I step back. “Don’t come near me.”
“Anna, listen to me. Yes, I engineered the situation that led to the marriage. That’s true. But that was before I knew you. Before the twins. Before any of this became real.”
“Real? This was never real. I was in phase three of your business plan.”
“It started as a business. It became something else.”
“How do I know that? How do I know anything you’ve said is true?” I’m shaking. My whole body, trembling with rage and betrayal. “You spent three years destroying my family so you could take what you wanted. And I fell for it. I actually started to believe you cared.”
“I do care.”
“You care about controlling Kestrel Maritime. That’s what you care about!”
“Four months ago, yes. That’s what I cared about. But things change. People change. I changed.”
“People like you don’t change. My mother warned me. She said men like you don’t change easily. But I didn’t listen. I let myself believe the pancakes and the bedtime stories meant something.”
“They do mean something.”
“Stop lying to me!” I’m screaming now. Don’t care who hears. “Stop pretending this is anything other than what it is. A business transaction you’ve been executing for three years.”
“It was a business transaction. Now it’s a marriage. Now it’s a family.”
“No. It’s a lie. All of it. Every moment I thought was real was just you following your acquisition strategy.” I push past him toward the door. He catches my arm. “Let go of me.”
“Not until you listen.”
“I’ve heard enough. I’ve seen enough. There’s nothing you can say that changes what’s in those documents.”
“Those documents are old. Outdated. I’ve been working on something different. Something that changes everything.”
“I don’t care what you’ve been working on. I care that you spent three years planning to destroy my family, and I was stupid enough to fall for you anyway.”
His grip loosens. “You fell for me?”
“That’s what you heard? Out of everything I just said?”
“You said you fell for me.”
“And you destroyed my family to force a marriage you’d been planning for years. Which part do you think matters more?” I wrench my arm free and walk out of the study.
He follows me into the hallway. “Anna, wait.”
“No. I’m done waiting. I’m done believing. I’m done pretending this is anything other than what it is.”
“What are you going to do?”
I stop at the base of the stairs and turn to look at him. “I’m going to pack. I’m taking the twins. And I’m leaving.”
“You can’t.”
“Watch me.”
“Where will you go? You have no money. No resources. Your parents can’t help you.”
“I don’t care. I’ll figure it out. Anything is better than staying here and playing my role in your acquisition strategy.”
“If you leave, the debt becomes enforceable. Your father loses everything.”
