He paused before adding bluntly,
“A marriage like that usually falls apart fast. And honestly, that man does not look like someone interested in men.”
The second the words left Amara’s mouth, Juliette burst into laughter so suddenly that she nearly spilled her drink onto the table.
“Oh, trust me,” Juliette said between laughs, leaning forward with a wicked grin, “after last night, I think we can all confidently confirm he’sveryinterested in women.”
Amara immediately frowned and shoved her lightly on the shoulder.
“Shut up.”
“But it’s not a lie,” Juliette said between laughs.
Amara groaned in embarrassment and dropped her face into her hand for a second before muttering, “Well… all his functions are clearly intact.”
Jasper immediately waved a hand through the air.
“Alright, alright,” he muttered. “So that theory is officially out of the question.”
Still drunk, he leaned back deeper into the couch, rubbing his jaw as he tried to think.
“But now I’m even more confused,” he continued slowly. “He married you despite believing he wouldn’t be able to sleep with you. And now that misunderstanding is gone…” He frowned harder. “Why did he marry you in the first place?”
Juliette nodded immediately.
“That’s exactly what I’m thinking.” She turned toward Amara with a serious expression. “I don’t think pity alone could make someone marry another person. Feeling bad for someone is one thing, but marriage?” She shook her head. “No. That’s too much.”
Amara lowered her eyes to the glass in her hands, quietly tracing the rim with her finger.
“I honestly don’t know,” she admitted softly. “But he told me he married me knowing everything. He said it was completely his choice.”
Juliette narrowed her eyes slightly.
“Did he tell you he liked you?” she asked carefully. “Or that he loved you?”
Amara fell silent.
For a few seconds, only the sound of the television playing softly in the background filled the room.
Finally, she shook her head.
“No,” she answered quietly. “He didn’t exactly say that.”
She leaned back against the couch with a tired sigh before continuing.
“But… he told me to come back home. He told me to pack my things and move back in with him now that the misunderstanding is cleared up and…” Her voice became awkward. “Now that we’ve slept together.”
Juliette’s eyebrows immediately shot up.
Amara leaned forward suddenly, lowering her voice as if confessing something unbelievable.
“And he’s being ridiculously clingy too,” she whispered. “Before we separated, he was never like this. He was always distant and cold. But ever since the divorce…” She frowned in confusion. “He keeps touching me, getting close to me, trying to kiss me all the time…”
Her cheeks flushed faintly as she complained.
“It feels weird.”
She let out a frustrated groan and dragged both hands through her hair.