Page 19 of Loving the CEO

"That's what men do. They cheat. That's what your father did too. At least Walter has status in the community and money, so you'd have every comfort you need in life to make up for it. He's a doctor. He's from a good family."

I'd heard this a million times. Mom and I were poor as dirt after Dad left us. She’d been a housewife before that, then suddenly had to take on multiple jobs to keep us afloat. All my life, she’d told me I needed to find a husband with a “good name” who had lots of money. She seemed to associate those things with safety.

This was always Mom's supreme argument.

"He's a liar and a cheat," I pointed out. "I'm not going to marry someone like that."

"Wake up, Tory. You think another man won't do the same?"

"Then I'll be single. I know you don't think much of my job, Mom, but I have one. I make good money, and I definitely don't need a man totake care of me." I instantly felt bad for saying that. Mom would take it as a jab at her, which really wasn’t my intention.

"Where did I go wrong with you?" She shook her head. "And what are you doing here with this good-for-nothing Leo? Do you know how that looks?"

Mom had disliked Leo in college, after I made the mistake of telling her that we had having a cheating dad in common. “That means he’ll be a cheater, just like his dad. That’s where men learn it from, their fathers.”

She also disliked that “the silly boy” wasn’t embracing the Whitley name at the time.

"Stop talking like that about Leo. He's the best person I know."

"Really? You know what they’re saying, right? That you ran off with him."

My eyes bulged. "Who's saying that?"

"Everyone."

I swallowed hard. "I don't care."

She scoffed. "I doubt that."

"Has Walter been spreading that lie?"

"I don't know," Mom said, "but there’s still time to make this right. We can say you simply didn't feel well tonight, and Leo took you to the hospital or something."

"Mom, I'm not going to marry Walter. Not tomorrow or ever. I don't even want to see him again. I don’t love him anymore." As I said the last part, I realized it was true. I felt free, released from something that had been weighing on me.

Interesting...I’ll have to ponder this more later.

"That is just silly." There was real fear in her eyes. Until now, she’d probably figured she could just boss me into doing what she wanted.

"I’m very serious.” In that moment, I knew Leo was right. I needed to get away. "In fact, I plan to spend some time in Boston."

I heard a sound coming from the kitchen, like a chair being scraped across the floor, and smiled to myself despite everything. Leo was eavesdropping.

"With him? Goodness, Tory. Come on."

"I need a change of scenery for a while."

The more I spoke, the more convinced I was. Why the hell not? I had a suitcase full of clothes. Instead of just trying to find someplace here to stay and hole up for months, I’d go to Leo's.

"Stop with this nonsense. You can talk things out with Walter. I'm certain he’s sorry."

"I assure you, Mother, he is not. He made it very clear to me on the phone."

"You're throwing your life away."

I took a step back, taking a good look at Mom. She was a quintessential Southern belle, even in her late sixties: hair perfectly coiffed, makeup spot-on. She was wearing a beautiful dark blue sequined dress that we'd chosen together. She was even more put together today than usual, but appearances were always important for her.

"I’m not. This is my decision." I hesitated because Mom would probably not understand, but then I decided to fess up anyway. "I’d been having second thoughts for months because things between me and Walter weren't going well. He wasn't being nice, and he was losing patience and in general not treating me well. He... hasn't touched me in months." Not that I wanted to share that tidbit, but it was true. Our sex life was okay at best, so I wasn’t that put out.

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