Page 170 of Her Collateral Bride: A Lesbian Age Gap Romance

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She’d never seen his face get so red so fast. He balled his

hands and looked around the kitchen like he wanted to throw

something. He was never angry with her. He was always

patient and kind with her, no matter what he was like with

other people, so he calmed down fast. He ran a hand through

his graying hair. He never slumped or slouched or betrayed

any guilt, and that made Haley feel even sicker.

“She’s filled your head with nonsense,” her dad bit out.

Disgust slithered across his face.

“No, I’m pretty sure she told me the truth.”

“Her version, maybe.”

“What other version is there?” Haley begged. She stepped

toward the island, pleading silently with her eyes. “Tell me.”

It would be like her dad to have an excuse. No, not an

excuse, but a version of things that justified the means and the

end. He would think that what he’d done was right in some

way. Her dad’s face didn’t change. He stared down at the

quartz on the island.

“I did what I had to do. I know Claire saw it like a betrayal,

but she wouldn’t listen to me. I told her we needed to keep the

place safe from her husband.”

“No. No, she would have signed a pre-nup.” Haley wasn’t

letting him use that as an excuse. She couldn’t even remember

if Claire had gotten a divorce before or after the restaurant.

Why couldn’t she remember? She was so fixated on Claire’s

lips, of the feel of them against hers, of the way she lit her

body into an inferno, that she couldn’t keep facts straight. She

watched her dad carefully. “You did what you did because you

wanted it all for yourself. Not to keep it safe. You ruined her.

If you had wanted to keep it away from her husband, there

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