Page 83 of Lumi

I sighed, feeling exposed, vulnerable, and possibly insane for agreeing to this experiment. I had kept the embarrassing secret of why Spencer and I broke up for years, sworn I would take it to my grave with me, and yet, somehow, Jolene had coaxed it out of me like I was an open book.

Damian nudged my side. “Why didn’t ye tell me?”

Another deep sigh sounded from my chest as I let my shoulders sag in capitulation. “What part? That I feel safe with you like no other? That O’Brien made me distrust intellectual men or that I thought about you when I was with Spencer?”

“All of it.”

“I couldn’t tell you because I was embarrassed about the latter and unaware of the first two parts.”

Damian tightened our intertwined fingers.

“I think you two have a whole lot to talk about after we leave, but I would like to show you another clip where I’m sensing dishonesty. I believe it’s relevant for your talk.” Jolene played a clip from our first night in handcuffs.

“About yer biggest ambition. That’s an interesting one. Is it to be the richest woman in the world?” Damian asked me in the video.

“Sure.”

Jolene stopped the video and looked at me. “Not only did you hesitate, but there was a whole cosmos of micro-expressions before you gave your answer. Your eye-blocking behavior alone makes me willing to give my right arm if your ambition is to be the richest woman in the world.”

I hesitated before I admitted, “It’s not.”

“Thank you for being honest. Now, can we agree that for the rest of this experiment, you’ll commit to being truthful with each other?”

“It’s hard,” I complained.

Atlas crossed his arms. “We get that, but for any lie we see from now on, we’re cutting a thousand dollars from your earnings.”

I could feel Damian look at me, but I kept my eyes on Jolene, feeling pressured. She and Atlas were expecting Damian and me to bare our inner thoughts and secrets a hundred percent, but I already felt way too vulnerable and exposed.

Jolene put her pad away. “Don’t look at us like we’re evil. You both agreed to this experiment, and if this ordeal is to make any difference, you two need to step it up and take it seriously. The log you’ve given me with how many minutes you’ve been apart is alarming. The agreement was for you to be apart as little as possible, and instead, you’re taking long bathroom breaks. I’m sure you feel like you need the time apart, but it defies the purpose of the experiment, which is why I need to ask for the key.”

“Why?” Damian sat up taller.

“Because these last days of the experiment, you’ll be in handcuffs the entire time.”

“No. That’s crazy,” I protested.

“Maybe it’s radical, but you’ve already proved that you can cook together.”

“I don’t think ye understand the logistics of bein’ handcuffed,” Damian told them. “We have four days left, and we wouldn’t be able to change our shirts. That’s disgustin’.”

“You’ll figure it out. Now give me the key,” Jolene stuck her hand out.

I turned to Atlas. “You don’t expect me to shower in front of Damian, do you? And you can’t demand that we’re handcuffed when using the toilet.”

“No one is forcing you to do anything. Jolene set up fair rules, but you didn’t follow them. If either of you want to end the experiment right now, you can.”

“I’m not a quitter,” Damian exclaimed.

“Good. What about you, Lumi?” Jolene asked. “Are you willing to step up the challenge? At least then you can move to Chicago knowing you did everything you could to…”

“Chicago… what the hell are ye talkin’ about? Lumi’s not movin’ anywhere.” Damian narrowed his eyes as he stared at me. “Are ye?”

I felt all the color leave my face.

Jolene had obviously heard of my conversation with Atlas from yesterday.

“I’m sorry,” she said, but something told me she had spilled that piece of information on purpose. “We’ll leave you two to talk now. I just need the key before we leave.”