Page 18 of Bitter Confessions

“That’s it.”

There was activity in his eyes. Lots of it, but she had no idea what was going on in that analytical computer-brain of his.

“You asked him to help you get a divorce, and in return, he wanted you to play daughter, with no other expectations or conditions.”

It wasn’t a question, but she answered anyway. “Yes.”

“Maximus led me to believe you’d remarry soon after the divorce.” He paused, giving her time to say something, but when she didn’t comment, he pushed. “In Colorado, you confirmed you’d received marriage offers. From who?”

She sniffled. “Distant acquaintances who only wanted me for my family connections.”

“And Maximus didn’t push you to accept?”

“He made it clear he wanted me to marry, but he didn’t force me.” Her father had learned his lesson. She would have run like hell if he tried to pressure her into an arranged marriage.

“Did you see Baldwin before he left the country?”

“Ford left the country?” she parroted, ignoring his threatening step toward her. “I haven’t seen him since we broke our engagement. Why would he want anything to do with me after what I did to him?”

Roth stared at her, clearly unsure whether to believe her or not.

“He lied to get a rise out of you.”

Roth’s expression was blank, but she sensed the turbulence beneath the surface.

“I never considered marrying anyone from my father’s world. I wanted someone normal—someone...”

His cutting look of censure stopped her from finishing her sentence. “Someone like the dozens of losers you fucked before the divorce was finalized?”

CHAPTER 5

Even as her stomach iced over, Jasmine gave Roth a plastic smile to cover the shame that snaked through her belly. “I guess that makes us even.”

His eyes narrowed to slits. “Did Maximus tell you I cheated on you?”

She wasn’t aware that she’d moved, only that she was on her feet, her body reacting to her flight instinct quicker than her mind. She took two strides before Roth grabbed hold of her.

“You wrote in your series that my character, Rex, cheated. Why?”

“Let me go.”

“What the fuck did I just tell you?” he growled as he put his hands on her shoulders. “No more running. We’re laying it all out.”

“Oh, is it confession time? Okay, Roth, why don’t you tell the class what my dad blackmailed you about? Inquiring minds want to know!” she announced with rabid good cheer before she dropped the act. “You demand answers from me but have no intention of answering my questions. I don’t harass you about your secrets. Have I asked you what you do for a living? How you became a billionaire in just over a decade despite my dad’s exhaustive efforts to humble you? How you ‘proved’ yourself to my dad’s associates? Why your mother called you a monster and wanted you institutionalized?”

She met his flinty gaze with fiery defiance. “Why did you really marry me? An alliance with my family can’t be the only reason you arranged the wedding and all this publicity. Nothing with you is that straightforward and simple. There are layers upon layers of ulterior motives. Is there an asset I inherited that you’re after? Someone within my family’s network that you’re targeting?”

His expression didn’t alter during her damning rant. He leaned in, a predator with a one-track mind. “Stop deflecting and answer. I told you in Colorado, I didn’t cheat on you. Why do you think I did?”

His words stabbed dead center in an old, festering wound, but she didn’t flinch. “Want me to list all the reasons?”

His eyes glinted. “Yes.”

“How about the fact we lived apart for two years in separate countries? What man sees his wife four to six times a year, and stays abstinent when he doesn’t even have to sneak around? You obviously didn’t want me dropping by—I had to force you to give me this address to send you a birthday present! You never wore a ring and apparently never bothered to tell anyone you were married, since the concierge thought I was some cheap hooker bothering a client! You even had flowers on the table as if...”

She wrenched herself away from him, unable to take his hands on her. Surprisingly, Roth let her go, but she felt his eyes tracking her as she paced, feverishly running her fingers through her hair, which was now fully dry.

“That’s your proof that I was unfaithful—a floral arrangement, staff not knowing your name, and not visiting you because I was working like a dog in a different country?”

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