Page 98 of The Husband Contract

“What? I thought...”

“I know what you thought. I never cheated on your father, Seb. Those men who used to come at all hours of the night—the ones your dad accused me of sleeping with—they were advisors. They were giving me business advice because I didn’t know what I was doing in the beginning, but someone had to save the company from downfall. Your dad was running it into the ground.”

“Oh… I didn’t know.”

“I know you didn’t. I didn’t want to tarnish your father’s reputation. Ruining my image in our community as the perfect wife with the perfect family was out of the question.”

“But you sent me away to boarding school,” I hiss, old emotions clawing at the surface. “You sent Sergio away.”

She pauses for a long beat. My heart must pound a hundred times within that moment.

“Do you remember that night when I saw you crying?” she asks softly. “When you were under the table, watching your dad and I? When I threw that glass and your dad slammed his fist through the wall?”

All too vividly, unfortunately.

“Yeah.”

“Well, I saw you...” Her voice cracks. “I love you and your brother. I didn’t want to damage you. So, I sent you to boarding school. I didn’t want you to be around the shouting and accusations or anywhere near your father when he got upset. He was becoming increasingly violent. There were times he hit me.”

A flash of anger burns hot in my gut.

“I didn’t know that, Mom. Why didn’t you ever—” I pause, I don’t want her to think I was judging her. I have no business speaking on what went on in her relationship. “But it still affected me. It affected me and it affected Sergio.”

“I know,” she says softly. “I did it all wrong. If I could go back, I would do it differently. But when I married your father, it wasn’t for his money. That was a plus. I married him because I wanted a family. He said I could stay home when we had kids, and that’s all I wanted—to be the perfect mother. That was my life’s goal.”

I don’t say anything. She was far from the perfect mother. She has to know that.

“Sergio is broken, Mom, and he’s been broken for a long time.”

“I know. Why do you think I told him to go to Thailand?”

“Youwhat?” My heart thuds. “Youtold him to go?”

“I suggested he travel. He came to me when his heart was broken, concerned and conflicted that women just wanted him for his money. I told him life is about more than that. He agreed traveling the world sounded enticing, but he didn’t want to leave you. I encouraged him to go.”

“You encouraged him to travel, Mom? His leaving has caused speculation that we’re going under?—”

“I needed him to get out of that polyamorous relationship. He shouldn’t have been in that. It was messing with his head.”

“What are you talking about? What polyamorous relationship?”

“That Louisa is no good. I’ve always thought?—”

“What? Louisa? The one who works for me?”

She sighs. “You’ve never wanted to talk to me, Sebastian. You’ve always kept me out, and I understand. But there are many things you don’t know. Many things you don’tunderstand. And maybe I should have tried harder. Maybe we all should have.”

“Mom, are you saying Sergio was in a polyamorous relationship with Louisa?”

“I don’t know the full details. But I do know they were sleeping together. And I do know she introduced him to Willow, the damsel in distress who broke his heart.”

“Willow? You know about Willow?” I feel cold inside.

“I mean, she’s the root of all of this, isn’t she?” My heart thuds as I listen to her bitter words.

“So Sergio spoke to you?”

“Yes. He’s been surprisingly forgiving. He’s let me into his life again, and I hope you can let me in as well.”