Secrets (Lords of the City)

by Alice Ward

  “I have no idea how you got a hold of that marriage license, Chelsea. But it’s not what it looks like,” he insisted. “If you’d just given me a chance to explain instead of rushing off to the airport…”

  “Are you listening to yourself right now?” I interrupted. “I’ve lost track of the number of chances I gave you to tell me the truth. How did you plan on pulling this off? Did you think you’d be able to get a divorce before our wedding day? Or were you planning on becoming a bigamist?”

  Drake’s eyes nervously darted to the beach. A crowd was forming in the distance, close enough to hear what we were saying, but too far away to be affected by Drake’s glare.

  “Can we please go inside and talk about this?” he pleaded.

  “If I wanted to talk to you, I would have answered my phone. I’m going inside. You can show yourself back to your car,” I said, my nose turned up in the air.

  Please just go. I can’t look at you right now. Why don’t you understand that?

  “You can go inside, but I’m not leaving until you let me in and give me a chance to explain this. I’ll spend the night out here. I’ll spend the week out here if I have to. Let me say what I need to say. If you still want me to leave after that, I won’t argue.”

  I crossed my arms over my chest and narrowed my eyes. “You have ten minutes.”

  I stopped into the living room with Drake at my heels. He shut the door and started pacing the floor as I settled down on the couch.

  “Like I said, Chelsea, that marriage license isn’t what you think it is,” he insisted again.

  “So Alex isn’t your wife?” I snorted.

  He raked his hands down his face. “Technically, yes,” he said with beads of sweat forming at his temples. “Everything else I told you about Alex was the truth. She became unstable as a teenager, started throwing herself at me, and got more aggressive every time I resisted. I never touched her, Chels, I swear. Not until the night of my graduation party. My parents threw this embarrassingly lavish party in Jamaica. I can’t prove that anyone laced my drinks, but I don’t remember most of the night. I woke up the next morning in bed with Alex. Six weeks later, she called and told me she was pregnant.”

  Oh my God, this just keeps getting worse.

  The thought of Drake and Alex having a child together made me want to vomit. “So… you’re telling me there’s a Drake Jr. out there somewhere?” I gasped.

  “No. There was never a baby. But I didn’t know that at the time. Alex had blood tests, ultrasound pictures, and they all had her name on them. My mother insisted that we marry to protect both of the families’ names. I hadn’t started my career yet. I had no money of my own. I had to do what she told me. I refused to have a public spectacle of a wedding, so Alex and I were married at the courthouse. The ink hadn’t dried on the marriage certificate before she started faking cramps. My mother took her to the bathroom, and then came and found me to tell me she was having a miscarriage. I knew something was off when she suggested we go home instead of the hospital. I took Alex to an emergency clinic and found out she’d been lying the entire time.”

  “If you’d told me that six weeks ago, I would have sympathized with you. I could have accepted it and we could have found a way to deal with it together. Don’t you understand, Drake? It isn’t what you lied about. Although I admit that’s a lot to take in. It’s the fact that you lied at all. You didn’t respect or trust me enough to tell me the truth. You’re still keeping things from me. You explained why you got married. But why the hell haven’t you gotten a divorce or, better yet, an annulment? If what you’re saying is true, you’ve certainly got the grounds for one.”

  “I haven’t gotten a divorce because Alex and I never signed a prenup. My mother insisted that we didn’t have time to have one drawn up. And I can’t get an annulment because I can’t prove Alex was lying. She has all of the medical records to validate her story.”

  “Did you ever figure out how she managed that?” I asked, my curiosity getting the better of me.

  “Her doctor was Madeline Schwartz. You met her at the gala. She was one of my mother’s guests.”

  “So Rebecca was in on the entire plan?” I asked. I couldn’t help but feel sorry for Drake. My mother had always been honest with me. I couldn’t imagine what it must have been like to grow up with a woman like Rebecca.

