Page 40 of The Breakup Broker

Henry exhaled, his relief palpable. “Good. That buys us time. James isn’t done yet, either. He’s reached out to some people with enough influence to push back. They’ll stand with us if we can show them the evidence.”

James Morrison’s unwavering commitment to River Bend took root in my mind. This was the same man who had once sat in this bookstore, discussing poetry with my mother, and he was still battling for our town. I was struck by his understated resilience—a trait Henry must have inherited yet seldom revealed. This realization stirred a strange cocktail of emotions—an odd blend of hope and uncertainty.

A heavy silence settled between us. My eyes wandered over Henry’s face, probing for answers I wasn’t even sure he could provide. Then, almost involuntarily, I voiced the question that had haunted me since I delivered the breakup message.

“Henry,” I began, my voice hesitant, “did you love her?”

His brow furrowed in confusion. “Who?”

“Caroline,” I said, the name tasting foreign. “Were you in love with her?”

Henry’s eyes widened, the question catching him off guard. He shook his head slowly, his gaze never leaving mine. “No,” he said, his voice firm. “I didn’t love her.”

I blinked, surprised by the conviction in his tone. “Then why?—”

“My father loved the idea of her,” he said, his voice low, simmering with quiet anger. “And I was a pawn in a game I never wanted to play. That marriage wasn’t about love, Savvy—it was a merger. A carefully calculated move to strengthen the Kingston empire.” He let out a quiet, humorlesslaugh. “I spent my whole life feeling powerless in that family. Every decision, every move—it was all part of some grand Kingston plan. Until now.”

His voice dropped lower, gaining an edge of steel I’d never heard before. “There’s only ever been one woman I’ve loved, Savvy.” His eyes locked onto mine with an intensity that made it impossible to look away. It was as though he was reaching into my soul, dragging the truth from a place I’d tried to keep buried. “I gave her up,” he continued, his voice steady but laced with raw emotion. “Because I thought I was protecting her. Protecting you.”

My breath hitched, his confession stealing the air from my lungs. The room seemed to fall away, leaving only him, his words, and the unbearable ache they carried. His eyes held mine with such intensity that I couldn’t move, think, or breathe.

I opened my mouth to respond, to say something, anything—but the words wouldn’t come. They lodged in my throat, blocked by the emotions raging inside me. Anger, confusion, longing, and something I refused to name churned together, leaving me defenseless against the truth shining in his eyes.

“Do you hear me, Savvy?” he asked, his voice dipping to a near-whisper, so low and intimate it felt like a confession meant only for me. “I thought I was doing the right thing. I thought walking away would save you. But every single day, I’ve regretted it.”

The crack in his voice was small, but it was enough to break my composure. Emotion pulled tight inside me, the walls I’d built to keep him out crumbling around me.

His gaze grew intent, though it never wavered. “I know I don’t deserve your forgiveness,” he said, his voice thick with regret. “But if there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that Ican’t protect you by shutting you out. I won’t make the same mistake again.”

My heart thundered, the raw sincerity in his eyes pulling at something deep inside me, something I wasn’t ready to confront. I wanted to be angry, push him away, and remind him of the hurt he’d caused. But his words, his voice, his expression, made that impossible.

I forced myself to speak, my voice unsteady with emotion. “Henry … I don’t even know what to say.”

“You don’t have to say anything,” he said, stepping closer, the air between us humming with electricity, like the moment before a storm breaks. “Let me fight for you this time. For you, your family, and everything your father and mother built with so much sacrifice. I won’t walk away again, Savvy. Not unless you tell me to.”

The words hung between us, heavy with meaning and the possibility of something I couldn’t yet define. My pulse raced as I searched his face, looking for any sign that this was a lie, a manipulation. But there was nothing—just Henry, standing before me, stripped of every pretense.

For the first time in years, I saw both the boy I’d loved and the man he’d become—flawed, broken, but undeniably real. And for one brief, terrifying moment, I allowed myself to imagine what it might mean to trust him again. Shaking off the thought, I straightened my shoulders and fixed my gaze on his. “I appreciate your honesty,” I said, my voice steady despite the turmoil. “Finally. But Henry, this isn’t about me or my family. This is about the entire town. If we’re going to stop your father, we need more than promises. We need a plan.”

Relief washed over his face, though it was quickly tempered by determination. “I’ll give you everything I have, Savvy. Whatever it takes.”

I nodded, my resolve hardening. “Then let’s figure this out. Together.”

Henry hesitated, his expression shifting. It wasn’t relief or determination anymore—it was something deeper, almost vulnerable. “Savvy,” he said, his voice catching, “I need you to know ... this won’t be easy. And there are some things I’ll have to do on my own.”

I frowned. “What do you mean? If this concerns protecting my family, I have a right to be there. To fight for them.”

Pain flashed across his face, and for a moment, I saw the cracks in his polished exterior. “You do,” he said, his voice quiet but firm. “But tomorrow’s board meeting isn’t a fight you can be part of. They wouldn’t let you past the door. It’s shareholders and executives only, and if they see you there, it’ll make everything worse. They’ll shut me down before I even get started.”

I stared at him, a mix of frustration and helplessness bubbling to the surface. “So, what am I supposed to do? Sit back and wait while you face them alone?”

Henry stepped closer, his gaze steady and unwavering. “You won’t just be waiting. I’ll keep you in the loop every step of the way. But this part? This part has to be me.” He paused, his voice lowering. “Savvy, I promise—I won’t lock you out of this. Never again. But if we’re going to win, I need to play this right.”

He wasn’t brushing me aside or underestimating me. He was laying out the reality of the situation, painful as it was.

“Fine,” I said after a long pause, the word tasting sour in my mouth. “But if you think for one second that I’ll let you keep me in the dark, you’re dead wrong. The moment you leave that meeting, I want to know everything.”

“Deal.” A hint of relief crossed his face, but his voice remained resolute. “This isn’t just my fight, Savvy. It’s ours.”

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