Page 205 of My Ruthless Husband

Raleigh freezes because Damian finally spoke.

I take a few hurried steps forward, my pulse quickening. “What do you mean?” I ask, struggling to understand. When there’s more silence, I ask again, “You think… you think it wasbetter to just leave us to think you were dead? For us to suffer in silence, to believe you didn’t care?”

Damian’s eyes finally flick up to mine, but there’s nothing there. No softness, no warmth. Just blankness. “I stayed away because it was the only way to keep you safe. If I had come back, if I had reached out to you two, you would’ve been dragged into the war I was fighting. I couldn’t let that happen. I couldn’t risk it.”

It’s not the answer I was expecting, but there’s a cold finality to it that makes my blood run cold. “What war? What could possibly have been so important that you couldn’t even send us a letter? Why didn’t you trust us enough to at least tell us what was going on?”

Damian’s gaze hardens, eyes darkening with something cold and dangerous. “My family was torn apart because of someone’s greed,” he says. “I started looking into it the day I was adopted, using whatever I could—starting with the internet. That’s when I realized what I was really up against. We’re talking about people who will stop at nothing to keep their dirty secrets hidden. People who’ll cross any line. And if you were in my life, you would’ve been targets too. I couldn’t risk that. I wasn’t going to let them hurt you.”

That’s when Raleigh slowly turns to face him, his jaw tight. “Then why the hell did you marry?” His voice is laced with disbelief. “If you were doing all of this to protect us, claiming anyone close to you would’ve been a target, then why the hell did you go and marry someone? Doesn’t that contradict everything you just said? You got involved with River, put her at risk. You’ve proven the exact opposite of what you’re claiming.”

Damian’s face tightens. “My wife’s case is different.”

“How?” Raleigh tilts his head, studying Damian with suspicion. “How is that different?”

He waits for a response, but Damian stays silent, his expression unreadable.

“Tell me how that makes sense.” He shakes his head. “Sounds like a hell of a lot of hypocrisy to me.”

I bite my lower lip nervously as I watch Raleigh go on. He looks at him, smirking mirthlessly. “He expects us to believe him when this ‘protecting us’ crap doesn’t add up. I’ll tell you why he married River. He married her because hewantedto. Simple as that. He married her for—”

“Revenge.” Damian completes, shocking us.

I freeze. “You married River for… revenge?” The words leave me breathless. “What the hell does that even mean?”

Damian slowly stands up, his movements fluid as he turns away from us. “I don’t forgive anyone who crosses me.”

His words are vague, but the tone sends a shiver down my spine. It’s like the room temperature just dropped ten degrees.

Raleigh and I exchange a look, both of us momentarily speechless. But Raleigh’s the first to break the silence. “So… you get back at people who cross you, but you somehow forgave Caleb—”

“Caleb and his parents are dead,” Damian interrupts.

Raleigh’s breath catches in his throat whereas I gasp out loud.

“They got what was coming for them.” Damian adds, his voice devoid of emotion, like he’s stating a simple fact.

I stagger and clutch at Raleigh’s arm. “Whoareyou? You just hinted of committing a crime and… and married a sweet girl like River for revenge!Why?”

“Because her father ruined my life.”

Raleigh curses under his breath, his fingers raking through his hair as he tries to process this madness.

“What’s wrong with you?” I cry out. “What has River got to do with all this?”

Damian faces us, his eyes making my blood run cold. “I hate him. And everyone connected to him. I won’t rest until I’ve made them all suffer.”

Chapter Fifty-One

River

Ihate him. And everyone connected to him. I won’t rest until I’ve made them all suffer.

I numbly turn from the green room’s door and walk away, the tray of refreshments in my hand wobbling because of my trembling hands.

I don’t recall walking down the long hallway, the world around me blurring into nothingness as I move forward on autopilot.

Hannah is the first to spot me when I enter the main hall, her eyes filled with concern. Ever since she returned with Raleigh, she had been nothing but polite with me. She steps toward me and gently takes the tray from my trembling hands. “Are you all right?”

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