Page 80 of What the Wife Knew

If the statement shocked him, he didn’t show it. “You never told me where you grew up, or I guess I should say where your mother grew up.”

Talk about an odd conversation turn. “Is that related to my DNA?”

“I think it might be.” He sighed. “Maryland? Maybe in or around Annapolis, where the Naval Academy is?”

He was a smart man, but I wasn’t ready to crack open that door. A nonanswer would have to suffice. “I’ve never begged anyone for anything in my life, Elias. I’m begging you to help me with the DNA.”

He stared at me for a few seconds before nodding. “I’ll do everything I can.”

I believed him.

Chapter Fifty-Two

Him

Married, Day Forty-One

Between Kathryn’s incessant complaining and Addison’s stranglehold on my life, I was done with women. They had a place. By my side, acting as my equal and my partner, was not it.

I’d married once out of necessity and once by accident. The first walk down the aisle completed the picture I wanted to present to the world. People equated marriage with stability. I became someone everyone could trust and should listen to. No longer a traumatized teen. A fully in control, successful man who beat the odds. A survivor.

A map and my dead brother, Cooper, caused the second marriage.

I’d hoped to thread the needle and pull off an extraordinary scam—get rid of one unwanted wife by pretending to marry a second one. The risk didn’t pan out. It was a temporary setback and one I vowed to fix. That meant destroying Addison. She didn’t think I could, which made me more determined to succeed.

Elias’s investigator promised to find the fodder to send Addison running. That was only the start. After all her snide comments and that shit with the bat, she’d pay for her behavior. Herdestruction would be my gift to every man who might have fallen under her spell or been subjected to her blackmail in the future.

Planning and gameplay were my strengths. I’d defeated stronger people. Older, wiser, wealthier people. Addison was nothing more than a nuisance, one that would barely register as a blip on the timeline of my life. It was time to start laying the groundwork for her erasure.

First, Kathryn. Every minute of her shrill fussing tested my patience. I’d been in our old house, sitting on the family room couch and tuning out her moaning for more than fifteen minutes.

Time to get to the point of my visit. “Addison is trying to kill me.”

Kathryn stopped mid-whine. “What?”

“She’s not stable.” Kathryn spent the last half of our marriage droning on about “coded” words and phrases. From her frown, it looked like I’d hit one, so I tried again. “Addison is cunning. A master manipulator.”

“Sheis?”

That grating tone. Kathryn enjoyed taking shots. Small, passive-aggressive hits as a reminder that she kept secrets that could ruin me. The marriage had neutralized her. The rushed divorce turned her into a potential problem.

Kathryn stopped fidgeting and sat down. She tended to be a ball of energy, always looking for some cause or errand to keep her busy. So much about her annoyed me. Idiosyncrasies and habits I tolerated for decades now made my temper spike.

“Why did she want to marry you in the first place?” she asked.

“Money. It’s all that bitch cares about.” Addison hadn’t spent a dime yet, but the answer was good enough for Kathryn. I’d knowmore about Addison once someone on my payroll told me who the hell she was and how she fit into my past.

Kathryn was back to shifting around, playing with her necklace, as if she lacked restraint. “Do not put Addison’s name on any of the assets.”

An order? Kathryn had lost the ability to question me about money or anything else. She didn’t recognize that, but I would remind her once I’d taken care of Addison. Dealing with one unwanted wife at a time was enough.

“The assets have been handled.” My tone saiddiscussion over.

Kathryn jumped to her feet again. “You promised none of this would happen. The marriage. Her in our lives.” She grew more agitated the longer she spoke. “Your so-called wife should be paid off and gone by now. A hundred thousand dollars is a fortune for her. Please tell me you offered her the money like you promised.”

Kathryn never contradicted me before we said our vows. She reeled me in with fake submission. Probably not the first bride in history to wait to show her backbone and unleash her argumentative nature until after the wedding reception bill had been paid.

She stared at me, as if waiting for a response. I had no idea what she’d said.

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