Page 25 of Sinful Palace

I breathed a silent sigh of relief, grateful she was finally opening up to me, even if it was in a roundabout way.

“Your family is more powerful than Chuck’s. I’m sure there’s some way out of the contract for you,” I said. Unless your husband is just as much of a sociopath as your son and threatens to kill your loved ones if you ever try, I silently added.

I hoped not, because I really wanted to convince her to leave.

My motivations weren’t entirely unselfish and altruistic. This was as much for me as it was for her. If I could help her gain the strength and courage to leave her abusive relationship, she might eventually see past all the terrible brainwashing and realize that her son was repeating his father’s patterns with me.

If and when she realized that, she might be able to use her means to help me by organizing for my release from this horrible marriage contract. If the request came from her (along with her influential family), my own family and friends would be safe, and I wouldn’t have to worry about anything being done to them as retribution for leaving Logan.

It would be a long road to freedom, but I wanted to take it anyway, because it was the only real option I had now.

In order to set things in motion, I had to convince Elizabeth of her worth. She’d obviously been beaten down for so long that she barely knew who she was anymore, but she needed to remember she was a Hale. She had access to more wealth and power than anyone else in the country, including any of the Thornes. If she wanted to get out and strike back at her husband, she could make it happen. She just needed to realize it.

She looked toward the window and shrugged listlessly. “I suppose I could break the contract and leave if I wanted to, but I don’t.”

“Why not?” I asked, frowning.

She nervously licked her lips. “I wouldn’t even know what to do if I was on my own all of a sudden. Chuck and I have been married for half my life. I wouldn’t want to lose everything I’ve built with him. Especially our family.” She lifted her eyes to mine again. “Logan might take his father’s side if I initiated a divorce, and I couldn’t bear that.”

I raised a brow. “I doubt that. I’ve always gotten the impression he likes you a lot more than Chuck.”

She frowned and waved a hand. “Oh, no, I’m sure he just sees me as a silly old woman.”

“He doesn’t,” I insisted. “Honestly, you’re probably the only woman on this planet he respects.”

Elizabeth gave me a faint smile. “You really think so?”

“Yes. I think he’d support you.”

I wasn’t just buttering her up. It was the truth. Logan had always treated her with kindness and respect, from what I’d seen. On top of that, whenever he mentioned his father, I saw something in his eyes. Something cold and dark. I wasn’t sure what it was, exactly, but he definitely didn’t like his dad as much as Elizabeth thought.

She shook her head again. “Let’s talk about something else. This is silly,” she said. The stubborn note had crept back into her voice. “I’m not going anywhere. I don’t want to cause drama.”

I decided to try a different tactic, because there was no way I could convince her to leave her husband with one conversation. It would be a slow process. Very slow. Painful, too. I would have to help build up her confidence, piece by fragile piece, until she felt safe and strong enough to get the hell out of her messed-up situation.

I flashed her a sympathetic smile and set my cup down. “I understand,” I said. “You still deserve to be happy, though. Everyone does. Right?”

Elizabeth’s lips twisted. “I suppose so,” she finally replied in a low murmur.

“Hobbies can make you feel good. What are yours?” I asked.

“Lots of things. Sometimes I help organize parties for the different philanthropic societies Chuck and I have joined over the years, and I see my friends quite a lot,” she replied. “Like the appointment I have today, for instance. It’s a standing weekly get-together I have with some of the other D.C. wives. We have champagne and get our nails done. Sometimes we get facials too. It’s nice.”

I smiled gently. “I meant things you do just for yourself. Like your true passions. Things that excite you,” I said. I held my palms up. “Unless your passions are party planning and getting manicures with the D.C. wives club, in which case, all the more power to you. It sounds fun.”

She let out a little laugh. “Oh, no, I see what you mean now. I enjoy the party planning, because it’s usually fundraisers, and I like helping people. The nails and facials, though… that’s more of a keeping-in-touch thing. The women I go with are good contacts to have. Their husbands have helped Chuck with his businesses over the years, especially Wonderland. So I suppose I wouldn’t call that a hobby. More of an obligation.”

I tilted my head to one side. “Well, if you like helping people, maybe there are other things you could do for the community apart from fundraiser planning,” I said.

If I could convince her to get out and about more often, her confidence might start to build. It wasn’t much, but it was a start.

Elizabeth looked right at me, a small smile playing on her lips. “There is one thing,” she said slowly.

My eyes widened. “Oh?”

She shook her head and looked down again. “Oh, never mind. It’s silly. You’ll probably laugh at me.”

“I promise I won’t.”

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