“What is this about?” he asked. “I am quite busy and?—”
“Do you know where I just came from?” she cut him off. “Earlier today. Do you know where I have been?”
“I do not.”
“The orphanage,” she said. “And do you want to know what Daniel asked me?” She raised both eyebrows. “He wants to knowwhy you have not been to visit him. He thinks…” She felt her chin tremble, but suppressed the urge to cry. “He thinks that you have abandoned them. That you have grown bored and?—”
“That is absurd,” he scoffed. “I was there just four days ago.”
“Which is a lifetime to them.”
He groaned and rubbed his eyes. “I do not expect you or the children to understand, Helena. Nor did I expect to have to explain myself. But what do you think I have been doing?” He indicated the work before him. “What do you think this is?”
“I wouldn’t presume to guess.”
“Everything I do is for the children,” he declared, his tone sharp. “Everything. And if I must take a few days’ break from them so I can finalize what needs to be finalized—bills written that once passed will protect them—then so be it.” He furrowed his brow angrily. “I would have thought that you would understand that.”
“So, you have been working toward…”
“Yes,” he snapped. “Every minute of every day. For years now, far longer than you have known the children that you accuse me of abandoning. And the fact that you think I… that I what?” The look on his face was both disappointed and disgusted. “That I grew bored? That I might be capable of that?” he scoffed. “I would have thought better of you.”
Helena breathed a sigh of relief.
That, at least, was one worry that she could put to bed. But it was also the least of her concerns, as horrid as that was to admit.
“Do not act so surprised,” she shot back, folding her arms as she continued to glare at him. “How am I supposed to know anything about what you do? As good a liar as you are, how am I supposed to believe a word of what you say?”
He frowned, his annoyance fading. “What… what does that mean?”
“You are a liar,” she snarled. “You always have been. Since the moment I met you, all you have done is—” She caught her tongue because she did not want to turn this into a fight. “I can’t trust anything you say anymore, Sebastian. That is why I am here. And do not dare act as if I am the one who has said or done anything wrong.”
He studied her closely. Brow furrowed, he licked his lips. “What are you saying?”
“The other day, when Lord Ashford was visiting you, I…” She felt her chin tremble again, her stomach churning. “I overheard you speaking.”
“What did you hear?”
“I think you know what I heard,” she said. “And I want to know—I have a right to know. Is it true? Is any of what you said true? And do not dare lie to me, Sebastian. For once in your life, tell me the truth.”
He did not look surprised by her admission. He did not look as if he was caught in a lie. No sense that he was working to come up with something to tell her. Rather, he almost looked upset. There was sadness in his eyes, a flickering flame slowly dying because he couldn’t be bothered to keep it alight any longer.
Once, those eyes looked upon her with love. Once, she had seen the truth of how he felt reflected in them. Now, they were cold and distant, devoid of empathy, and even before he spoke, she knew what he was going to say. She could feel it.
“So, you were listening, were you?” He sat back, his hands folded on the desk. “Is that what you have come to tell me?”
“Is it true?” she pressed.
“That depends on what you heard.”
“Is it true!” she cried out, letting the anger overtake her. “What you told Lord Ashford. That… that…” She was shaking, some from anger, some from heartbreak. And she wanted him to see it. “That everything you have said is a lie. How you felt about me. The…” She swallowed. “The kiss we shared. That none of it was true. That you… that you did it just to appease me. Tell me the truth.”
“I don’t know why you are surprised,” he said. “You knew what this was. From day one, you knew.”
Helena stumbled back. She had expected the answer, but hearing it spoken so coldly and matter-of-factly was like a slap to the face. “No…”
“I did not want it to be this way,” he continued. “Truly, I never meant to hurt you. But you must understand where I am coming from. I told you why I needed this marriage to work. I told you?—”
“You told me that you cared for me,” she cut him off, her voice cracking. “That you… The kiss…”
