Claimed By My Secret Husband

Four Years Ago Zara’s POV I stare at the man sitting across from me in the lavish apartment, trying not to focus on how broken he is, concentrate on the job, just like I was supposed to do for the last two years. ‘I’m sorry Mr Tierra’ I state, using my most professional voice. ‘Gerrard’ he mutters, ‘why are you calling me Mr Tierra, like we’re strangers?’ I gulp hard, pushing on with the preprepared speech I was told to give by my boss. ‘I know this must be a shock to you, Mr Tierra, but Mr Vogel is a difficult man to pin down, and as his adoptive brother, you were our best chance to get close to him.’ ‘I . . . I trusted you’ Gerrard mutters, staring at me, his eyes glassy, ‘I . . loved you, f**k! I married you! We’re married!’ I wince, because that should never have happened, hell, most of the last two years should not have happened! I had one job, get close to Gerrard Tierra, the business mogul who built his own franchise from the ground up. I was sent in to seduce him, gain his trust, and get into his inner circle so I could find out everything possible about his older brother Eduardo Vogel. Just like Gerrard, his brother is a high stakes businessman, unlike the former, he doesn’t come by his fortune legally, but like a slippery eel, no one could ever pin any of his dealings to him. We’d been after him for a few years, and soon it was realised that the only way to get close to the man was to get close to his family, and Gerrard Tierra was the best option. We had already learned that he was a good man with a real rags to riches story. Taken in by the Vogel family for the pay check, after the death of his own parents when he was five. Unfortunately, Gerrard was never treated like family by his adoptive family, used merely as a punching bag and scape goat for any reason by the very people who were supposed to care for him. He lived in squalor in their basement, hated by all, except the only son of the couple’s five children, Eduardo. The two formed a bond during their childhood, that somehow lasted long after Gerrard was kicked out from their home on his eighteenth birthday. Speculation is that Eduardo had his own demons from his childhood, but we could never dig up anything to corroborate the story. The two men differed in their approach to adulthood, Gerrard worked three jobs just to pay his way through college, determined to become someone important, someone strong, someone miles away from the small boy that spent his life weak and afraid. Eduardo though, delved into the darker side of life, seeking power through violence instead. He was careful to keep his dealings hidden, even from the only person he seemed to trust completely, his brother, that we were sure of. I was brought in from another task force, briefed and then strategically placed so that we could cross paths. I had a back story, carefully crafted to pull at the hotelier, echoing his own trauma, giving us something to bind us together. I was good at my job, Gerrard and I got closer, too close, and I broke the cardinal rule of undercover work, I let my emotions get involved. ‘Zoe’ he croaks, his pain filled voice clawing through my thoughts, dragging me back to the here and now to find Gerrard, my husband, reaching out a trembling hand toward me as I sit across from him. ‘My name is not Zoe!’ I snap back, flinching away from him, I can’t let him touch me, I’m finding it hard enough to look at him, if he touches me, I’ll break. We stare at each other silently, I don’t think either of us really know what to say. My attention moves away from him, taking in the familiar apartment building that I have called home for over two years. There are pictures on the walls that I bought at a gallery, a large vase stands in the corner from our trip six months ago to Morocco. Everywhere in the large space, there are inflections of my personality as I stupidly, built a home with the man just a few feet away from me. ‘What is your real name?’ Gerrard finally asks me, his voice hoarse causing my gaze to return back to his again. I wish it hadn’t because the raw pain I see there as he stares at me, kills me. ‘It doesn’t matter Mr Tierra’ I reply curtly, devoid of emotion, as I need to be, ‘you just need to know I am a field agent, and that I was sent in undercover, to unearth information regarding Mr Vogel.’ I swallow, forcing out the words that I need to say, ‘you were a job Mr Tierra, a mark, nothing more. I’m sorry that we had to involve you in this way, but your brother is a very dangerous man and . .’ Gerrard shakes his head, ‘No,’ he growls, some of his old strength returning to his voice, as he cuts me off. ‘Don’t you tell me that we were nothing! I know you Zoe, I!’ he slams his fist into his chest, eyes blazing, ‘know you! You can’t fake what we had!’ The agent who is standing by the door takes a step forward, his hand going to his holster, but I hold up a hand stopping him. ‘Mr Tierra’ I start again slowly. ‘Gerrard’ my husband grits out bitterly, ‘use my f.ucking name Zoe or whatever the f.uck your name is!’ He laughs harshly, rolling his eyes to the ceiling as his hand digs through his short black hair. ‘That’s hilarious’ he mutters, ‘I’m complaining that you won’t use my name, and I don’t even f.ucking know what yours is. He drops his gaze to his lap, clasping his hands together and his shoulders shake ever so slightly. ‘I can’t believe this . . . how . . .?’ his voice breaks as he shakes his head, the words dying on his lips. I suck in a breath, trying to stay neutral, treat him like what he was supposed to be, a mark, but it’s hard, because that’s not what he is. I hate myself, I’m a f.ucking b.itch and I’ve ripped a man apart just for my goddamn job. I want to apologise, want to tell him that it’s all bulls.hit, that it was real for me too, but I can’t, I know that. Instead, I stand up, steeling myself as he slowly lifts his face to me, tears in his eyes, silently begging me as I take a step away. ‘You have been cleared from having any part in Mr Vogel’s dealings’ I tell him, ‘you can return to your normal life.’ Gerrard just stares at me mutely, despair written on his face so raw, I have to look away. ‘Divorce papers will be sent to you by the agency, Mr Tierra’ I tell him, ‘there will be no financial requests from my side, we . . ‘ I swallow, ‘we apologise for any distress the situation may have caused you.’ Turning on my heel, I hurry toward the door, needing to get away from the devastated, confused man that I created. The agent grabs the door, opening it for me with a curt nod of respect. As my footsteps over the threshold, I hear my husband call out behind me. ‘I won’t do it’ he growls, and I stiffen before slowly turning back to find Gerrard on his feet, glaring at me mutinously. ‘I won’t do it Zoe’ he states again, louder this time, ‘I won’t sign the divorce paperwork.’ My heart stutters but I shut it down, glaring back at the hotelier with a stony gaze. ‘I wouldn’t recommend that Mr Tierra’ I reply evenly, ‘you need to move on with your life and you can’t do that by holding on to a sham marriage that should never have happened.’ Gerrard’s eyes darken and his hands curl into fists at his sides, but when he speaks, his tone is even. ‘You can run Zoe, but you’ll never outrun me. I know what we had was real, and I won’t let you go, I will find you’ he tells me. A shiver runs down my spine at the promise, but I merely lift my chin, holding his gaze, ‘no you won’t’ I reply softly, before turning back to the door. I hesitate again, one foot over the threshold as I glance back one last time over my shoulder, our gazes locking once more. ‘Goodbye Gerrard’ I murmur quietly, before I leave the room, the hotel, and the life I’ve led for two years without another backward glance.