Narrating as Mason:
"You're getting mad at me for making you mad? You're really something," he says, annoyed.
"The truth is, I don't remember anything from last night, and that's why I want you to tell me what I said because I remember nothing at all," I say, feeling distressed.
"You told me that after getting married, you met Peyton, fell in love at first sight, and no matter how hard you tried, you couldn't resist being with her. I genuinely don't understand how you could do that to Paige. I never thought you'd be capable of such a thing. Why don't you just separate from your wife and start a life with this woman who stole your heart? Those were your words last night. You're my friend, and I care about you, but it bothers me to know that you cheated on Paige. Is that woman worth jeopardizing your principles?" he angrily reproaches, trying to contain himself.
"I'm sorry. It's something I didn't plan," I respond, unsure of what to say.
"Of course, you didn't plan it. If you had, you wouldn't have gotten married. You're going to lose a great woman, beautiful, smart, sincere, and kind-hearted, all for this Peyton, whom I can already tell I don't like, even though I don't even know her. The fact that she's okay with being with a married man says a lot about her character," he says, and it annoys me that he judges her without knowing her or understanding the full context of the situation.
"You have to get to know her to truly understand what's going on!" I exclaim.
"I don't think I want to do that. Loyalty is important to me, and you know that. Besides, your wife is my friend, and I won't do something like that. It's not right," he replies.
"You don't know the whole story," I respond, frustrated.
"Then explain to me what supposedly will make me understand everything she's doing because I truly can't wrap my head around all of this," he says through gritted teeth, doing his best to lower his voice.
"I can't tell you," I say.
"Then we have nothing more to talk about, my friend," I hear the sarcasm in his voice.
"Don't be like that. It's a very serious matter. When I can tell you everything, you'll understand," I say as he gets up from his chair to leave.
"Maybe when you're ready, I won't be interested in hearing it," he says, and it's the last thing he says before walking away.
I remain seated in the café, thinking about what to do. I fully understand Ethan's perspective. I head to the office since I have a schedule to keep, and I also need to call my mother to discuss what she saw. She hasn't called me, and that worries me.
After contemplating all morning, I've made up my mind. I've arranged to meet Ethan for lunch and tell him everything. I can't afford to lose my friend, and I understand that I'm breaking the contract, but he already knows about Peyton, and I don't want to lose him because of his narrow-mindedness.
We're at the restaurant, and my friend looks at me angrily.
“I will tell you everything you need to know to understand the situation, but you must sign this confidentiality agreement. It's not that I don't trust you, but not even Sarah should know what I'm about to tell you," I say.
He looks at the agreement in silence and reads it. I wait for him to finish and hand him a pen.
"I'll sign this agreement, but I can't lie when it comes to something that hurts others, and you know that. You know me, and not even a confidentiality agreement can make me keep silent if I'm causing harm," he responds, signing the document.
"I will tell you everything from the beginning. Remember when I got engaged? It was sudden, and you didn't even know Paige as my girlfriend. Well, it turns out that even we didn't know each other, and we had to get married without truly knowing each other. My father and hers signed a contract many years ago, and if we didn't get married, we would lose the companies. It's stupid, I know. But they were drunk when they signed it, and they wanted to maintain the friendship between our families for the future. What nobody could foresee is that they stopped seeing each other, and we would have to get married for three years. She and I are just friends. It was an agreement to be friends so that these three years wouldn't be hellish. But you'll understand that the body seeks to release energy, and she has her casual encounters, and unintentionally, I fell in love with Peyton days before getting married. She knows all about the contract, and that's why she waits and understands that I'm "married," but I love her, and I'll be with her when the contract time is up," I explain, feeling a weight lifted off my shoulders.
"Why not tell us about the contract and make us believe the lie?" he asks, hurt.
"In the contract, there's a clause that states if I tell anyone else, I could lose my company if they find out. That's why the agreement," I point out the document he just signed.
"I see. Does Paige know about Peyton's existence?" he inquires.
"Yes, but she asked me to be careful with that. We agreed not to fall in love with the sexual encounters we have. She has kept her part of the agreement. We don't want to appear as deceived in front of others. But yesterday, I was at the company, and Peyton came to see me, and without thinking, I kissed her, and things escalated, you know. I didn't imagine that my mother would come looking for me, and she found me in a compromising situation with Peyton. Needless to say, she slapped me and reproached me, saying that she didn't raise me that way. That's why I think I drank so much yesterday; everything piled up, and I feel terrible. I haven't spoken to my mother since she left me at the office without letting me explain anything, not to mention how she treated Peyton, who apologized for meeting her under those circumstances. My mother, whom you already know, made it clear that she has no interest in getting to know her now or in the future."