The-Spanish-Love-Deception-www.indianpdf

Although the problem with coming back home for Isabel’s wedding—
single, dateless—had never been about seeing Daniel. It was about facing
everyone else while doing that. It was the anticipation, the idea, of having
every single person who had seen me grow up, fall in love, get my heart
broken, lose a little part of myself for a while, and then flee to a different
country. It was about facing a man who had clearly put his life back together
when I hadn’t. That was what had set this whole thing into motion, exactly
what had made me push the panic button.
And how stupid had that been? How dumb had it been to let something
like that drive me to lie? To create and sell them this ridiculous and
wholesome image of myself that I’d thought would make me complete and
happy in their eyes?
I realized now, as I stood in front of the catalyst of this whole mess, that it
had been very fucking stupid.
“I hope you mean that, Lina. This whole thing is better left in the past
anyway.” Daniel looked at the ground for a moment and then nodded his
head. “Are you happy now? With your life? With him?” He tilted his head.
“You don’t look completely happy.”
My throat dried, my eyes widening, as I tried to process his words. “Of
course I am,” I said, but it came out in a breathless way. Pure shock swirled
in my body, mixing with stupid fear at being called out on my lie. “I’m
happy, Daniel,” I repeated, those two emotions turning into something else.
Something that tasted a lot more bitter.
“Are you sure about that?” he asked calmly, in a confident and
patronizing way that had me rearing my head back. “He seems like a standup
guy, this Aaron. Although he looks a little … dry. Stuffy,” Daniel
continued, and my eyes fluttered closed for a fraction of a second, a strong
sense of protectiveness washing over me. “But I guess he’s good to you. He
has been stuck to your side since the moment I met him.” He chuckled. “Not
my style, this guard-dog vibe, but I could understand the appeal.”
My lips parted as I found it hard to believe the words leaving my ex’s
mouth.
“But are you really happy, Lina? I know you, and this is not the carefree
Lina you are. You have been on edge in the short time you’ve been here, and
I’ll be honest, I can’t help but be concerned.”
Concerned? I blinked. Then, I did it again. And again and again.
Had I been on edge? I could believe that. I had certainly felt that way