My Boss is my Husband

Chapter 3

I woke up with a knot in my stomach.

Tonight was the dinner. Tonight, I had to meet the board. Tonight, I had to pretend to be the perfect wife.

I lay in bed for a long time, just staring at the ceiling. My mind would not stop. It kept running through all the things that could go wrong.

What if I say the wrong thing?

What if they see right through me?

I took a deep breath. Then I got up.

---

When I came downstairs, Xwein was already in the kitchen.

He was sitting at the table with a cup of coffee. He was wearing his suit. His hair was perfect. His face was a stone.

"You're up early," he said.

"So are you."

"I don't sleep."

"Right. You told me."

I made myself a cup of coffee and sat across from him.

"You look nervous," he said.

"I am nervous."

"Don't be."

"Don't be?" I laughed. It was not a happy laugh. "How can I not be nervous? Tonight, I have to convince a group of old rich men that I'm good enough to be your wife. I'm a girl from a poor family who can't even use a fancy coffee machine."

Xwein put his cup down.

"Listen to me," he said. "Those men are not better than you. They have more money. That's all. They are not smarter. They are not kinder. They are not stronger."

"Money is power," I said.

"Money is paper. Power is what you do with it."

"Tonight, you will walk into that room. You will sit next to me. You will eat their food. You will answer their questions. And then we will leave. That's it."

"What kind of questions will they ask?"

"Personal questions. Stupid questions. Questions to see if you break."

"What if I break?"

He looked at me for a long moment. "You won't break."

"How do you know?"

"Because I chose you."

He stood up and walked out of the kitchen.

I sat there with my coffee. I chose you. The words felt heavy. Why did he choose me? There were prettier girls. Richer girls. Smarter girls. So why me?

I did not have an answer. And that scared me more than the dinner.

---

The rest of the day was slow.

I went to work. I sat at my tiny desk. I typed emails. I brought Xwein coffee at 12:15. Black. No sugar.

At 5 PM, he came out of his office. "Come. We're going home. You need to get ready."

We walked to the elevator. We walked through the lobby. People stared. The black car was waiting.

---

Back at the house, Xwein led me upstairs.

"Go to your room," he said. "There is a dress on your bed. Wear it. Do your hair. Do your face. I will come get you at 6:30."

He walked away.

On my bed was a long black dress. Simple. No sparkles. Just black fabric that looked soft and expensive. Next to it were black shoes with small heels. Next to the shoes was a small box with small diamond earrings.

I took a shower. I dried my hair. I put on the dress. It fit perfectly.

I looked at myself in the mirror. I did not look like Frix. I looked like Mrs. Smith.

---

At 6:30, there was a knock on my door.

Xwein stood there in a black suit. Black tie. White shirt. He looked at me for a long time. His eyes moved from my face to my dress to my shoes to my earrings and back to my face.

"You look like my wife," he said.

Then he turned and walked downstairs. I followed him. My heart was beating so loud I was sure he could hear it.

---

The car drove for thirty minutes.

We left the city. We drove through hills. Then we arrived at a building that looked like a castle. White walls. Tall windows. Big doors. Men in suits opened car doors.

Xwein got out first. Then he reached his hand inside.

"Take my hand," he said.

I took it. His hand was warm. Big. Strong. He helped me out of the car. He did not let go.

"Remember," he whispered in my ear. "Smile. Say little. Stay close to me."

"Okay."

He put his hand on my back. We walked inside.

---

The inside was gold. Gold walls. Gold lights. Gold tables.

Old men in expensive suits stood in groups. When we walked in, everyone turned.

"Mr. Smith," a man said. He was old. White hair. Big stomach. Red face. "This must be the famous wife."

"Frix," Xwein said. "This is Mr. Harrison. He has been on the board for twenty years."

"It's nice to meet you," I said. I smiled.

Mr. Harrison looked at me like he was buying a horse. "Pretty. Where did you find her, Xwein?"

"At work," Xwein said. His voice was cold.

"An office romance? I thought you didn't have a heart, boy."

"I don't," Xwein said. "But I have a wife."

He pulled me away. "Harrison is a pig," he whispered. "Ignore him."

---

We met five more board members.

Each one was older than Xwein. Each one looked at me like I was a painting they wanted to buy.

They asked questions.

"Where did you go to school?"

"A local college," I said.

"What does your father do?"

"He's retired."

"How did you and Xwein meet?"

"He was my boss," I said. "We fell in love slowly."

That was the lie. The one lie with many small lies inside it. Every time I said it, Xwein's hand pressed harder on my back.

---

Dinner was in a big room with a long table.

Xwein sat at one end. I sat next to him. There were many forks and knives. I watched Xwein. When he used a fork, I used a fork. When he used a spoon, I used a spoon.

The food came. Soup. Fish. Meat. Vegetables. Cake. I ate slowly. I smiled when people looked at me. I did not talk unless someone asked me a question.

Then Mr. Harrison asked a question that made my heart stop.

"So, Frix," he said. "Do you love him?"

The whole table went quiet. Everyone looked at me.

I opened my mouth. "Of course I love him."

"How do you know?" Mr. Harrison asked. He was smiling, but his eyes were sharp. "Love is a strong word for a six-month secret relationship."

I felt anger rise in my chest. This old man was trying to break me. He wanted to see me cry. He wanted to prove that Xwein's wife was a fake.

I looked at Xwein. His face was still a stone. But his eyes were watching me. Waiting.

I turned back to Mr. Harrison.

"I know because he makes me feel safe," I said. "I know because he remembers the small things. I know because when I'm with him, I don't feel poor or small or scared. I feel like I'm home."

The table was silent. Mr. Harrison's smile faded.

"Well," he said. "Maybe you are real after all."

The dinner continued. Xwein still did not look at me. But under the table, his hand found mine. He squeezed it once. Then he let go.

---

After dinner, we stood outside while the car came.

The night air was cold. I shivered. Xwein took off his jacket and put it over my shoulders.

"You did well," he said.

"Really?"

"Really. Harrison was trying to break you. You didn't break."

"I almost did."

"But you didn't."

I looked up at him. The lights from the country club made his face look soft.

"Why did you choose me?" I asked again.

He was quiet for a long time.

"Because you're strong," he said finally. "Even when you don't think you are. Harrison sees loud money. But I see you."

The car arrived. We got in.

---

The ride home was quiet. But it was a different kind of quiet. Not cold. Not empty. Just… quiet.

"Xwein," I said.

"Yes."

"Did you mean what you said? About me being strong?"

He turned his head and looked at me. "I don't say things I don't mean."

We got home. We walked inside. The house was dark and quiet.

"Goodnight, Frix," he said.

He started walking away.

"Xwein," I called. He stopped. "Thank you. For the jacket. And for saying I'm strong."

He looked at me over his shoulder. "Get some sleep. Tomorrow is another day."

Then he walked away.

---

I went to my room.

I took off the dress. I took off the earrings. I took off the ring. I held it in my palm. His mother's ring. I put it back on. I lay on the bed.

My phone buzzed. My mother: "Are you okay? You sound different lately."

I wrote back: "I'm okay, Mama. Just tired."

She wrote: "Come visit soon. Your father misses you."

I wrote: "Soon. I promise."

I put the phone down. I stared at the ceiling.

Three hundred sixty-three days left.

But something was changing inside me. I was starting to think about Xwein when I should not be thinking about him. I was starting to wonder what he looked like when he smiled.

I closed my eyes. And I waited to sleep

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