Page 73 of Redemption

I run my finger along the crease between her brows. “Right after your engagement was announced.” Her eyes widen. “I talked Clayton into giving me your address, and I took the first flight out.”

Presley shakes her head. “I don’t understand. We never saw each other in New York.”

“That’s not entirely accurate,” I correct. “I saw you getting out of a car with him. I had this big plan. I was going to beg you not to marry him, to come home with me, but I couldn’t do it. I was fucking miserable without you, but you seemed genuinely happy. I didn’t understand how that could be true, but I saw it with my own eyes. I knew I had to let you go. Now, I really wish I would’ve been more selfish.”

The green in her eyes brightens with unshed tears. “It was all an act, Beckett. I was trying to convince myself I could be happy with him, but I never was, not even in the beginning. I never loved Sebastian. I almost left him at the altar, but I thought the damage between you and me had already been done. I was afraid to be alone with nothing but my depressing thoughts. I was incredibly sad, and it was eating me alive, so I had talked myself into staying with him. That was before I knew who he really was. I thought I’d be a fool to walk away when he was seemingly so perfect.” She wipes her tears as they spill over onto her cheeks. “God, I’ve made too many stupid decisions out of fear.”

Fuck.

A part of me is relieved she never really loved him because that confirms what we had was the real deal. But the other part is filled with regret for all the things she and I left unsaid. All of this could’ve been avoided if we learned how to communicate better. I slip under the covers and coax Presley into lying down next to me.

“Pres, I need you to promise me something.”

She sniffles. “What?”

I brush my hand along the side of her torso. “I don’t want to make the same mistakes. If you’re struggling, or if something’s on your mind, I need you to talk to me. I mean full disclosure, no matter how hard it is, or if you think it’ll upset me. Can you do that?”

Presley searches my eyes. “Can you?”

I brush the back of my hand over her tear-stained cheek. “Yeah, honey, I can. Because the alternative... the possibility of losing you again, isn’t a road I want to go down.”

She outlines my lips with her index finger. “Me neither, Beckett.”

Chapter Thirty-Nine

Presley

“I have good news.”

When I saw my divorce attorney’s name on my caller ID, I became instantly nervous, but her positive tone is alleviating some of my anxiety.

“What kind of good news?” I cross my fingers.

“I just received a call from your husband’s attorney. He’s not going to contest the divorce.”

My eyes widen. “Seriously?”

“There is one condition.” Now her tone is more ominous. Great. I can’t wait to hear what Sebastian wants.

“And what would that condition be?”

“You need to sign an agreement swearing you will not release any details regarding your husband’s affair.”

“Done.”

Melissa sighs audibly. “Presley, that’s not all. The agreement also covers what you learned about Sebastian’s... character during your marriage.”

I frown. “Meaning what exactly?”

“You cannot tell anyone about the abuse, which means you can’t file for an order of protection. You can’t press charges. Ever. If you do, Sebastian will have every right to sue for damages, which could be significant.”

“Done.”

“Presley, thin—”

“I said, done, Melissa. I appreciate your concern, but I don’t want anyone to know what I went through, especially not the public. I just want this to be over as quickly as possible. My family already knows what an asshole Sebastian is, so he’d have to deal with that. But they would never say anything if I asked them not to.”

She’s silent for a moment. “Okay, I’ll respond, telling them we accept their terms. Depending on how backlogged the courts are, things should be final in sixty to ninety days.”

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