In a open relationship

Chapter 2

the next morning , I wake up to thousands of calls and DMs from strangers congratulating me and Ethan on our big win , 2 TV shows wants to interview us and I know Ethan will not say no and the only reason they want me on that interview is because they think we are running the business side by side because of the merger between our two families .

I have 35 percent shares in Price Oils so I don't blame the public for thinking we are equals , sometimes I tend to forget what my position in the company is , the only people that know the truth about my relationship with Ethan are ... his brothers ... my sister....his father and technically everyone at the company , Ethan made them sign a non disclosure deal , if anyone were to reveal the truth about us he will sure to make that person's life a living nightmare they see how he makes mine one despite being his wife so they have never tried him and probably never will , but he is nice to them , he treats them like actual humans no matter how low any of them ranks.

its only 5;30 but he has already left for work , this is his everyday routine , he comes back home at 12am and leaves at 4 am , that's just how much he despises me , what's worse is that we work in the same place so no matter how early he leaves to try and avoid me ,he still gets to see me .

I get off my bed and start preparing myself for the day ahead , looking into the mirror I say my daily affirmations, " God is with me , I'm not alone , Ethan does not scare me , I can deal with Ethan , I am ready for the humiliation he is going to put me through today and I am going to handle it with grace , I'm already over it ,there's nothing I can't do , Monday here I come " I say with a little enthusiasm .

after freshening up , I put on regular jeans with a stylish white trimmed with gold blazer on top , which I know Ethan will give me an earful over but I don't care and its not like I have a choice , all our clothes are at the laundry , he makes me do everything but the laundry because he knows just how I unintentionally end up ruining clothes.

on my way to work I pass by my older sister's Coffee shop , her face brightens the moment her eyes land on me , " Lauren !" she shouts as I approach the counter , there's only one customer here which is very surprising at this time , usually by now the shop has a line that forms a circle and the tables are filled with strangers sitting with strangers .

" Caitlyn !" I head behind the counter to give her a hug , she wraps her arms around me tightly , " how are you this fine morning ?" she asks pulling away, Caitlyn and I don't look that much alike , she is blonde and I am a brunette , she has blue eyes and mine are brown , she's at least 6 something and I am 5 7 , sometimes I get the suspicion that the nurses switched her with my real sister but then again she looks so much like my mother when she was younger , I think on my side my dad dominated my genes because I look a lot like my dad and my Aunt Stephany.

" I'm good " I respond , her eyes fall on my blazer , " I don't think you will be for long though , Ethan will not like this look you have going on , 'secretaries aren't allowed to wear anything fancy remember?" .

I sigh " like I'd ever forget , well I didn't have a choice " , I say looking at my blazer , I own 35 percent shares of the company but I'm the secretary / personal assistance / coffee girl and well the cleaner , everyone at the office knows about the other positions I hold at the work place but they are unaware of the cleaning post and that's because I don't make the mistake of cleaning while anyone is around , only after everyone has left .

a woman in a blue coat with messed up hair walks in the shop , her eyes sparkle as they meet mine , "oh my gosh ,I don't really know you but aren't you that lady who was on the NewDay's magazine yesterday , my mom talks about you all the time ,in fact my whole family does and if I'm not mistaken you were at the BWII Awards last night with your husband ?".

I smile politely ," I guess I am'that lady ' " .

" oh my gosh what is a famous person like you doing at a small shop like this ?, can I get a picture? , I need to get a picture , my relatives will not believe me" she says overly excited for someone who does not know that much about me .

" sure " I stand right behind her grinning gently for her picture , " thank you very much , you have made my week very special, I can't wait to shove this at my mom's face , I can't believe I met her aspiration " , without saying anything back to her I simply respond to her comment with a smile .

" please greet that beautiful husband of yours and I pray that God keeps you two together for the rest of your lives " , Caitlyn mutters under her breath "I really pray He doesn't " , I almost choke but mange to keep my composure , "I really hope He does too".

she makes her order and starts calling all her friends ," you will not imagine who I bumped into ..." .

" hey do you mind helping me carry those boxes at the back to the store room " Caitlyn asks as I am subconsciously glaring at the woman who is gloating about me over the phone, I glance at the boxes , " sure ".

" are you fine ?", with daily encounters like these I never am and they happen all the time when I am not at the office ,a lot of strangers are happy for me but I am not , they think I live this queenlike lifestyle that Ethan has painted only to make me suffer, he knew from the get go that if he were to treat me like a queen in public that would make a lot of people admire me which in turn would make me feel hopeless, broken and miserable because I know deep down that my life is nothing like what it seems on the magazines and social media and that is exactly what he wants, to inflict the pain I inflicted on him on the day of our wedding, nothing is more painful than being congratulated everyday based on lies , I'm not a good actor, it is so hard to deal with people who come before me every single hour and expect me to take their compliments with a big smile which are based on what kind of life they think I live .I feel like the worlds biggest liar .

" I'm fine" I respond .

" yeah , you know you can't fool me with that face , you become even gloomier when a fan approaches you and you and I know why ,.... why don't you just leave him ? " she drops the box without giving me a notice out of frustration .

smiling gently I answer " you know that's not possible " .

" yes it is , just tell dad the truth , talk to the lawyers , pack your bags and get the heck out of his house " she says aggressively .

" its that simple huh? , what about the merger ?, what about dad's shares? ... not to mention his health , he'll die of a heart attack if he hears the truth and he will never not in a million years let us divorce under any trivial situation even if I tried to make an excuse , he'd only let us if he heard the truth about the real story of our marriage , he is convinced just like the rest of the world that his baby girl is being taken care off , I don't want to risk his life out of selfishness and what about you? , this shop ? , you know you don't have enough money to buy it off him , so technically I have no choice " .

she exhales stepping closer to me as the warmness in her heart reflects in her eyes , " you know I don't give a f about money or this place, yes it is dear to me because it was mom's but she's gone and you are still here I'd rather let go of her memories than to watch you suffer the way you do everyday , I care about you more and I love the fact that my younger sister is enduring such pain for our sakes but you really don't have to , I'd sign this place over to him in a blink of an eye if I had to , you don't deserve this torture he puts you through every second , not any of it! " , pressing her last words.

"oh but I do , you know what I did, no bad deed goes unpunished ,all is fair in love and war right?" tears start falling down my eyes .

" what you did is nothing compared to what he's doing and the only reason you don't want to leave is because you love him and the only reason he will not be able to forgive you is because you aren't able to forgive yourself , its in the past , let it go " she pulls me in a tight embrace .

what she's saying is the truth , although I hate to admit it , I love him , I never even in a million years saw this coming not even when we were still bestfriends , he'd hate me more if he were to find out I am in love with him , I also hate myself for that , how can I be in love with someone who treats me the way that he does ?, is it because I dream of the fairytale turning into a reality or what he did for Caitlyn concerning the coffee shop despite his hatred for me ?, I don't know ,or maybe just maybe I want him to love me the way people think he does .