“Slow down, Catherine,” I said, watching her shovel food like she hadn’t eaten in days. She froze, dropped her spoon, and glared at me.
“I’m used to eating fast because you made me do things during my breaks,” she snapped.
I smirked. “It was your job. Don’t blame me.” She stabbed her sausage like it had personally insulted her entire bloodline.
“You know... you were merciless, Jacob.”
“Wow,” I said, raising a brow. “Now I’m getting a lecture because I’m your fiancé?” Her glare intensified as I braced myself.
“Your employees are humans, not robots,” she began. “You worked them from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. Some of them have kids, partners, lives. You offered good pay, yes—but you stole time they’ll never get back.” I blinked. That hit harder than I expected.
“You never complained,” I said quietly.
“I couldn’t. You were my boss. I would've been fired.”
I looked away, guilt twisting somewhere deep in my gut. “So… anything else?”
“No,” she said, miming zipping her mouth shut.
I rolled my eyes and bit into my burger. “You know... work was my only distraction.” She paused.
“From what?” she asked gently.
“My addiction. To alcohol. To the silence. To everything I couldn’t control.” I expected pity. I braced for it. What I got instead was honesty.
“You distracted yourself, sure,” she said. “But you made others suffer along the way.”
“Don’t give me that pity look,” I warned.
“I’m not and you’re still an asshole.”
I smirked. “You didn’t say that when you were pressed up against me in a wedding dress.”
“Pervert.”
“Honey, look in the mirror.” She ignored me and kept eating.
When she went to the restroom, I stood near the entrance, checking my phone. That’s when she returned, just as another woman called out her name.
“Cathy?” Catherine turned, eyes lighting up in surprise.
“Uh, who’s this?” she asked.
I extended a hand. “Jacob Williams. Catherine’s fiancé.”
Collen turned to her, wide-eyed. “I thought you—”
“It’s a long story,” Catherine said quickly, cutting her off. “We’re getting married in less than four weeks. Send me your address for the invitation.” Something was off. I could feel it in the shift of her tone, but Collen didn’t let it drop. She leaned in and whispered something about Eden.
I heard it. Catherine denied it fast, but the name stuck in my head.
“Who’s Eden?” I asked.
“No one.” Bullshit. I let her off the hook for now but the moment we got back in the car, I turned to her.
“What?”
“You don’t want to look like an idiot in front of your friends,” I said. “So… who’s Eden?”
She sighed, frustrated. “He was my ex-fiancé.” That stopped me cold.
“We went to Harvard together,” she continued. “He was two years older. My mentor. We dated for three years, he proposed… My family hated him. My grandpa told me to end it. I refused. Threatened to run off with him.” I stayed quiet.
“And then… he left me,” she said, eyes fixed out the window. “No explanation. No goodbye. He was simply gone, and I left for New York.” That explained so much. Her independence, her barriers. Her ability to bury herself in a job. To change her name and start over.
I reached out and patted her head lightly. “Everything happens for a reason. One day, you’ll understand.”
She swatted my hand. “Why do you even want to know?”
“Because I’m your future husband,” I said matter-of-factly. “I should know everything.” She gave me a really? face.
“You knew everything about me, remember?” I said. “You were my secretary.”
“I didn’t know your private life.”
“You will.” I smirked and she sighed. Somewhere in the silence between us, something shifted again. Not fake, not real, but closer than it was before.