my taste. And now I look at her and. . ."

When he fake gagged again, Isabella couldn't take it anymore. She stood up and ran out of the restaurant. Joe's anger built as he watched and noted which way she went. He was about to follow her but stopped right in front of Isabella's asshole of an ex.

"I'm only going to say this one time," Joe said through his teeth. "Don't ever speak to her like that again. Especially in front of me."

He turned on his heel and chased after Isabella.

"Sir," Joe's driver jogged up to him. "Your fiancé ran towards the park."

"Thank you, Paul." Joe nodded. "Will you grab the car and meet us there?"

"Of course, sir."

Joe ran down the street, finally finding Isabella sitting on a park bench a little way from the restaurant. His heart sank when he saw her slightly slumped over. From her shaking shoulders, he could tell she was crying.

"You okay?" He asked as he instantly sat next to her.

One look at her shaking hands and he knew she wasn't. Without another word, he pulled her into his chest and wrapped his arms tightly around her.

"Don't listen to him," Joe said through his teeth. "He's just an asshole who has no idea what an amazing girl he had. He's clueless and doesn't deserve a look back."

"I'm sorry," she sobbed into his chest. Joe instantly shushed her as he tightened his arms around her.

"It's alright," he whispered. "He is never going to come near you again. And he definitely is never going to speak to you like that again. I'll make sure of it. I promise, Bella."

The way he said 'Bella' made her heart skip a beat.

* * * * *

Joe looked across the street to see his driver awkwardly standing in front of the car. He was debating whether or not he needed to come and help, but Joe shook his head.

"I'm sorry that I didn't want to move in with you," she said under her breath.

"What?" Joe looked down at Isabella still in his arms. His breath got caught in his throat when he figured it out. "Wait, is he the reason you didn't want to move in with me?"

His anger from earlier returned when he felt her nod against his chest. He reached up and ran his fingers delicately through her hair.

"What did he do to you after you moved in with him?" He asked as softly as he could. He tried to calm down but imagining what the asshole could've done to her made his anger uncontrollable. That is until he felt Isabella take a shaky breath, slightly cuddling more into him.

He tightened his arms around her as she struggled to open up. He wanted to let her know that she was safe and that he was there for her. Joe tightened his arms around her even more when she took a shaky breath.

"He started to. . . Whenever he got. . . He hit me."

Saying those words made her break. She couldn't hold back her sob anymore. Joe didn't mind. He held her as she cried into his chest. He reached up and ran his fingers through her hair. Without unwrapping his arms from around her, he leaned them back into the park bench.

"I hope you know, Isabella," he whispered. "I would never hurt you."