“I know you met with Kat—your real mother—but you don’t know the whole story.” I sense him sit down next to me. My heart clatters in my ears as I wait for him to continue. “She’s not the noble matriarch she may have you believe.” I still don’t reply, so he continues, “In fact, she’s more a manipulative gold digger hellbent on revenge than she is anything else.”
“According to who?You?My father?”
He sighs, “El—”
I push myself up to sitting and turn to face the man I vowed to love. “You were drugging me! Please, just cut the condescending bullshit.”
“I am,” he barks. “Just let me tell you a story, then you can make an informed decision.”
I hold his gaze, giving him my best poker face. “You have five minutes.”
He groans and rolls his eyes, but then seems to catch himself. “Fine. Have it your way. Your mother married your father for power, not love. She came to America as a poor immigrant and orchestrated her climb to the top—”
“Yeah, I think it’s called the American Dream—”
“Well, most American Dreams don’t involve murder, do they?”
“I’m sure plenty of them do—we just don’t get the seedy side of the story in the history books,” I shoot back.
“It’s noble to think that your mother was an abused wife—that she discovered your dad’s true nature and then set The Society against him—but that’s only one side of the story. The truth is she’s been tracking and eliminating powerful men for years—long before she even married your dad, Ellie.” He frowns, dark eyes clinging to mine. “Your mother is a serial killer of men.”
Forty-Two
Ellie
“You’re insane,” I tell him, gathering my bag to head back to the hotel.
“Am I, Ellie? Really?” He sits on the edge of the fountain for a long moment, his hands clasped in his lap. He looks contrite for the first time in years—maybe ever. “The fact is, I don’t have any proof to show you, but surely you’ve realized you don’t have any proof to discredit me either.”
I clamp my lips closed because he’s right.
“Your father outmaneuvered your mother once he realized what her game was. He convinced the world she was insane to protect himself and you.” His gaze penetrates mine. I feel like I’m in the spotlight, like he’s asking more of me than I have to give.
“So what am I supposed to think about finding Aubrey nearly naked and wrapped around you in our apartment?”
“I know it looks bad, but it wasn’t. Listen, I swear to you nothing happened between us. She stopped over to drop off mail that was delivered to the wrong address and I spilled all over her so I offered a change of clothes.”
“Right,” I utter, not believing a word.
“Do you believe me?” he finally asks.
I weigh my options, Aubrey’s comment long ago about keeping my friends close and my enemies closer ringing through my mind. I swallow my pride and allow the lie to leave my lips. “Yes, I believe you.”
Now is the time to end this for good, I think. A new chapter is waiting—I can’t stay stuck in neutral forever and I can’t let my husband know I suspect him of far bigger crimes than this one.
“Good.” Jack sighs with relief. He stands, holding his arms out for a hug. “Thank you for giving me a minute to explain.”
I nod, then stand and allow him to wrap me in his once-comforting embrace. He plants a kiss on the crown of my head and whispers, “Please, come home.”
I remain silent, unwilling to give him anything else.
“Please, El—” his palms press harder into my back. Maybe it’s in an effort to comfort me, but I can’t help but feel suffocated and controlled. “I forgave you for your indiscretion last year—let’s just put all of this behind us and move on. Together.”
I nod against his chest, tears forming painfully in my throat. “Okay. I think I’d like to try again—to rebuild.”
Relief floods Jack’s tense muscles, and he loosens his grip on me, placing one last kiss on my forehead before pulling away. “Thank God. Fuck, I haven’t slept in a week thinking I’d lost you for good.”
I don’t respond. Let him think what he wants, but the truth remains that he has lost me. I’m just not ready for him to know that yet. I still have work to do here.
