Iva's deep secret

"You were about to tell me all about your mystery husband before Cora showed up," he said, holding her eyes with his.

"You mean you want the truth?" Iva finally croaked.

"That would be a good start."

She waited for him to yell at her. Waited for the recriminations, mockery and accusations. But instead, Otto gave her a devastating facial expression filled with real empathy. It was beautiful and charming, and Iva melted despite her effort to remain in charge of the conversation.

"I---I can't, Otto," she finally admitted. "It's too hard to talk about."

He came closer with every step, his eyes latched onto hers like a lifeline. His aftershave was killing her.

"Come on, Iva, talk to me. You're hurting. I can tell you've been carrying something difficult and sad inside you ever since I met you."

"That was just my reaction to a potential burglar." She tried to deflect, but her laugh was shaky, and he knew she was lying again.

"Tell me," he said softly. "Quit carrying the burden alone."

"How can I possibly explain the worst day of my life?"

Otto's brows drew together. Briefly his hand touched hers, and then dropped back to his side. "What did this Noah guy do to you?" he said, and his voice was so gentle, Iva's eyes filled with tears.

She tried to turn away, blinking them back as hard as she could but one slipped out and rolled down her face. Otto reached out to and touched her cheek, his thumb soft on her skin as he smoothed the tear away.

"We've been sharing dinners and divided rooms with cheap sheets for almost two weeks now," Otto went on. "I'll keep any confidences, but I can tell you're about to break apart with some kind of grief. Did

your husband die?"

Iva was sure she'd choke on the lump in her throat. "Are you now going to tell me that you have a degree in therapy or counseling?

"No, but my friends tell me I'm a pretty good listener."

"They do, eh?" Her town accent came through suddenly, thick and transparent. Iva tried to turn away again to hide her emotions, but Otto stopped her.

His warm hand was on her arm. "No hiding fron me any longer. We're going to be straight with each other."

She faced him, pleading, "I told you it was better if you just left. I really need to be alone. I have so many things to sort out,"

"Guess I'm as stubborn as you are," he said.

They stared at each other for a full minute and finally, Otto's expression softened. "I want to be your friend, Iva. I like you. Does your family know this secret you're keeping? Does Alina?"

She gave a sharp laugh. "They all witnessed the devastation in real time."

Otto pressed his lips together. "You really are married, then?"

She shook her head and brushed away the fresh tears as they spilled over again.

"Dear God in heaven, I want to stop crying. I feel so stupid, so weak. If you must know, Noah Graham was my fiancé. We were to be married two weeks ago-and he left me at the altar."

Otto let out a low sigh. "Wow, that explains so much. That's a horrible thing to go through. I want to inflict pain on this Noah Graham and I don't even know him. But," he paused. "No wonder you hate me."