“I was just keeping a promise I made to Shalane back then. There’s nothing more to it. They are out of responsibility, not out of love! Why are you being so jealous over something that doesn’t even matter?”
His voice was calm, almost resigned as if I were the unreasonable one.
But to me, it was bitter beyond words.
All these years, my patience and understanding had only made him feel entitled to disregard our marriage.
For a moment, I closed my eyes.
Twenty years ago, back in college, I was falsely accused, bullied, and cast out. Brent was the one who stood up for me, and from that moment on, I fell for the noble, righteous man he was.
I thought we were destined to remain parallel lines, close but never crossing.
But a year after graduation, his family’s business was on the verge of collapse. His stepbrother had colluded with a conman, forging contracts and stealing assets.
As Ceppetelli Co. collapsed, I didn’t even think twice—I quit my job and threw myself into saving his family’s company.
For years, Brent and I ran around begging for investors, swallowing our pride, drinking glass after glass just to secure deals.