  Drake nodded. “I think she’s the one who drugged me at the party. I honestly don’t think Alex and I even slept together that night. And she didn’t waste any time reminding me of the lack of a prenup once I’d learned the truth. I agreed to stay married to Alex to protect the family fortune, but I refused to have anything to do with her. My Uncle Albert had a heart attack around the same time. I moved in to take care of him and started drafting my first building. I haven’t had anything to do with Alex since.”

  “Until two weeks ago,” I corrected him.

  He swallowed. “Yes, until two weeks ago. I’m so sorry, Chelsea. I should never have proposed to you without telling you the truth. I love you. I don’t want to lose you. If I could go back in time, I’d do everything so differently.”

  “But you can’t go back in time. We have to deal with things as they are. You lied to me. I still don’t understand why and I’m not sure it’s something I can get past.”

  Drake sat down in front of me on the coffee table. He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees and cradling his head in his hands.

  “That time in my life is painful to talk about,” he confessed. “As much as I loathed Alex, I was devastated when I found out she’d lied about the baby. I was excited by the idea of bringing a new life into the world and giving my child things my parents never gave me… the kind of things you can’t pay for. Knowing the lengths my mother was willing to go to to control me, it broke something in me. I thought if you knew all of this, you’d run away. Who would choose to be part of a family as fucked up as mine?”

  “Don’t you understand?” I asked, fighting back tears. “I chose you, Drake, and everything that comes with you. You were worth whatever obstacles your mother or anyone else could have thrown at us. And you’re the one who ruined that.” Sobs rocked through my body and tears sprung from my eyes. Drake dropped to his knees and took me by the hands.

  “Tell me how to fix it, baby,” he begged. “It breaks my heart to see you like this. I hate myself for making you cry. All I want to do in this life is make you happy. Just tell me what to do.”

  I jerked my hands free and brushed the tears from my face. “There’s nothing you can do. How could I ever trust you after this? I’d spend the rest of my life wondering how many more clerks have been paid off to keep your dirty little secrets.”

  “Two,” he quickly replied. “But the lady in Denmark is the only one I had anything to do with. When the truth came out about the baby, I insisted that the marriage records be buried. I didn’t want anyone linking me to Alex. The others were all insignificant. When I was nineteen, I was arrested for possession of marijuana. I was at a music festival with friends and had two joints in my pocket. An undercover canine unit alerted on me during the middle of Widespread Panic’s first set. A few years later, I got a DUI in Phoenix. Mom had them both covered up so people wouldn’t think she’d raised a criminal. That’s it, Chelsea. You now know all of my secrets.”

  I looked into Drake’s eyes and knew he was telling me the truth. My heart flooded with love for him and my body ached for his touch. But my mother’s warning rang through my head and I resisted the urge to reach out and touch him.

  “I believe you,” I told him. “And I forgive you. But I’m not sure this is something I can forget, Drake. And even if I could, there’s still so much standing in our way.” I rose from the couch and made my way to the kitchen. Drake followed and watched as I uncorked a bottle of Chardonnay.

  “What’s standing in our way?” he pressed.

  “Well, correct me if I’m wrong, but I’m assuming you still don’t have a prenup. And I’m guessing
you wanted Alex to sign more than just the release for her stock options,” I said, filling two glasses.

  “Every dime I’ve made on my own has gone into a trust Alex can’t get her hands on,” he told me, taking a glass from the counter. “I asked her to sign a post-nuptial agreement but so far, she’s refused. But that’s my mother’s problem now. I called her last week and told her that I’m filing for divorce in thirty days, whether the paperwork’s in order or not. I don’t give a damn about my family’s money. You’re the only thing in my life I can’t afford to lose.”

  He moved to put his arms around me, but I backed away.

  I want to trust him. But that’s my heart talking, not my head. And my heart’s the one that got me into this mess in the first place.

  Drake sat his untouched wine down on the counter. “I asked you to let me say my peace, and you’ve done that. I understand that you need some time to think, so I’m going to leave. If you want to talk, you know how to reach me.”

