Lies That Bind (on hold temporarily)

Chapter Eighteen

J A M E S

I meet up at the bar with Krissy and we grab drinks before heading back to the table. Given her silence, Sara and Ty's alone time is clearly taking more of a toll on her than she thought it would.

That and the shot of tequila she knocked back while I was waiting for the bartender to make drinks for Sara and I.

Which is understandable, but she put herself in this situation. It was her idea to be in an open relationship.

Still, I can't help but feel bad for her.

Because she's not like me. She's not just some idiot hoping for a chance with someone they caught feelings for. She got her chance, she's been living it since the day they said "I do." And if standing here waiting for them to come back with swollen lips and post-sex hair stings for me, I can only assume that it's ten times worse for her.

"You okay?" I ask as I watch her nervously sip at her champagne.

She looks over at me and sighs, "As okay as I can be knowing my husband is without a doubt fucking my best friend right now," she says sarcastically before finishing the rest of her glass and reaches for the drink she got Ty.

I take a sip of my Jameson and ginger, waiting for her to continue because from the look on her face, she's going to.

"I mean, I know I said I wanted an open relationship, but I didn't expect him to take advantage of it five fucking seconds after I did," she adds flailing her hands through the air to express her frustration. "As if they haven't already fucked enough," she mumbles under her breath.

"Is that actually what you want though?" I ask. "An open relationship?"

She runs her finger along the base of her champagne flute, doing her best to avoid eye contact, "I don't know," she whispers, finally letting her gaze shift to mine. "You'll probably think I'm full of shit, but Ty's a good man. When he confessed to having an affair, I said a lot of things I didn't mean. I was hurt and angry, but I could never hate him."

"He manipulated you into marriage that was a business deal and had an affair spanning the entire length of your relationship, how could you not hate him for that?"

She sucks in a shaky breath and wipes a tear from her eye before it has a chance to roll down her cheek. "He saved my life, James," she says, catching another tear before it falls. "I know that he's not perfect by any means, but I can't just walk away from him when he's the only reason I'm still alive."

"Krissy, I-"

"You don't have to apologize," she stops me. "I'm okay now. But I went through a really dark couple months last year after having a miscarriage. I saw two different therapists, talked to my mom, even tried chatting online with other women who had had miscarriages, but I still felt so fucking empty inside. Ty was the only one who got through to me. He was sweet and attentive and made sure I knew losing our baby wasn't my fault. He made that nagging emptiness go away when no one else could."

I can understand not being able to walk away now.

I reach for her hand and cover it with mine, letting the gesture speak for me.

She sniffles and flashes me a soft smile. "Can you do me a favor and not mention this to Sara? I never told her about any of it, I didn't want to worry her."

"It's not my secret to tell," I reply before taking another sip of my drink.

"Thanks," she says shyly, scanning the room for Ty and Sara. "You're an amazing man, James, I can see why she likes you."