His Secret Love Cost Me Everything

My boyfriend, Dana Gilbert, was determined to marry me even though his whole family was against it.

My family was poor. He was the top heir of the city's elite circle.

He'd told me, so seriously.

"Pamela Ellison, you're the only person I love. All I want is to be with you."

Everyone said I was lucky, that I'd found real love.

Until that day, Dana's birthday, when I cut my business trip short and came back to New York early to surprise him.

Instead I walked in on him with my best friend.

Dana had Bella White held tight in his arms, kissing her forehead as he said it.

"With Pamela away, I get to take care of you now. You have no idea how much I've missed you."

"We finally have this place to ourselves. You don't know how exhausting it is, putting on an act in front of her. You owe me for that."

...

I stood there a long time, listening to those words go straight through me.

To marry me, Dana had already fallen out with his family.

Even when his mother was so furious she threatened to cut ties with him and have a second child to raise properly instead, he hadn't budged.

He said I was his true love. He couldn't imagine what life would be like without me.

And now he was saying it had all been an act.

A cat trotted over from a little way off and rubbed against me, meowing affectionately.

Bella looked toward me. There was a string of prayer beads around her wrist.

My fingertips went cold.

That was the bracelet I'd gotten for Dana last year, after his racing accident, when I'd knelt up nine hundred ninety-nine temple steps to pray for him.

Afterward he'd apologized to me, said he'd snapped the string by accident.

I'd meant to go pray for another one.

But Dana had said, "Pamela, that's all just superstition. I can't believe you buy into that stuff. It's only a bracelet. I never liked wearing things like that anyway. Too much of a bother."

The moment Bella saw me, the color drained from her face.

She scrambled out of Dana's arms and came toward me.

"Pamela, why are you back so suddenly?"

"I got sick all of a sudden, and there was no one to look after me, so I called Dana. I only didn't tell you because I didn't want you to get the wrong idea."

My voice was flat.

"What kind of illness needs hugging and kissing to cure?"

Bella went a shade paler.

"It's not what you think."

"Don't misunderstand. He was just checking whether I still had a fever, because there wasn't a thermometer."

I listened to her clumsy excuse and couldn't help a cold laugh.

Did she take me for an idiot?

My eyes swept the living room and landed on a photo of Dana and Bella sitting on the table.

Bella followed my gaze and rushed to explain.

"There's a married guy at my company who keeps harassing me. I told him I had a boyfriend and he didn't believe me. I had no choice, so I begged Dana to take one photo with me. I was going to show it to my coworker and then tear it up."

"Pamela, please don't get the wrong idea. I'm your best friend. How could I ever do anything to hurt you?"

Dana, who'd been silent this whole time, moved Bella behind him and came toward me.

He took my bag from my hand and reached for my slippers.

"You've never liked heels, you always say they're uncomfortable. Come on, change your shoes and I'll rub your feet."

He bent to help me with my shoes, gentle as ever.

But the second his hand touched me, Bella turned her face away.

Dana's hands stopped. He stepped back at once, two steps back.

"You go on ahead. Bella's still sick, I need to take her home first."

I looked at how distant he'd gone, and asked him straight out.

"What were the two of you just doing?"