  “Didn’t you have meetings scheduled in Hong Kong this week?” I called after him as he made his way to the door. He stopped and turned back to me.

  “Yes, I did. I canceled them all Sunday morning when I woke up and realized you were gone. I thought… I thought a lot of things,” he said, choking on emotion. “And I knew work was going to be the last thing I wanted to focus on. I was miserable, not knowing where you were. I know why you left like that and I know I deserved it. I’m just glad you’re safe, Chelsea. And I’m sorry for ever making you feel otherwise. I love you.”

  “I love you too,” I replied, feeling the words crack through me. “I’m just not sure that’s enough.”

  Drake gave me a sad smile and then disappeared out the door.

  I wiped more tears from my face, pulled my phone from my pocket, and dialed Piper’s number.

  “Chelsea, thank God,” she answered on the second ring. “I’m so glad you called. Are you okay? Are you still at the beach house?”

  “I am. How fast do you think you could get here?”

  CHAPTER 6

  e

  By the time Piper reached the beach house, the sun had dipped below the horizon. I had seared scallops, a salad, and a chilled bottle of wine waiting. I was nervous to see her after the fight we’d had in my office, but I needed advice. And she was the only one I trusted to be completely, brutally honest with me. When the doorbell rang, I wiped my palms on my yoga pants, took a deep breath, and answered it. Piper pushed into the entryway and wrapped me in her arms.

  “I’m so sorry, Chelsea,” she said, burying her face in my shoulder. “And not just for what happened with Drake. I can’t believe the way I spoke to you the last time we saw each other. I’ve been sick about it since the moment I stormed out of that office.”

  “You don’t have to apologize,” I said, the tears of my shattered pride rolling down my face. “After all, you were right… partially right. I think.” I sighed and pulled away from her. “I’m so confused, Piper. I don’t know what to think, what to feel. Thank you for driving all the way out here.”

  “I take it you’ve seen Drake?” she asked, settling down at the kitchen island.

  “Yes,” I said, pouring us each a glass of wine. I handed her one and we each took a long sip. “I walked up to the market this morning. I fucked up and used the debit card linked to Drake’s account instead of my old one. He showed up a few hours later.”

  Piper raised an eyebrow and crossed one leg over the other. “Did you really fuck up? Or did you maybe use that card because subconsciously, you wanted to see him?”

  “It really was an accident,” I said truthfully, taking the barstool next to her. “I didn’t want to see him at all. I don’t trust him, Pipes. And I don’t trust myself with him. He came here, he finally gave me the truth. And I believed him. The moment he finished his story, I forgave him. It wasn’t even a decision. All of my anger just disappeared. My heart hurt for him and everything he went through. I wanted so badly to fall into his arms and tell him everything was going to be okay.”

  “But you didn’t,” she broke in.

  I nodded, my eyes finally dry.

  “Because you don’t trust yourself?” she continued.

  “How could I?” I asked with a snort. “I keep making one mistake after another. I knew… I knew in my gut that Drake was keeping a secret. I stayed with him anyway. I defended him. I let him make a fool out of me. And I still want to give him another chance. I must be crazy, right?”

  Piper shook her head and swallowed another gulp of wine. “First of all, you’re not crazy. And no one made a fool of you, Chels. You did everything you could to protect yourself. You trusted your gut and looked into things for yourself. It was only logical for you to stay with Drake when you didn’t find anything. And as far as wanting to give him another chance goes, you’re going to have to fill me in on his story before I can weigh in. Personally, I can’t wait to hear how he’s explained away a secret marriage.”

  I poured us each another glass of wine and recounted Drake’s story. Piper’s mouth fell open as I explained Alex’s lie and Rebecca’s role in it.

  “Let me get this straight,” she interrupted, gripping the stem of her glass. “Rebecca wanted Drake and Alex together so badly, she drugged her own son so he’d believe he’d knocked Alex up?”

  “Drake said he can’t prove he was drugged, but he doesn’t remember most of the night. We’ve both seen him drink, Piper. And he’s never blacked out before,” I pointed out.

