Chapter 100

“Listen, Bea,” I say as I take a few steps closer to her. We have finally arrived home after a long and exhausting day, both of us agreeing to just go back. The weight of the words I am about to say hangs heavily in the air. “We both know that this marriage is not real.”

“What do you mean it’s not real?” Bea reacts, her voice tinged with confusion and frustration. She sets down her belongings on the coffee table and slouches on the couch, her eyes searching mine for answers. “I married you and came here to build a good future with you. Which part of that is not real for you, Josh?”

I take a deep breath, allowing the silence to stretch out as I gather my thoughts. Uncertainty battles within me, but I know I have to be honest with her, no matter how difficult it may be. “Bea, it’s your feelings towards me that are not real,” I finally confess. “The fact that you are here with me is not actually real because your heart belongs to someone else.”

“Josh…” Bea furrows her