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Her sigh was pained but not surprised. “I didn’t much follow the story at the time, but when he disappeared, I did a bit of digging—and your name kept coming up every time I Googled him. I’ve seen the photos. He’d made a right mess of you.” She tilted her head, studying his features with open curiosity. “Incredible recovery. Come in. I suppose we’d better talk.”

“Everything okay?” asked the teen, standing sentinel-style at the base of the stairs.

“Everything’s fine, Lorcan. Go on upstairs. Give me a minute.”

“But—”

“Go.”

The teen groaned, but he went.

“My baby brother is visiting,” explained Caity. “He’s protective. Kitchen’s this way.”

The house was decorated in a minimalistic style, with lots of natural light. They passed by twin low sofas upholstered in linen and indoor trees planted in earth-toned pots.

Caity took them to the polished wood table in the uncluttered kitchen. “I’ll put the kettle on. Patty—my fiancé—is out of town until tomorrow.”

Oliver pulled out Addison’s chair before taking his own seat next to her.

“When did you marry Kyle?” Addison asked as Caity slid a steaming cup of black tea to her. Reaching for the milk and sugar, she made it creamy and sweet enough to make her forget it wasn’t coffee.

Joining them at the table, Caity added sugar to her own cup. “Two years ago. It was magical for about six months after we got married.”

“He never said a word to me,” said Addison.

“He told me his family were estranged. So I never pushed to meet anyone. About six months in, Kyle had to go back to the States for work. But he visited often—I paid for the flights. When he was here, things were great. Then he had to stay longer in Seattle, something to do with his startup. He’d put his life savings into it and needed funds. I was happy to help him out, even when he got so busy it would take him days to return my calls.”

Addison studied her new sister-in-law. How Kyle managed to get this caliber of women to fall for him, she’d never know. Sure, he was charming and funny. But how charming and funny do you have to be to get someone to send you payments while not answering their calls?

Clearly, Caity never intended to repeat that mistake. If she stirred her tea any harder, she’d unleash a twister. “Then, out of nowhere, he texted me that it’s over and blocked me. No explanation, no call. Just one text. I was furious at the time, but it was the best thing that could have happened to me. Because I got closer to a childhood friend, Patty. We got pregnant, and he proposed. Except I couldn’t get hold of Kyle to sort the divorce.”

“How long ago was that?” asked Oliver.

“About eight months. Then one day, four months ago, he turns up on my doorstep. Begging for forgiveness, wanting to try again. Thank God Patty wasn’t home—he’d have broken his nose.” Her expression darkened. “I told him I wanted that divorce. He threatened to”—her neck turned blotchy red—“to share a private video of us. I didn’t even know he filmed it!”

Addison gripped her teacup. What the fuck was her brother doing?

Caity drained the rest of her tea. “I was absolutely livid. But I couldn’t do that to Patty. I promised to pay Kyle, as long as he signed the divorce papers. He said he’d think about it and gave me a new number.” She practically vibrated. “The bastard. The next day, I told Patty everything—I couldn’t keep something like that from him. I tried ringing Kyle after, but he’d blocked me again. We’ve been trying to find him since.” Standing, she scooped up her empty cup and took it to the sink. Even from a distance, Addison saw the woman’s lip quiver. “Patty wants to be married before the baby comes, and it’s all my fault we’re in this mess.”

If Caity scrubbed the teacup any harder, she’d erase the daisy pattern from its rim.

“First of all,” said Addison, closing the distance to Caity, “this isn’t your fault. All of this is my brother’s fault. Second of all, I have some really good news for you.”

Caity swiped a fist across her tear-streaked cheek, staring at the by now thrice-washed teacup in the sink. “There’s no good news when it comes to your brother.”

“It might hurt to hear what I’m about to say, but in the long run, you’ll be relieved. And if I had known earlier that he married you, I’d have stopped the wedding. Because what he did to you is terrible and unfair, and he put you in a really bad position.”

Caity chewed on her lip with gathering intensity. Finally, she faced Addison. “Tell me.”

“You aren’t married to Kyle.”

“Of course I am.” Grabbing a nearby kitchen cloth, Caity wiped down the water-splattered counter. “We had the ceremony in Castle Combe. I have the marriage certificate.”

Castle Combe. No wonder Roman couldn’t find the record in Ireland. Not that it mattered now. “Unless polygamy is suddenly legal, you aren’t. He never divorced his first wife.”

The remaining color drained from Caity’s face. “W-what are you saying? Of course he’s divorced. He was divorced when we met.”

Laying a hand on Caity’s shoulder, Addison spoke slowly to emphasize her words. “He’s still married to his first wife, who’s in prison.”