When I'd asked to break off the engagement, he was the one who chose. Between inheriting the family empire under Christine Swanson's terms or cutting ties with the Swansons entirely, he chose the inheritance. He chose the arranged marriage.
A man without the spine to protect the woman he loved, yet too greedy to give up the wealth and status, so he used someone else as a shield.
He was just as despicable.
The noise and the crowd drained away around me.
I took a cab to the Swanson estate.
Christine sat sipping her nightly bird's nest soup, the picture of elegance. On the table beside her lay a check and a voluntary property-transfer agreement.
"Sign, and I'll give you half now. Once Victor and the Pemberton girl successfully register their marriage tomorrow, you'll get the other half."
I said nothing. This woman, who had once held my hand and whispered all those warm, intimate words, coaxing me to be her daughter-in-law, now looked down at me from above.
"Don't blame me for not helping your family back then. A mother can only do so much once her son's grown. Consider this money my compensation, given behind Victor's back, for the sake of what we once shared. It's enough for you and your family to live comfortably."
With that, she pulled her cashmere shawl tighter around her shoulders and glided upstairs.
The housekeeper showed me to the door.
The bitter wind cut straight to the bone.
She didn't need to explain. I'd always known she never intended to help us.
Back when our two families had been equals, our downfall was her opportunity to rise to the top. Compared to the gains of a marital alliance, swallowing the whole pie was far more tempting.
When I'd tried to call off the engagement, I mistook her pleas for sincerity.
That was how she used me. Under the guise of protecting me, standing up for me, she'd quietly turned Victor against me and targeted Alice, funneling all his rage in my direction.
She sat back and reaped every last benefit.
Too bad my entire family had been blind. By the time we saw her for what she was, it was far too late.
We no longer had the standing to confront her.
I drew a long breath.
My fingers tightened around the check.
At least money meant there was still hope.
I took a cab back to the apartment.
The moment I stepped through the door, I heard it. Arguing. Sobbing. And beneath it all, sounds no wife should ever have to hear.