Two Hearts

What Are We?

Laura's POV

The days passed one after another. Nothing changed.

A routine settled over my life, one that felt painfully familiar. Work. Home. Work. Home. The only difference was that I now lived in a different house.

Every morning I made breakfast, walked the children to their bus stop, and headed to work. Every evening I came home, cooked dinner, helped with homework if needed, and eventually went to bed only to repeat everything again the next day.

And Daniel?

He simply wasn't there. He came home, showered, changed clothes, and left. That was it.

The longer it continued, the more it irritated me. One thing was becoming painfully obvious—if Grandmother arrived today, she would expose us within an hour.

Probably less.

We weren't a married couple. We weren't even friends. We were strangers occupying the same address. Daniel felt more like a ghost than a husband. Always present in theory. Never in reality.

Just like every evening, I was preparing dinner while the children worked on homework upstairs.

Then I heard it. A car pulling into the driveway. My first thought was the same one I had every night. Maybe he'll stay this time.

The thought came automatically now. Almost like a bad habit.

A moment later Ellia and Markus entered the kitchen and sat at the table, discussing something quietly. Then they noticed Daniel's car outside.

"Do you think he'll eat with us tonight?" Ellija asked. The excitement that had once filled her voice was gone. Children noticed more than adults realized.

"Maybe," Markus replied. But even he sounded unconvinced.

I still held onto a tiny bit of hope. Because I could feel myself reaching my limit. I was generally a patient person. But even patience had an expiration date.

A few moments later the front door opened. Footsteps. The staircase creaked. And then silence. No greeting. No conversation. Nothing.

Fifteen minutes later I heard him coming downstairs again. Of course. He was leaving. Again.

"Daniel?" He paused near the door.

"I have somewhere to be." That was all. The front door closed behind him. Gone.

Again.

"Unbelievable," I muttered under my breath.

That evening I walked through the house once more. The upstairs bedrooms didn't bother me. The ground floor did. The entire place felt empty.

Expensive furniture. Luxury decorations. Beautiful paintings. But nothing that suggested a family lived there. No photographs. No memories. No warmth. Nothing.

How was I supposed to change any of that if I wasn't the owner? This was something Daniel and I should have discussed together. Along with a hundred other things.

How were we supposed to pretend to be married when we knew absolutely nothing about each other? Favorite food. Favorite color. Music. Habits. Allergies.

How we supposedly met. How we supposedly fell in love. How we supposedly got married. The wedding.

That thought stopped me cold.

We didn't even have wedding photographs. What would we tell his grandmother if she asked? That we lost them? Who loses every single wedding picture?

The only things we had were a marriage certificate and wedding rings. Both had been delivered by the law firm a few days ago.

When I opened the box, my breath caught. The rings were stunning. The kind people dreamed about. I hadn't even dared put mine on. Instead, I left the box and certificate on Daniel's desk. Because ultimately, he needed to decide whether any of this mattered.

Right now it felt like I was the only one trying.

The next afternoon, during my lunch break, I finally called Eric.

A week had passed. And the result? Nothing. Absolutely nothing.

I waited longer than usual for him to answer. I was almost ready to hang up when his voice finally came through.

"Laura," he greeted warmly. "Is everything alright? I wasn't expecting your call. I was planning to visit this weekend and see how you're settling in."

"This isn't working." I didn't bother with small talk. There was no point anymore. Eric and I had already reached a level of honesty where I could tell him exactly what I thought.

A pause followed.

"What isn't working?" Of course he didn't know. He probably believed his son was doing everything possible to make this arrangement believable. So I told him the truth.

"Your son isn't here." I took a breath. "We don't talk. We don't spend time together. We don't know anything about each other."

Another pause.

"How exactly are we supposed to convince your mother that we're married?"

Silence.

Long silence.

I could practically hear him processing every word. Finally he spoke.

"I'll handle it." The certainty in his voice surprised me.

"Okay." That was all I said.

The call ended shortly afterward.

I stared at my phone.

And wondered what exactly "I'll handle it" meant.

Eric's POV

The days continued moving forward.

Business never stopped. Meetings. Contracts. Decisions. Life carried on. And honestly, I believed things were progressing.

Daniel had texted me Sunday night - I'm home.

Those two words had reassured me more than they should have. I thought it meant progress. I thought maybe he was finally trying. I deliberately kept my distance. I wanted him and Laura to figure things out on their own. To get to know each other. To learn how to function as a couple before my mother's arrival.

I called him several times throughout the week. Every time there was an excuse. Meetings. Clients. Work. Busy schedules.

Then one particular answer caught my attention - "I'm heading home."

Home.

Not the apartment. Not the house.

Home.

For the first time in years, I allowed myself to hope.

Then Laura called.

And shattered that hope completely. Daniel wasn't home. Not really. He slept there occasionally. That was all.

They didn't talk.

Didn't spend time together.

Didn't know each other.

Laura sounded exhausted. Frustrated. Ready to give up. And honestly? I didn't blame her. A relationship couldn't work if only one person was trying.

I was furious.

No.

I was beyond furious.

Because Daniel had lied to me. For one brief moment I had believed he was finally moving forward.

Apparently not.

Without thinking twice, I canceled the rest of my meetings and drove directly to his office.

When I arrived, his assistant attempted to stop me. I ignored her completely. A moment later I pushed open his office door.

Daniel sat behind his desk reviewing documents. He looked up. And immediately knew this wasn't a social visit.

I closed the door behind me.

Slowly.

Deliberately.

I remained standing.

"Have you lost your damn mind?"

Daniel leaned back in his chair.

"Good afternoon to you too."

My jaw tightened.

"Laura called me."

His expression immediately hardened. Of course it did.

"She says you aren't home."

"I am home."

"No," I snapped. "You're sleeping there. That's not the same thing."

A flash of irritation crossed his face.

Good.

Maybe he was finally listening. I stepped closer to his desk.

"Do you think my mother is stupid?"

Silence.

"Do you honestly believe she's going to walk into that house and think you're a happily married couple?"

Still silence.

"Because according to Laura, you don't talk."

I took another step.

"You don't eat together."

Another.

"You barely look at each other."

For the first time, Daniel looked away. And that told me everything. Because he knew I was right.

"Talk to her."

His eyes returned to mine.

"About what?"

I stared at him in disbelief.

"Anything."

Silence.

"You married her."

Another pause.

"You brought her children into your home."

I pointed toward him.

"The least you can do is learn their names."

For the first time since entering the room, Daniel had no answer.

And that was answer enough.

Laura's POV

After a long day at work, I felt completely drained. The workload had been relentless lately. Every task seemed determined to consume the last bit of energy I had left. The only positive thing was that I had finally called Eric.

Because honestly? This couldn't continue. If Daniel wasn't willing to participate, no one could force him. Maybe it would be better if we simply walked away now.

Like every evening, I found comfort in cooking. The kitchen had always been my refuge. One place where life felt simple.

Then I heard a car pull into the driveway.

Like every evening.

Like a ritual.

My immediate thought was: Daniel's probably just here to change clothes.

But this time something different happened.

A few moments later he walked into the kitchen.

And stopped.

He leaned against the marble counter and simply watched me.

I froze.

I had no idea what that meant.

His height. His presence. His cold blue eyes. Suddenly the kitchen felt much smaller than before. As if he occupied all the available space. As if the air itself had become heavier.

Then, out of nowhere, he spoke.

"My father visited me at work today." His voice was calm. Almost neutral. Yet somehow colder than usual.

A long pause followed.

Then he looked directly at me.

"Apparently, we need to talk."