“Tell me what, Vienna?”
And then she says three words to me, but they’re not the ones I was thinking of.
“I’m still married.”
Chapter 26
Vienna
Putting the Pieces Together, But There Are Two Pieces Missing
“You’re still married?” Rhonan is pacing back and forth across the floor of the same wine cellar he dragged me to a few weeks ago, but the energy in the room is much different than it was that day.
After I blurted out my confession to him on the dance floor, he made sure Ellis was occupied and being looked after, then he brought me down here so we could talk privately.
“Legally? Yes. But Rhonan, my marriage has been over for a very long time.”
“So, the man you told me about last week on our date isstillyour husband?”
“Yes,” I say, my reply direct and my eyes locked on his. I’m not trying to make excuses. This is my fault for letting our relationship get this far without telling him the truth. But after hearing his words on thedance floor, the life he envisions for us and his daughter? I couldn’t hold my truth back any longer.
He shakes his head, trying to put the pieces together.
“Vienna…”
“I hired Elliot to draw up a petition of divorce for me, Rhonan—because when I left Cole, I did it without telling him. Well, I kind of told him, but he wouldn’t listen.”
“What do you mean?”
I take a steadying breath. “I told you that I got married fast, but as soon as we became husband and wife, something shifted in Cole. I told myself it was normal, that wedded bliss was a fairy tale, but Lydia picked up on it and slowly started trying to get me to see what was right in front of my face.”
“Which was?”
“That my husband was a selfish asshole who didn’t deserve me.” Rhonan’s jaw ticks, but I continue. “I made excuses for his behavior all the time, and then when he approached me about having a baby, I thought maybe he was starting to change. Starting a family was something I’ve always wanted, but after months of trying to get pregnant with no success, he started to get mean.”
“What the fuck?”
I nod. “Yeah. I can’t begin to express how frustrating it is to want something so badly and fear that it will never happen. Even though looking back now, I’m grateful that I never got pregnant with Cole’s child, I’m not sure if I ever will. The second I suggested going to see a doctor, he flipped out and grabbed me—hard. Lydia saw the bruises that he left and she flipped out on me. That’s when I think I finally started to realize he was not a good person and things between us were never going to change.”
His eyes find the ground as he thinks. “Wow, this is a lot to take in.”
“There’s more.” When he looks back up at me, I continue. “Right after Cole grabbed me the first time, Lydia told me about her diagnosis. She begged me to leave him, but I couldn’t fathom dealing with him and losing my best friend at the same time, so I dealt with his mentally, emotionally, and verbally abusive behavior for a few more months.”
He finally closes the distance between us, cupping the side of my face. “You are so fucking strong, do you know that?”
I shake my head. “No, I’m not, Rhonan. I’m a coward, and I’m so mad at myself for not being strong enough to leave him earlier when I knew things were wrong, but I didn’t want to believe it. I didn’t want my marriage to be a failure. Plus, when you’re married to a U.S. senator, divorce isn’t an easy choice.”
His eyes widen. “Wait, what did you just say?”
Sighing, I close my eyes and mentally kick myself. “Shit. I—I was getting to that part.”
“Cole… Cole…” I can almost see the moment that everything clicks in his mind. “Fuck. So your husband is…”
“Cole Cassidy,” I finish for him. “A senator for West Virginia and a horrible human being.”
His eyebrows draw together again. “But your last name…”
“Lydia created a new identity for me before she died. It was delivered to me a few weeks after her funeral. She wanted to protect me and give me a shot at a new life, so she thought of everything—my license, passport, teaching certificate, birth certificate…” Shaking my head, I say, “She wasn’t just looking out for me when she was alive, but she gave me the means to leave even after she was gone. And I figured the farther I got from West Virginia, the less risk of being recognized.” I hold onto the lapels of his suit jacket a little tighter. “I’m so sorry that I hid all of this from you, but as soon as I met you, I just wanted to beme—the real me. Not Vienna Cassidy, not Cole Cassidy’s wife, and not the shell of a woman I was when I was with him. You allowed me to be the person I forgot was hiding underneath all of the baggage I collected during my marriage.”
