Page 10 of The Wife Deception
I glanced around the table. Everyone seemed in agreement, even though they were pretending to behave like drama wasn't occurring around them. It made me wonder if this was all a setup. If Sebastian had specifically brought Lynn so he could show his brother what a colossal mistake he was making. Maybe all the siblings were in on it. From their expressions, that conclusion wasn't far off. Even Thalia, the person I could say was nicest to me, seemed to not be able to look me in the eye. To be frank, it wouldn't be that hard for someone with a rap sheet as long as Aelin's. Every scandal of hers I learned trumped the previous one.
"Who I marry is none of your business, Seb," Nolan said. "She's my wife. Deal with it."
"Is W. Burgess really worth it? I know dad wanted—"
"Seb!" Nolan's voice was low and tight with warning. Enough to scare Sebastian into silence,but the younger brother was still defiant. He stared at his older brother with steel eyes but said little else.
Nolan straightened in his chair and said, "I know you all don't like my choice of wife, but you have to respect it. It has little to do with what you may think. And no, I was not hoodwinked. I entered this marriage, able and willing. I know who I married. I know her more than all of you. And I know what I am doing. You might be worried for me, but let me tell you this, I don't do anything without understanding the consequences. He turned to Lynn, and his eyes softened, "On behalf of my wife, I apologize for what she did to you, No one should have endured what you endured, and to put weight to my words, I am going to help get custody of your child back. I promise you that."
"That's really nice of you, Nol," Lynn said.
At that moment, I saw something in the man I had just married. The ease with which he made his family acquiesce to his command. I had seen a man like that before. My grandfather was exactly like that.
7
Nolan
"You should divorce her." Damien threw the game controller onto the couch as the screen flashed the words 'Winner: SycoWizard.' It was the third game I had won and I could tell he was getting frustrated. Carey was a much better gamer and was competitive at this than Damien, but he was busy hanging with the others.
After we finished eating the awkward brunch, people had split into little social groups. My younger brothers proceeded to my cellar to get a better brandy and were now relaxing on the terrace. While Ivy, Thalia, Willow and Lynn proceeded to retrieve a game inmy study, but had since disappeared there and I would occasionally hear laughs filtering to the living room. Aelin was somewhere in the house and I didn't care where. I just wanted to play a game with Damien to get the frustrations I had with my wife out of my head.
"Want another game," I said. "You might beat me this time around."
"W. Burgess is not worth it, man." He picked up the controller again and chose a different character. The one he picked was worse than the one he had, but I didn't want to discourage him further. "Trust me, as someone who is married, marriage is not a joke."
"I don't mean it in the whole my wife bad, shit. I mean the actual institution itself. It's not a walk in the park. I love Ivy, okay? And that makes it ten times better and ten times worth it, but sometimes…"
"Careful. You don't want to talk shit about my sister to me." To be truthful, I would rather he talked shit about Ivy than mention Aelin. I didn't want to deal with that entire debacle. What she did to Lynn was horrendous and not to mention all the baggage Aelin came with. I thought I knew all her scandals, including the ones she tried to hide. I guess this one was a little personal to Lynn, so it never came out. Her reaction, though, had been maddening. It had proven her guilt. She didn't evenrefute a single thing.
My life would have been much easier if I had said no to Kenneth, than dealing with his wayward granddaughter, but that was water under the bridge. W. Burgess was worth it, regardless of what Sebastian said.
"I don't care about what she did. It's all in the past," I added.
"All you care about is getting the one thing your father couldn't get?"
I punched Damien's character twice and nearly killed him before he put on the shield. "My father doesn't factor into my business decisions."
"I don't know, man," he said as he tried to fight back against the onslaught of power moves I was making on him. "Some would say otherwise."
"I hope you're not some."
"No. But I want what's best for you."
"Did you all gang up on me? Is that why you're here? Because Ivy told you to talk some sense into me." When I turned to face Damien, he was beet red. Of course. That could be the only reason they all came, including Raine, who couldn't be bothered to attend most family gatherings. They were talking me off the ledge. Sebastian and Lynn were first. Now Damien.
"I want you to be happy, that's all. I wish for you to have what Ivy and I have. And by the looks of things, you're not getting any younger. You've just turned forty. I don't think you want to be witha woman who gives you constant headaches or drives you to an early grave."
"She's not going to poison me. Don't worry."
"But she could do much worse. Her family could do much worse. I don't trust that old man and any of his descendants."
"If you think you can convince me with something as simple as a plea, then you, Ivy, and the entire Hawthorne family are delusional."
"You married her because of business, I get it. But there are other ways of making money. Or… Is it because you actually find her attractive?"
I was surprised by the direction of the topic that I made a wrong move in the game and Damien got a huge punch in, lowering my stats almost to zero.
"I don't find her hot."
