Page 66 of Owned By a Billionaire

“Did her family have her committed?”

I nodded. “She did a three-month stint at a psychiatric hospital, and after the lithium kicked in, Elise was a changed woman. She metamorphosed from someone unable to sit still, who danced instead of walked, to a sugar addict who spent most of her days slumped on a couch. As a result, Elise stacked on weight, which caused her no end of anxiety. I did my best to support her, but then she stopped her medication, and her former volatility returned. Unable to deal with her combustive temperament, and fearing for my life, I left.”

I sipped my pint before continuing. “That proved a drama. Elise called the school where I was teaching and told them I’d raped her, and I lost my job.”

“They believed her without further investigation?” Caroline asked.

“They suspended me with no pay while they started investigations, but the principal at the time suggested it would be easier for everyone if I resigned.” I toyed with a coaster. “I went back to her because it was easier than her ringing my friends, making character-annihilating accusations about how I’d treated her.”

“Her parents?”

“They were very wealthy businesspeople who really didn’t have time for her. They’d always neglected her, emotionally speaking. They just saw Elise as my problem. And a problem she was.”

“Why didn’t you get a divorce?”

“I tried, but she cut her wrists.”

“Oh my Lord.” She sighed.

“It was a harrowing experience. Her parents blamed me, as did our inner circle. And for a while there, even I felt suicidal. I’d lost my job and was suddenly having to live off Elise, who had a generous stipend. I felt trapped. I took a bar job and saved as much as I could while plotting my escape, since divorce was out of the question.”

“Children?”

“Fortunately, none.”

“So you changed your identity and came to England?” Her lips formed a tight, sympathetic smile, the type a mother would give her child after he’d endured an injury.

“I arranged a new identity first, purchased a passport, then disappeared, so it looked like I might have drowned while on a fishing trip.”

Her head tilted back. “Fishing?”

I had to smile at her surprise. “I used to fish. The sea surrounds Sydney, and I always enjoyed it. My father used to take me when I was a boy. I suppose I associated fishing with an innocent but joyful period of my life growing up by the beach. I was actually a happy child and evolved into someone who dreamed of doing great things with his life. Then Elise happened, and life changed colors.”

“But you haven’t expressed an interest in fishing at Bridesmere.”

“I left Markus behind. Carrington didn’t fish.”

A faint smile touched her lips. “So, after faking your disappearance, where did you go?”

“I ended up in Asia. My disappearance was in the paper. I saw a publication at a newsstand in Thailand.”

“You’ve got those clippings?”

“It’s online in historical newspaper articles. If you wish to check.”

“Go on.”

“From Thailand, I travelled to the States, and while in New York, I met Lillian. Ten years my senior, she was incredibly bright.” I smiled tightly. “I suppose I fell in love with her brain.”

Caroline’s eyebrows raised. “As a woman?”

I shook my head. “Not as much. But after Elise, I craved stability. And I was also running out of money fast.”

“So you hooked onto her for survival?”

I bit into my cheek and nodded.

She nodded. “Is that why you ingratiated yourself to me?”

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