He Kept Me a Secret for Three Years, So I Exposed Him in One EmailChapter 1

Ethan Walker and I had rules for keeping our relationship secret.

At work, he was just my boss. No private jokes. No lingering by each other's desks. Nothing that suggested I knew him better than anyone else did.

In the cafeteria, we sat at separate tables. We took our coffee breaks five minutes apart.

During meetings, we sat at opposite corners.

He called it a professional boundary.

I played along for three years.

In that time, my mother tried to set me up with eleven different men. I turned down every one of them.

The stress sent her blood pressure through the roof, but I couldn't tell her the truth.

I kept asking her to wait. Just a little longer.

Last week, a new hire joined our department. On her first day, she borrowed Ethan's umbrella.

On her third, she sat beside him at lunch.

On her fifth, someone joked, "You two would make a cute couple."

Ethan didn't deny it. He only smiled and said, "She's new. I'm just helping her settle in."

That night, I worked until ten and waited so we could leave together.

"Go ahead without me," he said. "I'm driving Madison home. She lives pretty far out."

From the office window, I watched him open the passenger door for her.

I had only ever sat in that seat late at night. He had never opened that door for me anywhere there were streetlights.

The next day, my mother called again. She had set me up with someone for the weekend.

This time, I didn't refuse.

I said yes.

Less than thirty seconds after we hung up, Mom sent me the man's contact information.

"Ryan Cole. Thirty-two. Architect. Saturday at two. And don't you dare claim you have to work at the last minute."

I stared at his profile for a few seconds, then accepted the introduction.

At 11:40, Ethan messaged me.

"Conference room. Bring the BluePeak stress-test report."

When I walked in, Madison Reed was sitting beside him. They were looking at the same laptop.

The gray umbrella rested against the corner of the table.

One of its ribs had broken once. Three blue stitches I had sewn still marked the strap.

Three years ago, Ethan had walked me to the subway under that umbrella and asked if I wanted to give us a try.

Madison followed my gaze and smiled. "Ethan said he wasn't in a hurry to get it back, so I kept it here in case I need it."

Ethan turned the laptop toward me. "Why is the third data set off?"

I remained standing. "Madison changed the parameter range, but the model wasn't updated to match."

She rushed to explain. "I didn't know I wasn't supposed to touch it. Ethan told me to familiarize myself with the system, so I ran a few extra tests."

Ethan looked up at me. "Didn't you explain that when you trained her? New hires make mistakes. The person onboarding them bears most of the responsibility."

"She signed the operating guidelines on her first day."

"Guidelines can't cover every situation." He pushed the report back across the table. "Fix it tonight. The client sees it tomorrow."

I didn't take the report. "Didn't you explain it to her after you drove her home?"

His fingers went still. His tone cooled. "We're at work, Chloe."

Madison glanced between us, scooped up her laptop, and stood. "I'll give you two a minute."

As soon as the door closed, Ethan frowned. "You're letting your feelings about last night affect the project?"

"I'm meeting the guy Mom set me up with on Saturday."

He leaned back, looking as if he had already seen through the trick. "What is this supposed to test?"

I placed my phone on the table. Ryan had just accepted the introduction and sent a polite hello.

Ethan glanced at his profile. "He looks good on paper. You should meet him."

Something pressed painfully against my chest. "You don't mind?"

"If I did, would you stay home?"

If he asked me to, I would.

The words reached my lips, but I swallowed them.

Ethan rubbed his brow. "I'm up for senior manager, and BluePeak is about to go through final client sign-off. We can't go public now."

"I didn't ask you to go public now."

"Then why agree to the date?"

"I'm twenty-nine. My mother has been waiting for an answer."

"So you're using marriage to force my hand?" He picked up his pen and circled the faulty data. "I don't respond well to pressure. You've always known that."

I held his gaze. "Three years ago, you said you'd transfer to a parallel team once the project stabilized, so you wouldn't be my boss anymore."

"Plans change. This isn't the right time."

"When will it be?"

After two seconds of silence, he held out the report. "Focus on what is in front of you. Stop obsessing over a single answer."

He always did this.

He never promised, but he never ended things either.

He left the door cracked open and kept me waiting on the threshold.

Madison knocked and came back in. "Ethan, Mark wants one nominee for the Corporate Leadership Fellowship. He needs a name this afternoon."

Ethan took the form. "Got it."

Across the top, it said fellows would spend six months at headquarters and could apply for a permanent role in Strategy afterward.

If I got that spot, Ethan would no longer be my direct supervisor.

He noticed me looking and turned the page facedown.

"Madison needs a broader understanding of the business. I'm recommending her."

I stared at him. "What about me?"

"You're essential to BluePeak. We can't spare you right now."

"I thought the project was almost finished."

"The last stretch is when I need you most." His voice softened. "You're the one person I never have to worry about, Chloe. Don't make an issue out of something this small."

Madison beamed at me. "Thank you. I'll probably need your help with the fellowship interview too."

I picked up the stress-test report. As I turned away, I heard Ethan remind her, "I'll go over your presentation with you Saturday."

Saturday.

The same day as the date Mom had arranged for me.