Page 145 of To Tango, with Desire

“I’m sure if you speak to the executor, you could be granted access.”

“I don’t even know if the letter still exists. It was twenty years ago.”

“It might be somewhere in his rooms?”

“It looked like he’d moved into Omar’s room, but yeah, it might be.”

“Let’s call the executor in the morning and go from there. And Zane, for what it’s worth, I’m sorry I didn’t tell you about it. I didn’t feel like it was my place.”

He walked over to me, holding my hands. “I get it. It’s not like I’ve been very forthcoming in this marriage. But I don’t want secrets, I’ve had enough of them for a lifetime. And I know it wasn’t on you, but it still hurt.”

“I know. I couldn’t bear telling you. I knew it had to come from Kade.”

“I’m certain you would’ve handled it much better than he did.”

Zane scrubbed at his face, then sat at the edge of the bed. When he patted the duvet, I joined him.

“I know he’s done wrong, but . . .”

“What?”

I glanced at Zane’s weary face. “I’m not sure you’re going to like what I have to say.”

“Total honesty, right?”

“Right. I think you have a chance to help him. To give him what his father never could.”

“What’s that?”

“Loyalty.”

“Tell me.”

“It seems like Kade has led a really challenging life. Clearly, his mom’s death, your mom’s death, and his father’s infidelities have shaped him. He believes that this is how the world works. He expects you to cut him off, to take him to court. Make him pay back the money he took from the business. But what if you didn’t? What if you chose to help him?”

“After he’s stolen money from me? Help him after another betrayal?”

“He’ll never get out of his addiction. Not unless he heals and comes to terms with what’s happened in the past. Get him the support he needs, not because Omar told you to do it, but because Kade needs someone who can see the good in him. You’ve known him the longest, and you’ve seen him at his worst. And his best. All I’m saying is to think about it.”

“I will.” After a moment, he continued. “I was thinking about our childhood a lot last night. I kept replaying events with a critical eye, questioning Omar’s motives. And try as I might to cast him as the ultimate villain, I find myself unable to do so.”

“You can’t just switch off your love for him.”

“But it feels like not doing so is betraying my mom’s memory. To think she might have suffered, to have died the way she did because of him . . .” He shuddered. “It haunts me, Amira.”

I could see the pain in his eyes, and I caressed his face, trying to offer him comfort. Trying to make the best of what was an awful situation.

“She wouldn’t want you to suffer on her account. You need to take comfort in the fact that she wasn’t alone. She had Kade with her in those final moments. I know it’s painful, but you can’t torment yourself.”

“It makes me feel sick to even think about it. What the hell went on in that house, Amira? Christ. You know, there were rumors that Kade’s mom committed suicide.”

I tried to process the horror of what it must have been like for Kade as a little boy. It broke my heart just thinking about it.

“According to rumors, she jumped off the roof and was found in the front drive with her head smashed in. But according to Omar, she had a stroke, slipped, and fell on the pavement.”

I shivered. “Why would he lie about it?”

Zane shrugged. “Maybe it was denial? Or more likely to save face. But we never had any reason to believe that it wasn't a stroke.”