books and deals. He was a cybersecurity executive. Ironic, in a way,” I say, pushing out a laugh.
“Why was that ironic?”
“He always cautioned against putting everything online,” I say with a sigh, the memory sharp. “And then one day, when I was going through his things after he died, I opened a drawer in his desk, and there in the back of it were letters,” I say, my throat catching, swelling with shame and hurt. “I found some love letters.”
Daniel grits his teeth. “That’s awful.”
“I’d been living a complete lie for most of our marriage. He’d had another lover, also in London. When he went away on trips for work, he’d often take her. I don’t know how long they’d been together. The letters only went as far back as a few months after we got married, so perhaps it started then. Her name was Genevieve. Most of the letters were from her, but he had some of his in there too. He thanked her for giving him copies, saying he wanted to remember all the things he’d said to . . . ‘Genevieve, my one true love,’” I quote, the memory ripping through me like a hot poker.
But this time, the burn doesn’t last the way it has on so many other occasions. This time, it feels more like the pain of the arrow coming out rather than going in.
“He robbed you of all your good memories. His betrayal colored everything, and you had no chance to tell him so,” Daniel seethes.
“Exactly. The later letters talked about when he’d finally leave me. When he could be free to be with her,” I say, a fresh wave of embarrassment surging through me, but I try to fight it off. Those were his choices, not mine. “And I couldn’t say anything to him. You can’t confront a dead man. You can’t shout and scream, or ask who she is, or how long it had been going on. He ruined everything. I couldn’t even mourn properly, and the mourning I did do was like another cruel trick once I learned he’d been planning on leaving. A huge slap in the face.”
Daniel’s jaw tightens. “That’s one of the worst crimes of all. He left you with unanswered questions, and he robbed you of the chance to confront him.”
The memory pierces me, the shame, the self-loathing. “I had to piece their affair together from letters. That’s what I was left with—playing infidelity detective after the man I loved died, the man who I’d thought loved me. The man I’d cried and grieved over.”
“He made your love a lie.”
My throat tightens as I nod. “Everything I’d believed was true was false.”
“I’ll tell you what’s true—you’re more than enough. He was a prick who didn’t deserve any love from anyone.”
As I tell Daniel the story, that Jonathan had been meeting her in hotel rooms, taking her out to restaurants, indulging in another life with her, I hurt, but the hurt also starts to fade.
It lessens. Maybe, just maybe, it lightens as I finish. “So, as you can see, I’m not so fond of marriage,” I say, offering up a what can you do smile.
He steps closer and strokes the hair of my wig. It’s not my hair. But even so, his touch feels calming, loving. “People don’t deserve to be treated that way. You didn’t deserve to be treated that way. Relationships, at the very least, should be honest.”
I nod, resolute. “They should. That’s what matters.” I feel so much honesty with Daniel that it scares me in a whole new way. But maybe that thrills me too.
“I’m glad you shared that with me,” he says gently. “I know it wasn’t easy. But I like knowing you, Scarlett. More than I ever thought I would.”
Tingles spread over my arms. “Oh. So I’m surprising you?”
He smiles and brushes his lips against mine. “More than you could ever know,” he whispers against my lips.
A whisper that feels like the start of a promise.
16
Daniel
The to-do list is never far away. Scarlett is a woman with an agenda.
I’m a man with one too.
We are gathering intel, making decisions, and prepping to visit more inns tomorrow.
After the detour at Monet’s home, we return to the task at hand.
Assessment.
Due diligence.
Back at the inn, we check out the entire grounds of the hotel, taking photos for Cole, sending them along to him. We wander across the property, drinking in the view, getting a sense of the spaciousness, how it feels, how it looks.
What