She Was Never Just the Billionaire’s Wife (Natasha and Chase) novel Chapter 81

(Sonia)

I’ve been pleasant for three weeks.

Three. Weeks. It feels like an eon.

I’ve asked about potassium levels.

I’ve relayed information to Eleanor with painful sincerity and a straight face.

I’ve sat through approximately nine thousand conversations about feeding schedules and scan results and whether Lily's urine was the right colour, and I have not once said what I actually think, which is that I did not sign up for any of this.

I need to vent to someone who won't judge me, so I call Julian.

We meet at the bar on Sixth, because it has good lighting and I deserve good lighting after what I've been through.

"You look tired," Julian says, which is outrageous because I look fantastic.

"I've been pleasant for three weeks."

He winces. "God. How bad is it?"

"I keep asking about her potassium levels, Julian. I don't even know what potassium is. I had to G****e it in the bathroom the first time and I’m still not actually sure."

He picks up his drink to hide his smile, but I see it.

"And Chase? Is it working?"

"I think so. He's looking at me differently. Less like a problem he needs to solve and more like a person."

I pause.

"It's a very low bar but I'll take it."

"And Natasha?"

I reach for my cocktail.

"I've been very nice to her."

Julian actually puts his glass down. "I'm sorry? You what?"

"I said something complimentary about her blouse two days ago. It was beige. It deserved nothing. But I complimented it without sounding like it was backhanded."

"Sonia." He looks genuinely awed. "That might be the bravest thing you've ever done."

"It gets worse. She thanked me. Sincerely. Which was somehow more infuriating than if she'd been suspicious."

I shake my head.

"She's so relentlessly decent it makes my teeth ache."

Julian laughs, and for once I don't find it annoying because he's laughing with me rather than at me.

"You're doing well," he says. "Keep going."

"I don't know how much longer I can sustain it."

I lean back in my chair.

"I'm a fun person, Julian. I'm charming and I'm entertaining and I know how to light up a room. This quiet, supportive, helpful-around-the-house routine is not my natural habitat."

"Think of it as the role of a lifetime."

"I'm not an actress."

"Aren’t you? You faked a pregnancy for months. Then you performed a psychiatric breakthrough."

Fair point.

I swirl my drink and consider the situation from all angles.

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