Page 83 of The Russian's Revenge Bride

“I’ve never lied to you, sweetheart. I just…I never told you the truth.”

“That’s the same fucking thing!” I stood up abruptly, pacing to the window. My reflection stared back at me, and for the first time, I didn’t see William Beaumont’s features. I saw a stranger. “How? When? Why?”

Ruth took a shaky breath. “When I married William, I was already pregnant with you. Three months along.”

The words kept coming like bullets, each one tearing through me. “You were pregnant…with another man’s baby…when you married him?”

“It wasn’t supposed to happen that way.” She stood up, reaching for me, but I stepped back. “Garrison and I…we were together for two years. We loved each other, Eleanor. We wanted to get married, wanted to build a life together.”

“But?”

“But my father had other plans.” Her voice turned bitter. “A merger. That’s what he called it. William needed a wife to complete his respectable businessman image, and my father needed William’s money to save our family’s construction company.”

I stared at her, pieces clicking into place. “So you were sold. Like a fucking commodity.”

“That’s exactly what I was.” She wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. “My father told me I had two choices: marry William Beaumont or watch our family lose everything. Garrison…he wasn’t wealthy enough. He was just an artist, struggling to make ends meet.”

“Did William know?” My voice sounded strange, distant. “When he married you, did he know you were carrying another man’s child?”

Ruth’s silence was answer enough.

“Jesus Christ.” I ran my hands through my hair, pulling at the roots. “He knew. He fucking knew, and he married you anyway.”

“It was business, Eleanor. Nothing more. He needed a wife, and I came with the added bonus of a child he could claim as his own. The perfect family man image.”

“And Garrison? What happened to him?”

“He begged me not to go through with it.” Ruth’s voice broke completely now. “He said we’d figure it out, that we’d find a way to make it work. But I was so scared, Eleanor. So fucking terrified of what would happen to my family if I didn’t do what my father wanted.”

I felt sick. Actually, physically sick. “So you chose money over love.”

“I chose survival.” She stood up, moving toward me again. “I thought…I thought maybe William would grow to love you. Maybe he’d be a good father despite everything.”

“But he never did.” The words tasted like poison in my mouth. “He never loved me because every time he looked at me, he was reminded that his perfect wife belonged to someone else first.”

“Eleanor….”

“And now?” I turned to face her fully. “Now that you’ve finally grown a backbone and decided to leave him, he wants me dead? Is that his idea of punishment?”

Ruth flinched like I’d slapped her. “I filed for divorce six months ago. I couldn’t…I couldn’t pretend anymore. Not after I started seeing Garrison again.”

“How long?” My voice was deadly quiet. “How long have you been seeing him?”

“A year.” She couldn’t meet my eyes. “We ran into each other at a gallery opening. One thing led to another, and….”

“And you remembered what it felt like to be with someone who actually gave a shit about you.”

“Yes.”

I laughed, but there was no humor in it. “So William’s losing his trophy wife and his fake daughter all in one go. That must really fuck with his precious image.”

“He’s furious.” Ruth wrapped her arms around herself. “When I told him I wanted a divorce, he threatened me. Said he’d ruin Garrison, ruin me, ruin everyone I cared about.”

“Including me.”

“I never thought he’d actually try to hurt you.” Her voice was pleading now. “I thought…I thought he’d just cut you off financially, maybe spread some rumors about your business. I never imagined he’d resort to….”

“Murder.” I finished the sentence for her. “You never imagined he’d try to have his fake daughter murdered to send you a message.”