Page 3 of Bitter Secrets

“I trust him,” she lied, “but if it makes you feel better, I’ll send it over.”

He grunted, “Good.” More silence and then, “You’re really going to go through with this?”

“Yes.”

“Why?Give me one reason why you’d stay with him after all he’s done.”

This was her moment. Lyle wouldn’t believe they married so quickly and under such suspicious circumstances because she was stupid enough to fall for him again, but there was another reason. It was trivial in the grand scheme of things and not grounded in logic or sound judgment, but it had been enough for her to walk away from her family’s fortune seven years ago. It would have to do.

“I’m with him for the same reason I married him the first time.”

“Which is?”

“Because no one has ever made me feel like he does.” She pressed a hand to her churning stomach. He roused fear and passion in equal measure. She was sure a psychologist would have a field day with that.

“I thought after all the time we’ve been apart, he wouldn’t affect me, but we picked up right where we left off.” She paced around the kitchen as she tread a fine line between truth and lies, so Lyle wouldn’t be able to tell one from the other. “We can’t be around each other without…”

Graphic images of what they did in Kaia’s remote cabin and on their wedding night danced through her head. She clenched her teeth against the torrent of emotions that bubbled in her throat. Despite having the entire floor to herself, she felt the slap of claustrophobia and a sudden need for fresh air. She dashed out of the stifling kitchen and into the airy living room.

“There’s something between us… something that’s intensified instead of fading away. No matter what I do, it’s always there, drawing us to one another, worse than before…” She took a deep breath and let it out. “Toxic chemistry.” When Lyle said nothing, she added, “You don’t believe me? Ask Daiyu what we did in her store’s dressing room.”

“You want to have sex with that asshole? I can’t stop you,” Lyle said testily. “That doesn’t explain why you married him.”

“People like us don’t date,” she said, borrowing Roth’s line as she marched around the room. “And he didn’t want to hide that we were seeing each other. He wanted us to give it a real go, to be what we could have been if Dad hadn’t…” Her throat thickened with emotion that bled through the phone. “We never got over each other. Maybe that’s why I kept writing about him. When I saw him again, it all came back. I thought we could make it this time. I… I thought he changed.”

“He hasn’t!”

She dropped her face into her hand. “I didn’t know Dad blackmailed him.”

“You don’t know a lot about him.”

Wasn’t that the truth.

“You’re playing way out of your league. You’re going to get burned.”

Maybe, but she had no choice.

“Did he come clean about what Maximus blackmailed him about?”

A chill raced down her spine, making her shiver. “No.”

“I’m going to find out.”

She stilled. “How?”

“I hired a private investigator.”

“No!”

“How can you not want to know?” he demanded.

“Of course, I do,” she snapped back. “But some things are better left buried.”

“If Maximus uncovered his secret, don’t you think others will, too?”

She’d already considered that. “Roth has many enemies. If someone uncovered what Dad did, they would be using it against him right now.”

“Then it won’t hurt if I have someone dig around.”

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