Zack's laugh was hollow. “As I got older, it seemed like a strange dream, something I’d rather forget. Besides, my father wasn’t the most approachable man. The one time I brought it up, the only information I got was that the woman and her daughter made it to safety. And honestly, I was a rebellious teenager with other things on my mind. My relationship with my father wasn’t good, and it only got worse. By the time I really needed those questions answered, he’d died and taken his secrets with him. It wasn’t until his lawyer showed me the marriage certificate that I realized the date of my supposed ‘wedding’ was the day all that had happened."
He leaned forward, his eyes locking with Dani's. "I fought it, as soon as I found out. Demanded an annulment, just to be told that option had expired an entire nine years before I even found out. I tried everything I could to have it terminated, but there was an additional contract with clauses making that impossible. I've spent the intervening years trying to track her down. That's why I was so insistent about explaining. Yes, I'm married, but not in anyrealsense, and not in any way that matters. Hell, it’s never even been consummated."
He knew Dani was struggling. Knew it was almost too much to take in. A child marriage. A shooting. A decades-long contract. It sounded like something out of a movie, not real life.
"I... I don't know what to say," she admitted, her voice barely above a whisper.
Zack's eyes softened, and he reached out to take her hand. "You don't have to say anything. I just needed you to know the truth; to understand why I said what I did that night at the club, and why I've been so desperate to explain ever since. I didn’t want you thinking the worst of me."
Dani squeezed his hand. "But why didn't you just tell me all this at the beginning?”
He sighed heavily. "Honestly? At first, I didn't think it mattered. Our relationship was casual, no strings attached. I won’t lie. I did my best to keep it that way, knowing I couldn’t offer you any more until my situation was resolved.”
She gave a small grimace, and Zack knew it was her turn to cast her mind back to the past.
“By the time I realized things were getting serious between us, I was afraid. Afraid you'd run if you knew the truth, afraid you wouldn't believe me. But when you finally asked about taking our relationship to another level, I knew I had to tell you the truth. But you stormed off before I could explain."
Dani nodded slowly, and Zack could see her processing everything he’d told her, undoubtedly trying to reconcile the man she thought she knew with this new information. She took a deep breath, before speaking again.
"Okay, I understand why you didn’t tell me," she said softly. “Even though I firmly believe honesty is crucial, especially in our lifestyle. However, if I look at it purely logically, instead of emotionally, I know it wasn’t pertinent. But it’s hard to untangle that from my emotional response."
Zack's grip on her hand tightened. "I know. And I'm sorry. I should have trusted you with the truth from the beginning."
"Maybe, maybe not. It’s not exactly a regular situation." Dani replied, her tone reserved, but not unkind. "But I appreciate you telling me now. It can't have been easy to relive all of that."
Zack's eyes clouded with remembered pain. "It wasn't. But you deserved to know. And I wanted you to understand."
They sat in silence for a moment, the weight of Zack's revelation hanging between them.
Finally, Dani spoke. “So, what happens now? With your... situation?"
Zack rubbed the back of his neck, feeling the familiar frustration that always encroached whenever he thought aboutEmylyah Baskov and the predicament he found himself in. "I'm still trying to track her down and my lawyers are working on an official termination. Unfortunately, because of the unusual circumstances, it’s not as simple as simply filing for a divorce, especially since I don’t know her location to serve the papers.” There was more to it than that, but Zack didn’t want to get into the finer details of the contract his father had signed, in case it sent her running again.
"But I want you to know," Zack continued, his voice low and urgent, "that regardless of my legal status, my heart belongs to you, Dani. Only you."
Dani's eyes widened at his declaration. She obviously hadn't expected such raw honesty from him, especially after everything he'd just revealed.
"Zack, I..."
"You don't have to say anything," he interrupted gently. "I know this is a lot to process. But I needed you to know how I feel. How I've felt for a long time now."
He leaned closer, his gaze intense. "I've been fighting this battle alone for so long, Dani. And I realize now that was a mistake. I should have let you in, should have trusted you with the truth as soon as we started being exclusive, instead of trying to keep you at arm’s length."
Zack's thumb traced circles on the back of her hand, sending shivers up her arm which made him smile even through the bleakness. Despite everything, at least he knew she wasn’t immune. "I spent a long time trying to convince myself what happened between us was for the best. Holding onto my anger at you for refusing to hear me out, for judging me without knowing the whole story. But it was a hollow denial. A feeble attempt at protecting myself. And I’ve realized, since seeing you again, it’s not what I really want.”
He held his breath as he waited for her to absorb everything he was saying.
Finally, she took a shaky breath and turned cautious eyes to him. “And what do you really want?” she asked in a whisper.
“I want a future with you, Dani. A real future. No more secrets, no more half-truths. Just us, building something together. It’s one of the reasons I agreed to come here.”
13
Dani felt her heart contract. Part of her wanted to throw caution to the wind, to believe the sincerity she saw in Zack's eyes. But another part held her back, reminding her of the pain and betrayal she'd experienced in the past. Of how her mother debased herself as the mistress of a married man. Okay, so Zack’s situation wasn’t quite the same as her father’s, but a few sweet words couldn’t make up for the ingrained, visceral rejection she felt towards the institution of marriage. Not that they were quite there yet, but Dani had a feeling that’s where Zack might be steering this relationship. Then again, it couldn’t happen without her consent, and caution was still her middle name.
"I... I don't know, Zack," Dani whispered, her voice trembling. "This is all so sudden. We only just reconnected.”
Zack shuffled closer, his presence both comforting and overwhelming. "I know it's a lot to take in, Dani. But I need you to understand what happened with that girl was never real. It was a business arrangement through our parents, nothing more."
