Page 78 of Bound Bride
But what will that mean for me?
The moment he thought I'd betrayed him, the anger consumed him and it's sheer luck that he didn't just kill Calvin and I on that bench.
There's no way I can tell him the truth about the deal with my father and the real reason I'm here, without him reacting the same way or worse.
Because that will be a worse betrayal than that picture.
I need to tell him something though, because if this ends here, there's no way I can save my family.
All of this will have been for nothing.
"Okay." I sniffle and quickly wipe my eyes. "I'll tell you. You're right, the picture is real."
Despite the sharp scent of alcohol rising from Kon, his eyes remained focused on me like a hawk, and everything else simply falls away.
It's just me and him and the very next words out of my mouth will dictate whether he stays with me, or my family dies.
I take a deep breath that fails to ease the tightness in my chest, then press my hands together, threading my fingers and clenching my knuckles.
"I kissed Calvin. I did. But Calvin immediately pushed me away. That picture must have been taken in the half-second where he didn't know what I was doing."
Kon's eyes flicker and his jaw tightens.
"I did it for you. For us. I heard those generals talking at the party and they were saying all these things about you, Kon. Doubting you because you couldn't produce an heir, so what would that mean for the business? These criminals rely on strong family ties because that's how the longevity of this world lasts, but these generals… they didn't have faith in you. So I was trying really hard and then…"
I pause and the next part flows so much easier because it's the truth.
"You told me you were infertile and I realized it could take years for us to conceive. And in that time, god knows what those generals would do. You already had a leak and all it would take is one bad day, one disgruntled man to decide that you were no longer strong enough to follow. So I… I felt it was myresponsibility to fix this for you and my failure that it hadn't happened already. I was desperate, okay? Getting my period again felt like a huge beacon that I'd failed you, and so I threw myself at Calvin, thinking that if I just got pregnant by anyone, then it would help you."
I clutch my knuckles tighter, unable to look away from Kon, who continues to stare at me.
He's utterly silent, and the quiet is growing, so in a bid to fill it, I can't help myself, and I start talking all over again.
"That was the only time, I swear. There is nothing between us. That general who got that picture, I don't know why he would have suspicions about anything because there is nothing between me and Calvin. He's been a friend and that's all. He immediately pushed me away and he told me he was going to tell you, he just wanted to understand why I'd done it and I didn't know what to tell him so I just—" I cut myself off.
Will Calvin tell Kon what I told him about my family?
Should I have worked that into my story somehow?
Doubt crashes over me in a cold wave and I shiver, caught between my lies and the terror that Calvin might derail this lie by telling Kon everything.
I'll be back at square one.
But there's no going back and I don't want Calvin harmed because of me.
So I stick with my story.
Kon finally moves.
Like the creak of a tree, he uproots from the spot he was standing and moves past me toward the bed.
There, he sits down slowly and rests his elbows on his thighs with his hands dangling down between his knees.
I watch him and then take a cautious step forward.
If he's angry, I'll take it. If he's already spoken to Calvin and knows this is a lie then I'll work it out as I talk.
Whatever his reaction is, I brace myself for it and clench my teeth.
