The voice had grown quiet over the years. When we were first married, I wanted to please my new husband, so it was easy to push those thoughts aside; convince myself that I was fulfilling my role. I had to be a good wife, and I couldn’t do that if I let that voice cloud my judgment. But now the voice was back, and with Ashton compounding the very sentiments I’d worked so hard to evade, it was getting harder and harder to ignore.
“Elena?”
I looked up. Ashton was finished, but all I’d managed to do was push the food around my plate. He set his wine glass down and leaned back in his chair.
“Want to talk about it?”
It felt wrong, like speaking to Ashton would be betraying Dominic, so I continued to pick at my food, this time forcing myself to eat some of the meal. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Ashton waiting. Something told me he wouldn’t let it go. Could it really be considered a betrayal when Dominic put me in this situation in the first place?
“Why don’t you take a drink and finish eating. Then we’ll talk.”
It may have sounded like a suggestion, but the way in which Ashton delivered this proposal told me he wasn’t going to take no for an answer. I lifted the glass to my lips and paused. “Since I met you, it seems like you’re always trying to get me to drink.”
Ashton’s eyes widened. “Did you just say something snarky?”
Where did that come from? “I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to.” My hands began to shake so badly I almost dropped the glass.
Ashton rounded the table quickly to take it from me, setting it on the table before saying softly, “Elena, relax. I like it. It’s what you should be doing all the time. It’s called standing up for yourself.”
I stared at the glass, not wanting to meet his eyes. “That’s not how I should behave.”
“This shit again.” He handed me back the glass with a frown. “Drink up.”
To avoid spilling the drink, I slowly brought it to my lips, taking my first sip of the tart red wine, feeling myself start to settle as my stomach warmed from the alcohol. I couldn’t even blame my brazenness on the wine. The thought that I could have ruined everything with one comment had left me feeling panicked—up until Ashton had reassured me. Not being used to speaking my mind, I was shocked that he liked it.
Ashton didn’t try to engage me in conversation and his silence unnerved me, making it harder to get my food down, even though each bite was more delicious than the last. I should be used to silence at the dinner table, except Ashton hadn’t been silent from the moment I met him. When he finally spoke up, I almost sighed in relief.
“Tell me, how did you and Dominic meet?”
“We were high school sweethearts. He was the captain of the football team.”
“What did you do?”
“Me? I was in the choir and band.” I remember thinking how lucky I was that a guy as popular as Dominic wanted to go out with me. He was the captain. He could have had anyone.
Ashton leaned back and crossed his arms over his chest. “When did you get married?”
“After we both finished college—”
“Wait. You have a college degree?” he said, and the surprise in his voice hurt my feelings a little.
“I do. I majored in musical theater.”
He shook his head. “Then what the hell are you doing working in a diner?”
I shrugged. “Dominic thought it would be a waste of time for me to go to auditions when I could have a full time job with a steady income.”
“Fucker wouldn’t even let you follow your dream.”
His voice was low enough that I knew I wasn’t supposed to have heard what he said. But I did and I sank back in my seat, wanting to defend my husband, but not wishing to upset Ashton any further. “He was right. We needed the money.”
He looked over at me, sighed and reached across the table, taking one of my hands and giving it a gentle squeeze, his thumb running lightly back and forth over my knuckles. “Not at the expense of your dream. I know for a fact he’s been gambling a long time. My guess—he wanted you to have a job to help pay for his extracurricular activities.”
I shook my head emphatically. “He wouldn’t do that to me.”
“Yes he would, Elena, and he did. Don’t kid yourself.”
That hurt worse than I thought it would. The idea that Dominic would make me give up my dream so he could gamble. My stomach was in knots. “I don’t know what to say. We’re married. I wanted to do the best I could for him, especially since we didn’t plan on getting to that point so young.”
He tilted his head to the side. “What do you mean?”