Married At First Glance: I Am Not Ugly

He sighs

Jessie… What am I going to tell her?

She won’t understand any of this. I’ve been seeing her for a while, and things were getting serious. Now, all of this chaos… she’ll think I’ve lost my mind.

He leaned back on his couch, running a hand through his hair in frustration.

The thought of hurting Jessie weighed heavily on him, but he knew he had to protect his business interests and reputation.

“Maybe I can keep her in the dark for a while. Tell her it’s a business deal or something. She doesn’t need to know the details.” he muttered to himself.

As he contemplated his plan to deceive Jessie, Alexander couldn’t help but feel a growing sense of guilt.

He knew that juggling this fake marriage and his relationship with Jessie would be a complicated and risky endeavor.

Just then his phone buzzed and he checked and saw that it was Jessie and her text message:

Hey, Alexander! I was thinking about our weekend plans. Are we still on for that romantic dinner on Friday?

Alexander sighed, feeling the weight of his impending deception. He knew he had to respond to Jessie’s message, but he also knew that he was about to lie to her.

Hey, Jessie. I’ve got some unexpected work commitments coming up, and I might have to reschedule our plans. I’ll fill you in on the details soon. Sorry about this.

He hit send and waited for Jessie’s response, feeling the guilt gnaw at him even more.

Jessie’s reply came quickly, and it was clear she was disappointed.

Oh, that’s a bummer. But I understand, Alexander. Just let me know when you’re free, okay?

Alexander felt a pang of guilt as he read her message. He didn’t want to hurt Jessie, but he also couldn’t risk her finding out about the fake marriage.

He had to keep up the charade for the sake of the contract and his business.

Thanks for understanding, Jessie. I’ll make it up to you, I promise. We’ll plan something special once this work stuff settles down.

He hoped his words would reassure Jessie, but deep down, he knew that his web of lies was only going to get more tangled as time went on.

Then he decided to send her a message asking if they should meet the next day at their favorite restaurant to discuss.

Hey Jessie, how about we meet at our favorite restaurant tomorrow evening? I’ve got something important I want to discuss with you.

As he sent the message, Alexander couldn’t help but feel a sense of unease.

He knew that the upcoming meeting with Jessie would be another challenge in his web of lies, but he had no other choice if he wanted to keep the truth hidden.Nôvel(D)rama.Org's content.

Moments later, Jessie replied to Alexander’s message:

Sure, Alexander. I’ve missed you, and I’d love to catch up. Tomorrow evening at our favorite spot sounds perfect. Can’t wait to see you!

Alexander sighed with relief. At least, for now, Jessie seemed understanding, and he hoped their meeting would go smoothly.

As he put his phone down, he couldn’t help but feel the weight of the secrets and lies he was carrying.

It was a tangled web he had woven, and he knew that as time passed, it would only become more complicated to maintain.

But for now, he had to focus on his meeting with Jessie and keeping his fake marriage with Marissa hidden.

“Maybe I should tell her. She might understand.” he muttered to himself.

“Well…. I’ll find out tomorrow.”

He went to his room and slumped on his bed to sleep.

The night passed, and Alexander lay awake, his thoughts filled with uncertainty and guilt.

He couldn’t escape the feeling that his life was spiraling into a chaotic mess, and he wasn’t sure how to regain control.

*

The next day arrived, and Alexander prepared for his meeting with Jessie, hoping he could find the right words to explain his situation without hurting her too much.

Jessie walked into the room with a warm smile, and Alexander felt a pang of guilt. Here was this woman, who had opened her heart to him, and he was about to tell her that their relationship was built on a lie.

He took a deep breath and tried to gather his thoughts.

“Hi Jessie, thanks for coming. I wanted to talk to you about something important.”

Jessie’s smile faded, and she looked at him with concern. “What’s going on, Alexander?”

Alexander paused, not sure how to begin.

Just then, her phone rang.

“Sorry dear, could you hold on a bit? I have to take this call, it’s from work.” she said.

“But it’s the weekend.” he said.

“I know,” Jessie replied, “but something urgent has come up. I promise I’ll be back as soon as I can.”

She took the call outside, leaving Alexander alone with his thoughts. He couldn’t help but feel a sense of relief, but also guilt.

He didn’t want to drag this out any longer, but he also didn’t want to hurt her.

As he sat there, he tried to gather his thoughts and figure out the best way to explain the situation. But no matter how he tried to phrase it, it all sounded wrong.

Finally, Jessie returned, a worried expression on her face. “I’m so sorry about that, Alexander. What did you want to talk about?”

Alexander took a deep breath. “It’s about our relationship,” he said, “and what we mean to each other.”

Jessie’s eyes widened. “Oh… is something wrong?”

“No, not exactly,” Alexander said, “but I have to tell you the truth.”

“Okay,” she said, “you know you can tell me anything.”

“What I want to say is…” he began, but she cut him short as another call came in.

“I’m sorry, I need to pick this.” she said.

Alexander felt his frustration growing. He didn’t know how much longer he could keep this up.