What Loving You Cost Me

Chapter 14- She Thinks You’re My Brother

Elizabeth

Rachel’s smile slowly faded as she looked between me and Daniel. She let out a short, disbelieving laugh and shook her head.

“So Elizabeth was the wife you never wanted us to meet?” she said, staring at Daniel like she was seeing him for the first time. “All this time… really?”

Daniel didn’t answer. He just stood there, jaw locked, eyes fixed on me. The silence coming from him felt heavier than any words could have been.

My stomach was in knots. I quickly scanned the backyard, heart racing. Where is Hayley? I thought.

I wanted her to know the truth more than anything, but not here. Not in the middle of a children’s birthday party surrounded by all these people. If she found out like this, everything we had built would crumble in seconds.

Fester shifted uncomfortably beside Daniel, clearly trying to read the room.

Rachel turned to me, confusion written all over her face. “Elizabeth… why didn’t you tell me? When we were at the spa and you told me about your husband, I thought you were separated. I had no idea you were talking about Daniel.”

I swallowed hard. “I didn’t know you two were friends. He… he never talks about any of you. Not once.”

Fester put a hand over his chest, pretending to be hurt. “Wow. That actually stings a little.”

I tried to smile, but it felt weak.

Rachel was still piecing everything together. “So you’re really married to Daniel?”

Daniel still hadn’t said a word. He just kept staring at me with that intense, unreadable look that always made me feel small.

I finally looked up at him and asked softly, “Well? Aren’t you going to say anything?”

Still nothing.

The tension was becoming unbearable. Rachel must have felt it too because she looked visibly uncomfortable now.

I took a small breath and said, “Hayley is here.”

Daniel’s eyes widened instantly. “What?”

He started looking around the yard, suddenly tense. “Damn it,” he muttered under his breath.

Fester tapped him on the shoulder. “Come on, let’s go inside for a minute. We’ll be back in time to cut the cake.”

Daniel gave me one last hard glare before Fester steered him toward the house. The look in his eyes sent a chill down my spine.

Once they were gone, Rachel let out a nervous little laugh and turned to me.

“Is everything okay, Elizabeth?” she asked, her voice full of genuine concern. “It feels like I’m missing something big here. Are you two getting a divorce?”

I looked at her for a long moment, then let out a tired breath.

“What’s going on is far worse than you can imagine.”

Rachel was staring at me, waiting for an answer, when I caught sight of Hayley walking toward us from the other side of the yard. She was smiling and chatting with someone, but she was heading straight in our direction.

My stomach dropped.

I quickly stepped closer to Rachel and grabbed her wrist lightly, my voice coming out in a rushed whisper.

“I’ll tell you everything,” I said desperately, “but please don’t say anything to Hayley. She doesn’t know. She thinks Daniel is my brother. Please… just don’t say anything.”

Rachel’s eyes went wide with shock.

For a second she just stared at me, completely thrown off. The confusion and surprise on her face were clear, like she had just been hit with too much information at once.

Before she could respond, Hayley reached us.

“Hey! There you are,” Hayley said cheerfully, holding a glass of punch. “I got pulled into conversations with like three different people. Did I miss anything?”

She looked between Rachel and me, her smile slowly fading as she sensed the strange atmosphere. “Is everything okay?”

Rachel recovered faster than I expected. She forced a smile and nodded. “Yeah, everything’s fine. We were just talking about how incredible Elizabeth’s desserts are. The kids are loving them.”

I tried to smile too, but it felt tight and fake. My heart was still racing, and my hands felt clammy.

The weight of all these secrets was getting heavier by the second. Rachel now knew way more than she should, and I had just promised to tell her everything.

I wasn’t sure how much longer I could keep this lie going before it completely fell apart.

Fester came back out alone. Daniel stayed inside the whole time. I wasn’t surprised. He was probably doing everything he could to avoid running into Hayley.

The party kept going like nothing had happened. Kids ran around, music played, and everyone gathered when it was time to cut the cake. Sophie blew out her candles with a huge grin while her friends cheered. I stood off to the side, smiling for the kids but feeling completely on edge.

Hayley stayed beside me, acting completely normal. Rachel did the same. They were both good at pretending.

After a while, Hayley’s phone rang. She stepped away to answer it, then came back with an apologetic look.

“I’m really sorry, something came up for work. I have to go.”

She pulled me into a hug and kissed my cheek. “I’ll see you back at the house, okay? Don’t stay too late.”

“Drive safe,” I told her.

The moment Hayley walked out of the gate and was out of sight, Rachel let out a long breath and turned to me.

“Finally… she’s gone,” she said quietly.

She looked at me with serious eyes. “Can you stay a little longer after the party? I really need to know what’s going on. Daniel has always been full of surprises, but this…” She shook her head. “This one I wasn’t expecting at all.”

I thought about it for a second. This might be my only chance to learn about the side of Daniel he had kept completely hidden from me. The friends, the life he never let me into. If Rachel had known him since college, she probably knew a version of him I had never seen.

I nodded. “Yeah… I can stay.”

I turned to Nina and Adam, who were already cleaning up the dessert table. “You guys go ahead and pack everything. Victor will take you back home when you’re done.”

They both nodded and got to work.

Rachel gave me a small smile, but I could tell she had a hundred questions running through her mind.

And honestly, I had just as many.

“Can we go talk inside now?”

I nodded quickly. “Yes, but… please make sure Daniel doesn’t see us. I don’t want him to know we’re talking.”

Rachel didn’t ask why. She just took my hand and led me around the side of the house. We slipped in through the back door and quietly made our way down the hallway to the guest bedroom.

Once the door was closed behind us, Rachel turned to face me, arms crossed.

“Okay,” she said. “Talk. Because I’m really confused right now. You’re married to Daniel? The same Daniel who’s been my husband’s friend since college?”

I sat down on the edge of the bed, my hands trembling in my lap. I took a deep breath and started telling her everything.