  “Believe it or not, I’m inclined to believe Drake on this one,” she told me. “I’ve only met Rebecca once, but the woman gave me the creeps. She seems like the type of person who’d do anything to get what she wants. But that doesn’t explain why Drake and Alex are still married. Or why he hid all this from you.”

  I told her about the lack of prenup and Drake’s insistence that he’d file for divorce soon whether the paperwork was in order or not.

  “And you want to take him back,” she said. “You still want to marry him?”

  I blushed and looked down at the marble counter. “Yes, I still want to marry him.”

  “And you called me because you want my permission?” she asked, narrowing her eyes with confusion.

  “I called you because you’re the only one I can trust to give me an honest opinion,” I corrected her. “I also called because regardless of what happens with Drake, I need you by my side. Your gut instincts were right, Piper. I should have listened to them. I need to know what they’re saying now.”

  Piper rolled her eyes. “Your gut was right too, Chels. You didn’t want to listen to it. I’m happy to tell you what I think, but you’re the only one who can make this decision.”

  “Tell me what you think,” I insisted again.

  She took a deep breath and let it out slowly, meeting my eyes with compassion and acceptance. “I think that Drake has put you through more in just a few months than you deserved to go through in a lifetime. I think that he’s reckless and it will always be his first instinct to protect his own interests. I also think that you’ll go back to him anyway. And if that’s what you really want, I’ll support you.”

  “Do you really think I’d be settling for less than I deserve?” I pressed, remembering her words from the week before.

  “I’m sorry I ever said that,” she replied, her cheeks turning a rosy shade of pink. “I don’t know what happens between you and Drake when you’re alone. I do know that you’d never settle. If you truly believe that you and Drake belong together, you should follow your instincts regardless of what anyone else thinks. But can I offer one bit of advice?”

  “Please, do,” I insisted.

  “Slow down, Chelsea. You and Drake haven’t been on a normal, regular person date since that day you rode around looking at architecture. It’s easy to get swept away with emotion while you’re being whisked off to the other side of the world and showered with extravagant gifts. You two need to spend quality time together without
all of the glitzy distractions. Make sure you’re really in love with him, without his lifestyle being a factor.”

  “That makes perfect sense,” I agreed, wondering how I hadn’t seen the logic for myself. “It’s not like we could get married right away anyway… not before he gets a divorce. Feel like having a roommate for a little while longer?”

  Piper nodded, her face lit up with relief. “The apartment has been so lonely without you.”

  I raised an eyebrow. “What about Martin? How are things going there?”

  She cringed and reached for the wine bottle. “That’s over.”

  “What? When did this happen? Are you okay?” I asked, searching her face for answers.

  “It’s no big deal, Chelsea. Martin and I weren’t a good fit, that’s all. There wasn’t a big, dramatic break-up or anything. We just agreed that we like each other as friends, but we want different things out of life,” she explained. “It didn’t seem worth mentioning, considering everything you’re going through.”

  “Everything about your life is worth mentioning,” I insisted. “I’m sorry that I wasn’t there for you when it happened.”

  Piper stared out the glass wall, watching waves crash over the sand. “I’m sorry.” She hesitated for a minute and then turned back to face me. “Martin and I ended things the night of the gala,” she confessed. “When I attacked you after your farewell party…”

  “When you voiced your concerns,” I corrected her.

  “Fine, when I voiced my concerns, my judgment may have been a bit clouded. I was disappointed with my own life and took that out on you. I’m so sorry, Chelsea.”

  I took her hand. “Let’s make a deal,” I suggested. “From this point forward, no more apologizing. We both made mistakes. We’ll make plenty more in the future. But we’ll always have each other’s back, and that’s all that really matters.”

  “Deal,” Piper agreed with a smile. “Now, why don’t we take the rest of this bottle out to the deck and relax for a while? Oliver said I could keep the car until tomorrow. We can sleep in and ride back to the city together.”