Secret Vows Unveiled

Chapter4

Later that night, after the triumphant event, I stood in front of the mirror, looking at the woman everyone had celebrated.

I should have been tired and stressed about the woman who showed up , but I wasn’t.

I was happy.

And I wanted to share that happiness with the one person who mattered most.

I slipped into my silky pajamas, scented my body with the fragrance Daniel had once said it reminded him of the summer nights .

Maybe tonight we could forget about business for a while.

No meetings.

No emails.

Just the two of us.

My heart raced with anticipation as I rehearsed how I would surprise him , imagining his smile, touch and his warmth.

A moment later, Daniel walked still in his event outfits.

Hi honey , welcome home. You can take your shower, everything is ready.

“Yeah, thanks “.

As he got out of the bathroom, i was ready on the bed , trying to seduce him into it.

He seemed interested as well, so I buckled up.

But when I leaned toward him, his gaze drifted past me , unfocused as if the room itself mattered more than I did.

His eyes were fixed somewhere else.

Not on me.

He sighed, his shoulders heavy and whispered.

‘‘Can we please do this some other time?’’He asked softly.

I stared at him, the smile fading from my face.

For a moment, I didn’t understand what he meant .

Maybe I had heard him wrong.

Maybe he was joking.

But his expression didn’t change .

My smile slowly faded.

My breath caught in my chest and my eyes darted around the room not sure where to look.

After everything we had achieved that night, not worth a moment together?.

“Yeah , sure”. I responded quickly , forcing a smile.

I climbed into bed rolled onto the other side of the bed, wrapped myself in a fluffy blanket quietly .

I told myself it was fine.

He was tired.

But when tears slipped down my cheeks ,I knew part of me didn’t believe those excuses anymore.

I cried myself into a deep sleep.

The next morning, Daniel’s side of the bed was empty. As usual.

He was gone already.

No greetings.

No nothing.

It wasn’t something new to me.

So i stretched up my body ,freshened up , put on my cute set ready for a morning run before heading to DM ACTIVEWEAR.

Thirty minutes later, i was done with my morning run. I got ready to go to work.

I looked myself at the mirror,adjusting my outfit .

I smiled at my reflection.

I was the face of an international brand.

A model.

A co- founder

‘‘ I’m that girl’’, I whispered to myself.

And for a moment , I believed it.

I grabbed my Birkin, put on my glasses and picked up my car keys.

The photo shoot started the moment I arrived.

The new collection was ready and every piece was ready to tell a story.

This was part of the business I loved the most.

The camera.

The creativity.

The feeling of bringing an idea to life.

I moved from one outfit to another, changing poses and expressions making sure every picture captured the confidence behind the brand.

“Wow”.

“Stunning”.

“You’re so effortlessly pretty.”

“The visuals are so convincing . We should look forward to more clients this month”.

I smiled after every compliment.

‘‘ Thank you’’.I responded.

I didn’t want anyone to notice exhaustion behind my smile.

Daniel Arrived shortly after the photo shoot began.

I pretended i didn’t see him.

“Good afternoon sir”.Everyone in the room greeted him.

“How is photo shoot going,can i please interrupt your session?” Daniel said moving towards me.

“No problem sir”.

Daniel opened his arms widely. Wrapped me around his chest “ You’re doing a great job my love, I’m so proud of you”.

“Thank you baby”. I had to cooperate while blushing on the camera.

“By the way, we didn’t talk about the woman from the gala yesterday”. He said.

“Yeah, she was my best friend back in days, she knows me too well”. I uttered with tears lingering in my eyes.

“It’s okay , we will handle it”. Daniel hugged me.

“I thought you cut off everyone from your past?”He added.

“Yes I did, I’m also surprised of where she came from “.

“You understand what’s at stake here, right ? You seem so calm”.

“I understand, which is why now isn’t the right time to panic, let me know as soon as she makes any move”.

“We can pay her off,if the problem is money”.

Daniel added.

“Okay, i will”.

“See you at home My love” He whispered as he kissed my forehead.

The camera man was taking pictures and videos of every moment.

The session had to continue.

My phone was buzzing continuously, i had to check what was going on.

Notifications flooded on my screen , from i********:, and t****k mostly.

“Love and ambition in one photograph “.

“So inspiring, we love you”.

I opened my i********:, the videos and pictures of me and Daniel were all over.

The comments filled my heart.

But the distinction between what happens in public and in private between us eats my soul every chance it gets.

Shortly , the photo shoot session had ended and i just wanted to head home.

When I arrived,Daniel was already home.

“Hey baby, you’re early home today what’s up?”. I asked charmingly.

“Yeah, i just need some rest”. He answered from the bathroom .

I saw his phone buzzing with notifications and i decided to glance at them.

The first one stopped my heart.

“Hello Daniel Maxwell, your flight ticket to South Africa is issued already. Please click the link below to access it”.

“South Africa?”.

“When did Daniel start booking his own flights?”.

“Why didn’t he tell me anything about the trip?”.

He then came out of the bathroom.

“So , how’s everything going on?”. I asked calmly.

“Just great”.

“Anything new?”

He reached out to his phone, stopped for a moment.

“No, nothing new” He replied.

I looked at him straight for a moment as he was getting dressed.

“What’s wrong, why are you staring at me?”.

My eyes fixed on his , asked with a calm but firm tone.

“Daniel, is there anything you need to tell me?”.

“About what?You are my wife , i tell you everything before anybody else”. Daniel calmly replied.

But he kept looking at me indirectly, making sure I don’t see him.

And it’s when i noticed that something is off.

“You can always tell me about it. I hope it won’t be too late”. I urged him.