“Donovan was paying her.”
Colson said the words plainly, as he slid another piece of pineapple into his mouth. My hair spun as my head whipped toward Theo.
“Was he?”
Theo shrugged and nodded sheepishly. “Seems that way.”
I closed my eyes and inhaled a deep breath, taking a moment. When I let it out, it was a long stream of swear words.
“I should’ve known,” I eventually sighed. “They were too close, too soon. I always felt left out of their little loop.Like the two of them were in cahoots.”
“Peyton—”
“And my mother, starting it all. Inviting me to come with her to certain galas. Pressuring me to accept Donovan’s first invitation, when I wasn’t sure I wanted to.” I gnashed my teeth. “And fuck, healwaysknew what to say to me. Like he’d known me all my life. Because—”
“Your mother was spoon-feeding him everything he needed,” Ripley finished.
Backstabbing witch!
I balled my hand into a fist, and almost pounded it into the outside cabin wall. I’d been so blind, so willfully stupid! All those times I’d gone to her with problems, she had me doubting my instincts. She’d take his side, every time, no matter what happened between us. Shit, I couldn’t count the number of times she made excuses for Donovan. Assured me he ‘only wanted what was right’ for me.
My own mother…
Theo’s hand touched my shoulder. Slowly, gently, he began massaging my aching neck.
“Don’t be too hard on yourself,” he murmured. “Donovan can’t even seduce women on his own, he has to hire the job out like everything else. I don’t think he’s capable of love. He just collects assets.”
“So I was an asset,” I grumbled. “Doesn’t make me feel any better.”
“We were all assets,” Colson pointed out. “Each of us. For different reasons.”
“Your mother isn’t worrying too much about your location anyway,” Theo went on. “Donovan’s pushing avictimhood narrative now. You were mentally unstable; that’s why you fled the wedding. He’s been putting up with it silently for months, trying to keep his personal life separate from his professional.”
“How very fucking brave of him,” snarled Ripley.
“So where does my mother think I am?”
Theo paused for a moment. Colson nodded, giving him the go-ahead.
“At the moment, rumor has it you’re at an undisclosed mental health crises center. Getting ‘the help you need.’”
I was stunned. Angry. Totally blown away.
“Look on the bright side,” Ripley elbowed me. “If you ask me, you’re looking better already.”
I curled my lip in disgust. My mother had put her own interests well before mine, but that was to be expected. It was on brand for her.
But now she’d taken money to betray me, and that part hurt more than anything.
“I knew her consulting firm was hurting,” I said flatly. “Even on the brink of bankruptcy. But I never thought she’d sell me out. Her own daughter.”
“Maybe youshouldcall her,” Ripley theorized. “Give her a piece of your mind.”
“With Donovan controlling the narrative on my ‘mental health crisis?’” I laughed, bitterly. “She wouldn’t listen to a single thing I had to say.”
The boat continued slicing through the water, propelling us in the direction of our inevitable fate. I started feeling numb to what came next. My past life was gone, whichI was more than fine with, but my future was still a hazy, shape-shifting mass of uncertainty. All courtesy of Donovan Prescott.
“We do have some good news,” Colson announced.
