CHAPTER 57: THE TRUTHS

For the rest of their vacation in Japan, Adrian and Bianca visited many places, watched the cherry blossoms Bianca had wanted to see, attended countless shows and festivals, and tried all kinds of food.

The gift from Adrian’s grandfather, without them even realizing it, had brought the two people, who had started out with no feelings for each other—closer together. Before they knew it, their days in Japan had dwindled to just one. Adrian and Bianca would have to return to New York the next day.

As soon as Adrian and Bianca arrived at the hotel, Bianca immediately flopped onto the bed.

"I’m exhausted... my whole body aches," she said, stretching out with a sigh.

Hearing this, Adrian offered right away, "Want me to give you a massage?"

Bianca didn’t hesitate. "Sure," she said, smiling softly. She wasn’t as shy as before, now she treated Adrian more like a friend, her contract partner.

In their bedroom, Adrian started massaging Bianca’s shoulders. They had just finished shopping for souvenirs for family and friends in Shibuya.

"How’s the massage? Feeling good?" Adrian asked, shifting to gently rub her head.

"Mmm," Bianca murmured, closing her eyes and relaxing under his touch.

Adrian’s massage eased the tension from her body. Bianca began to feel sleepy, but she couldn’t drift off—there was something she needed to say. She still wasn’t completely ready, but she knew she couldn’t keep it from Adrian any longer.

"Hm, Adrian... there’s something I want to tell you," she said softly.

"What do you want to talk about?" Adrian asked, curious, still massaging her.

Bianca turned, making Adrian lower his hand. Facing each other, they locked eyes for a moment.

Adrian smiled softly and asked again, "So... what did you want to talk about?"

"Mm, it’s about..." Bianca hesitated, biting her lower lip.

"About what, Bianca?" Adrian prompted gently, sensing her unease.

"About me and Rafael..." Bianca whispered quietly.

For the past few days, Bianca had been wrestling with her thoughts and feelings. She had planned to tell Adrian about her past with Rafael only after they returned to New York. But the guilt and need for honesty had been gnawing at her, and she decided to confess the day before they left.

"About you and Raf?" Adrian repeated, his expression calm but unreadable.

Bianca nodded.

"Why about you and Raf?" Adrian asked, his curiosity restrained yet evident.

Bianca wasn’t sure how to explain her relationship with Rafael. She felt embarrassed and almost ashamed at the thought of admitting that their relationship had been purely physical.

Shit. Adrian was going to hate me.

"I... I used to have a relationship with Raf," she admitted quietly, her heart racing.

"Relationship? What do you mean?" Adrian asked, pretending not to know, his voice calm and neutral.

But his heart couldn’t lie. He felt a pang of jealousy and unease hearing Bianca mention another man she had been involved with—even if it was Rafael, his close friend.

Adrian had always been curious about Bianca and Rafael, how they had been involved. After all, Rafael already had a fiancée, and Adrian knew he wasn’t the type to play around.

Yet now, hearing Bianca about to reveal her past with Rafael, Adrian felt unready. He feared that if he heard something he didn’t like, it might anger him and he wasn’t sure he could control that reaction.

Summoning her courage, Bianca finally said, "Friends with benefits. That’s what my relationship with Raf was." She quickly lowered her gaze, too embarrassed to meet Adrian’s eyes.

"Friends with benefits, huh?"

Adrian let out a heavy breath, a slight of discomfort tightening his chest. Out of everything he had imagined about Bianca and Rafael, he had never thought their relationship was purely physical, without commitment. He had assumed they might have been secretly dating, since Rafael wasn’t the type to play around like him or Zak. But he had been wrong.

"Was he your first?" Adrian asked, trying to sound neutral.

Bianca nodded.

Adrian felt a knot in his stomach. He hadn’t expected that. No wonder Rafael had seemed so into Bianca, they were each other’s first.

Rafael had once told him and Zak that he would remain celibate until he found someone who truly made him fall in love. Zak had even scolded Rafael, saying he was missing out on mind-blowing experiences.

Adrian couldn’t deny the small sting of disappointment that Bianca’s first man had been his best friend. He had suspected it when she said she wasn’t a virgin anymore, but hearing it from her lips made it sting a little more.

Still, he reminded himself not to judge Bianca—he had no right, given his own past.

"What were your feelings for Rafael?" Adrian asked, genuinely wanting to know.

"Rafael was just a friend. I have nothing to do with him anymore. Before we got married, my relationship with him was already over," Bianca explained quickly, not wanting Adrian to misunderstand. "You probably feel disgusted or upset with me, right? You probably expected me to be different than what I am."

Bianca’s downcast expression made Adrian’s heart soften. He sighed and gently cupped her cheek, his thumb brushing lightly across her skin.

"I’m not disgusted, and I don’t hate you, Bianca. I know about your relationship with Raf," Adrian said.

Bianca froze in surprise, her eyes widening. "You... you know about my relationship with Raf?"

"Yeah, i know..." Adrian pulled his hand away from her cheek.

"How did you know about my relationship with Rafa? Did Rafael tell you?" Bianca asked, fidgeting slightly. She was uneasy, afraid Rafael might have said something untrue to Adrian.

Adrian gave a small, faint smile, but his face stayed serious. "Rafael never told me. I figured it out myself."

He shook his head a little. "He was like an open book, easy to read. I could tell when a woman had him all flustered. But I didn’t know that woman was you."

Adrian’s eyes sharpened. "When I told him and Zak that my future wife was you, his expression changed instantly. That’s when I got suspicious."

He looked at Bianca directly. "And in Bali, Rafa couldn’t stop staring at you. That’s when I realized I was right, you were the one who made him restless."

Adrian let out a quiet sigh, running a hand through his hair. "But to be honest, I had no idea your relationship was exactly like what you just told me. I thought you two had just dated."

***