e silverware on the polished mahogany table one last time, my heart swelling with the familiar, patient love I held fo
d beautiful, as always, a classic beauty that seemed effortless. B
nice meal," I said, pulling
. Grandpa called again. He wanted to
y. An heir I apparently couldn't provide. The doctors had found nothing wrong with either of us, but in her family' s eyes, the fau
said softly. "That's a
had summoned us to his study, a divorce decree already on his desk. Olivia had refused. She had stood in front of me, taking the lash of his cane across her back when he flew into a rag
r, the bedrock
calloused hands and a simple, almost crude way of speaking. He was a country boy
eyes fixed on me with undisguised contempt. "He
a sledgehammer. He was here to
," she hissed later that night when we were alone. "Look
s-up," I had said, my own pride stung. We were united in our contempt, or so I thou
en, the whispers started among the staff. I overheard two mai
Miss Olivia...
say it's B
he air leave my lungs. It couldn't be true. Oli
a mile long as I walked to our bedroom. She wa
I asked, my
sorry. I was drunk. We had that fight, and I drank too much. I went to our ro
stake, a horrible mistake. I'll send him away, Liam. I promise. I
ed. I was a man who had built his life around this woman. The thought of losing her wa
ut she was still seeing him, secretly. When
from a drunken mistake to a calculated decision. "This is to secure our future, Liam. Once the ba
, I gave her ye
. I got a frantic call from Olivi
they took him! They
an cold. "
want the Walton heir's husband as a hostage. They want you
rd the unvarnished truth. It wasn't about me.
y voice hollow. "Wh
aring through the last of my illusions. "He can't die, Liam!
and Brandon. He had replaced me. In that moment, I realized I was not ju
piece of trash. As they dragged me away, the last thing I saw was Olivia's
." She couldn't. So she had simply found a new "you" to pu