Between Us

Chapter 26

Max

I place my coffee cup on the counter when I hear the front door swing closed and walk toward the sounds in the hallway.

Alianna looks up in surprise and freezes. Her hair is wet, and she's dressed in the same clothes she was wearing yesterday. She clearly spent the night somewhere, and it sure as hell wasn't here, in my bed—where she was supposed to be.

"Where have you been?" I ask, my voice deceptively calm.

"Max" She lifts her hand to her chest, "You're up early."

I stare her down, trying to keep her from realizing how angry I am, "I asked you a question."

She frowns at me and tries to walk past me, but I grab her wrist and pull her against Me.

"Where. Were. You?" I snap.

She grits her teeth and glares at me, "Do you have any right to ask me that after you went for dinner with my sister? Don't be a hypocrite."

I pull her closer, until I've got her body flush against mine, "I do have that right, Alianna. I'm your wife."

Her eyes flash and she smiles humorlessly, "You certainly don't act like it," she says, her voice filled with venom, "You went for dinner with Crystal a day after marrying me. Did you even come home last night, or did you just get in? Did you fucked her, Max?"

I clench my jaw as I turn us around, pushing her against the wall, "What did you just say?" I ask through gritted teeth, "Did I fucked her?"

Alianna looks up at me, her eyes flashing with anger... but there's pain there too. I inhale shakily and drop my forehead to hers.

"No," I whisper, "I didn't fuck her, Alianna. Of course I didn't. I promised you fidelity, and I always keep my promises. Do you truly think so little of me?"

She slides her arms around my neck and inhales shakily. Fuck.

She fits against me so perfectly, "I don't know what to think, Max," she admits, "I never thought we'd find ourselves in this situation, but now that we're here, I'm not willing to stand aside and let you chase after your happiness."

I nod and pull away a little to look at her, "I get it. You made sacrifices, and I can acknowledge that much. Perhaps it was wrong of me to go for dinner with Crystal, but I thought it would be best to get that conversation out of the way. I didn't go see her because I missed her or wanted alone-time with her, Ali. I went to see her so I could put proper boundaries in place and end things with her."

Her eyes widen, "You did?"

I reach for her and push a strand of her hair behind her ear, "Of course I did. Maybe she and I will find our way back together in a few years. Who knows? But in the meantime, she can't be more than a friend to me. I won't betray you. Crystal made her choice, and she'll have to live with it the same way we do."

She stares at me as though she can't quite figure out if I'm lying to her or not, but I suppose there isn't much I can say to convince her. Only time can prove my sincerity.

"Where were you?" I ask again, my tone is calmer now.

"Mackenzie's," she says, and I exhale in relief. Of course. I should have known that.

"Don't stay away from home without notifying me and pick up when I call you. It isn't just because we can't spend much time apart, but also because I was worried, Ali. I know you didn't want to get married, but you are now, and it comes with some new responsibilities. One of them is keeping me informed of this kind of thing."

"Home," she repeats, her face scrunched up in disgust, "This isn't my home," she says, looking exhausted, "I'm not even sure it's yours. It's Crystal's."

I take a step back and look around. She's right. Nearly every single thing here was chosen by Crystal. I let her do whatever she wanted, and I've never even truly loved my own home as a result. How did I never see that before?

"Alianna," I tell her, "I meant what I said when you and I got married. It isn't what either of us wanted, but we're married now. I'll do right by you, starting with a formal announcement next month."

"What?" she asks, her eyes widening, "I thought..."

"You thought we'd keep our marriage a secret? We can't. Rumors about our wedding have already started to spread. We're much better off confirming the gossip. I refuse to sneak around with my own damn wife. Besides, do you really think Abuela would let us get away with that? If we don't break the news, she will. This way, we at least control the narrative."

Alianna nods, her expression thoughtful, "What will you do in three years? How will you explain to the media that you're divorcing your wife to marry her sister?"

"I'll tell them the truth. I'll prove that Crystal and I have been dating for years, but that you and I were forced to get married."

She stares at me, but I'm not sure what she's searching for, "I'd rather keep it a secret, Max. I don't want to be the jilted wife. I don't want to be the villain in your story."

I grit my teeth and take a step closer to her, placing my index finger underneath her chin. I tilt her face up toward mine and smile humorlessly, "I won't be your dirty little secret, Mrs. Lim. You carry my name, and you'll do it with pride."

Alianna blinks in confusion for a moment, but then realization dawns. She looks at me as though she can see right through me, to the insecurity Crystal instilled in me by keeping our relationship quiet for so long, "I only suggested it because I think it'd be in your best interests, Max. I won't hide our marriage if you don't want me to. I'm not her."

I let go of her and look away, wishing I'd just have kept my cool. Why is it that I always had endless patience with Crystal, yet it's different with Alianna?

"Don't," I snap, unsure who I'm mad at, myself or her, "Don't hide our marriage. I'll be making a formal announcement on my social media channels four weeks from now, and I highly recommend that you do the same. Our PR team is working on our Statements."

She smiles at me and nods, "Sure. Just tell me when. I've got a cute photo from our wedding that I want to share."

The relief I feel at her words is unreal. Our marriage might not be real, but at least it's out in the open. No sneaking around, no making excuses. It's what I always wanted with Crystal.

Alianna walks past me, and I follow her into our dressing room. I watch her as she pulls a dress off its hanger. It only took the staff a day to pack up all of Crystal's stuff and replace it with Alianna's, yet it's hard to remove every trace of her.

Everything here was designed by her, including the interior of this dressing room. I never thought I'd want that to change, but I do. For at least the next three years, Alianna will be my wife.

She told me she didn't want to live in Crystal's shadow, and I need to ensure that she doesn't.

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