Page 104 of The Wrong Husband

"I went off food and water for almost a week until he gave in." Yeah. That was me. Stubborn bastard. Even more stubborn as a child, when life’s experiences hadn’t yet chipped away at my determination. One could argue, at my core, I'm the same. More cautious, perhaps, since getting in the Secret Service.More patient, since I’ve learned to channel my brain power into biotech advances.

At heart, though, I'm still that child. Idealistic. Wanting to make the world a better place.

Getting bored easily was the bane of my existence. Until I understood that there's a bigger picture—a reason for our living.

It was my mother’s devoutness that helped me find a focus. Going to church with her, realizing there was a higher power… Then discovering that didn’t explain many of the phenomena in daily life. Like why the sun rose in the east. Or why the sky was blue. Or why water never flowed uphill.

It was the laws of science that helped me understand the world around me better. It helped me understand myself better. I’d found my calling: explaining the hidden, finding solutions to what people had deemed unsolvable. And then, needing to have more than one obsession, and perhaps, because all of those arguments with Arthur had stuck in my head, I also applied to be in the British Secret Service. And was accepted.

No one was prouder than Arthur that I worked for the government. It did mean having to spend long lengths of time away from home on undercover missions, while building up my own company within the Davenport Group to drive biotech breakthroughs.

And then, the shock that Arthur owns my patents. I was pissed off at myself. I left the process of patent registration to my team.

A team which, I now realize, Arthur bribed to register the patents in his name. A team I've since let go.

The anger I felt at the betrayal gave way to resignation.

I should have been more vigilant.

The crafty bugger found a way to hold something over me. A route to coercing me into settling down.

Of course, it resulted in finding Phoenix. I might have met her anyway, but to think of marrying her so quickly after meeting her—that’s due to Arthur putting that thought in my head, I must concede.

Maybe, that son of a gun’s methods work, after all?

"So, what I’m saying is that you always knew what you wanted and went after it. To find you vacillating is unusual."

"I’m not vacillating," I protest.

"No?"

"I’ve never been as sure of anything as I am about wanting Phoenix as my life partner. However—" I hesitate. "There’s the fact that she doesn’t feel the same."

Another silence, this time filled with surprise, and more than a little disbelief. Then he barks out a laugh. "Mr. Bachelor-for-Life finds someone, only the woman doesn’t have feelings for him. Who’d have thought?"

"I’m going to disconnect now."

"No, hold on. I didn’t mean it to come out like that. Or maybe, I did. You have to admit, it’s a surprise. It’s not like any of us Davenports have a problem finding women."

It’s true. Thanks to the money and prestige that come with the Davenport name, women have been throwing themselves at us since each of us hit puberty. I see the truth in what he’s saying. But it doesn’t make it any easier to hear it.

"I gotta say, I have no idea what it's like to be in your shoes, except, ouch, that must hurt."

I wave at the steward who’s hovering in the doorway to the galley. He snaps to attention and disappears inside the sleek space.

"I’m sure I can change her mind," I say with confidence. "Only—" I hesitate. "Only, she has something on her mind. Something she’s promised she’ll share with me… Just not yet."

"Okay."

I hear him thinking.

"She’s been upfront with you about it, so there’s that."

"It’s the one thing giving me hope that she’ll eventually tell me about whatever it is that’s bothering her, but damn, if I don’t want her to tell me about it right away."

"It’s bothering you, huh?"

"Of course, it is."