Page 122 of Adoration: Isn't What It Seems (Love Isn't What It Seems 2)

With a heavy sigh, I continued to my bedroom, and as soon as I shut the door behind me, I leaned against it, closing my eyes.

Regret, loss, and sorrow tasted of bitterness. I couldn’t have ever imagined there were so many secrets swirling around my mother’s past. Alexander knew them all; he must have recognized me from the moment he laid his eyes on me.

I wished he would have said something… anything. Before today, I started to hope we had a future. But now, how could I hope for it? He told me himself his father destroyed his family for a woman. He knew it was for my mother. None of it made sense, why would he marry me then?

Raising my hand, I rubbed my chest. It seemed I had been doing that all day today. The pain I felt when Callen left me at the altar was nothing compared to this. I couldn’t even consider it pain when compared to this.

But this… this pain was tearing me up on the inside.

Unzipping the dress, the soft material fell down, pooling at my feet. I stepped out of the material, kicked off the shoes and went in search of my clothes. I pulled jeans on, paired it with a long sleeve pink top and pair of pink chucks.

Catching my reflection in the mirror, I marveled at my exterior. Because on the inside, I was a mess. My heart bled for my mother, my sister, my husband, his family… for us. It would take a miracle for any of us to get through this unscathed. We all wore our own invisible scars and it seemed they all started with my mother and Alexander’s father.

My eyes rested on the necklace Alexander put on my neck earlier. If I closed my eyes, I could still feel his lips on my neck. I hadn’t paid attention to it till now but it was beautiful, decorated with a rich teardrop emerald. It looked expensive. Quickly unclipping it, I took it off and placed it on the vanity.

I headed back downstairs. All the men were still in the same spot where I left them, the lobby eerily quiet. As I descended the last step, Alexander strode towards me.

“Liberty, we need to talk.” His voice was strong.

Alexander was unbelievably strong; he had to be from the young age because his father and my mother robbed him of his youth. I admired him, although his deceit hurt. He was protective and strong for everyone around him. Unlike me right now; I felt like my insides were shaking.

“We are talking, Alexander,” I answered in a calm voice, so unlike feelings that were brewing inside me. “I want your family to tell me everything. No more secrets.”

His jaw clenched and I had to fist my hands into a ball to stop myself from reaching out to touch his face.

“C’mon you two,” his father broke the moment, and I turned my back to Alexander, entering his study.

Everyone was seated around and I took the last chair.

“Fuck, I don’t think I ever remember all of us sitting together,” Maxim said. “Livy, you certainly have a way of bringing people together.”

I raised my eyebrow at him. I guess that was one way to look at this shitty situation.

Alexander took his spot by the mantle, leaning against it, then we all sat in silence. I wasn’t even sure what we were waiting for.

“Ask your questions, wife,” Alexander broke the silence.

He no longer calls me by my name. Am I just a title to him now?

I had so many questions. There were so many secrets, I wasn’t sure where to start or who to start with. I just needed to get this over with.

I met Alexander’s gaze. “Did you take her publishing company?”

“Yes.” Not an ounce of regret.

“Why?” I asked. The business was insignificant, but it was all she had. “It wasn’t valuable or worth much money at all. Why?”

“She was going to publish a story about the Caldwell family,” he replied firmly, his cold demeanor back. “I couldn’t let her drag our family through the dirt again.”

Not an ounce of regret! My mouth opened at this ruthless man. How could I love him when he was so cruel and ruthless?

I stood up, hating myself for wanting this man, for loving him.

“Do you know how my mom died?” My voice was a whisper, each beat of my heart brought on pain in my chest. All the Caldwell men in the room, but I was focused only on one. “I found her on the bathroom floor, in a pool of her own blood. She killed herself. Two weeks before that day I left her...” the words got stuck in my throat. I left her. Yes, that summed it up...I left her.I should have been there for her. I should have fought Alexander Caldwell tooth and nail from taking the publishing company from her, instead of being so damn hung up on the father I didn’t know. “That company was her life. You have so much. Why, Alexander?”

A stoic, unapologetic, cold person stood in front of me.

“Answer me, damn it!” I needed to hear him say it, explain it. I deserved that much.

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