Chapter 5 #2
Colson nodded, a look of understanding in his eyes. “There’s a lot they kept from you, Joey. Things that shaped the lives we’ve all lived. It’s time you knew the truth.”
I clenched my jaw, bracing myself for whatever Colson was about to reveal.
My heart felt like it was being squeezed in a vice, and the tears threatened to spill over after the doctor’s grim confirmation, but I couldn’t afford to break down.
Colson needed to unburden his soul, and I knew he wouldn’t find peace until he did.
He shifted on the bed, wincing, and I worried that he was in pain. But the morphine drip was doing its job, keeping the worst of it at bay.
“Logan Shaw was my best friend when I was young,” he began, his voice a rasping whisper.
I gasped, the words hitting me like a punch to the gut. “What?”
“Are you surprised to hear your father was my best friend?” he asked, a bitter smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. “We did everything together, even shared girls.”
I raised my eyebrows, disbelief mingling with disgust. My father had always been respectful, never one to brag about conquests. He only ever talked about his dating history with my mother.
Colson continued, his gaze distant, as if he were back in that time. “Including Margaret.”
I sucked in a sharp breath, my heart pounding. “My mother?”
“He got to her first,” Colson admitted, his voice tinged with regret.
“They had an intense love affair when they were seventeen. I’d been in love with her for years, but Logan—he got her first. I knew it wouldn’t last, though.
Margaret didn’t come from Windmere Haven.
She wasn’t part of the elite. She lived in Asterdale and worked at the bakery that’s now Jean Paul’s. ”
I bit the inside of my cheek, holding on to Colson’s hand as if it were a lifeline. I knew this wasn’t the worst of it. My parents had kept too many secrets, and I had long since stopped asking about their past. But now, it was all coming out, and I wasn’t sure I could handle it.
“I found the pictures,” I said quietly, remembering how they had vanished without a trace. “They were gone.”
“They broke up because they had to,” Colson explained, his voice laced with bitterness. “Your father was matched to Poppy Hill. Her family owns a media empire, and she was the only daughter of Acton Hill.”
“You and my mother,” I murmured, the pieces of the puzzle falling into place. “I saw the picture at some party.”
Colson stroked my palm with his thumb, a small, comforting gesture. “I loved her.”
The revelation had me reeling. He had loved my mother. Did that mean I was just a surrogate? A way for him to relive the past? I looked so much like her, and the thought made my stomach churn.
“Colson…” I began, my voice trembling.
“No. Let me finish. Please,” he rasped, his grip tightening on my hand.
I wasn’t sure I could take any more, but I nodded, letting him continue.
“Albert Shaw—your grandfather—had been losing money for years,” Colson said, his voice taking on a grim tone.
“He made some bad decisions when it came to investing, eroding the kingdom his father had built. My father tried to help, but Albert was strong-willed and frivolous. By the time he came to my father in desperation, it was too late. He was on the brink of bankruptcy.”
I swallowed hard, my throat tight. “But that’s not…”
“What you saw in the box was your grandfather’s stubbornness,” Colson interrupted, his voice firm.
“My father tried to help him, but Albert thought he could get himself out of it. Ashworth Financial held several of his loans, and my father had no choice but to call them in. It was business, and he waited as long as he could until Albert was deeply in default.”
“My grandfather…” I trailed off, the weight of it all pressing down on me.
“Made stupid financial decisions,” Colson finished for me, his voice harsh. “He bankrupted the Shaws - not the Ashworths.”
I could guess the rest. “And Poppy Hill ended her engagement once my father lost his money.”
“Her father, Acton, made sure of it,” Colson confirmed, his eyes narrowing. “My father lost Yale, too.”
“That was his choice,” he said. “My father offered to pay for his education, but he was too prideful, and he was angry… at me.”
Colson’s voice broke as he coughed, deep and bronchial.
Despite everything he had told me, I didn’t hate him.
He could be cruel, yes, but there was a part of me that still loved him, and that made this all the more difficult.
I debated whether to tell him about our baby, about what I had no choice but to do. But I decided against it.
“Poppy?” I asked instead, needing to know more.
“My father would never have accepted Margaret,” Colson said, his voice heavy with regret. “As much as I wanted to make her my wife, my father jumped at the chance to match me with a Hill. But once she was free, she had Logan to comfort her.”
I bit down hard on my bottom lip, tasting blood. “What about me, Colson? Did you marry me because I look like my mother? Because you wanted to relive the past?” My voice cracked as the tears I had been holding back finally threatened to spill over.
With strength I didn’t know he still had, Colson dug his nails into my hand. “No! I thought you were beautiful and so full of grace. You reminded me of Poppy, not your mother. I wanted a wife again.”
“And the party a ruse,” I said, my voice shaky. “To make me think I was one of many?”
He nodded, a small, bitter smile on his lips. “I had to make the other ladies think they had a chance. Several of them pursued me, wanted me, but I only had eyes for you. Beautiful Josephine, with your mother’s looks and your father’s resolve.”
I couldn’t take it anymore. I pulled my hand from his grasp and wrapped my arms around my stomach, rocking back and forth in my chair. It was all too much, but there was still one detail he hadn’t touched on—the will.
“Joey, I love you,” Colson whispered, his voice filled with desperation.
I refused to look at him. “Colson, that doesn’t make what you told me any easier to accept.”
I watched Colson’s lips tremble as he spoke, his voice fragile, almost breaking. “Please,” he begged, his words laced with desperation. “I needed you to know.”
The weight of his confession pressed down on me, almost suffocating, but I forced myself to move.
Rising from the chair, I leaned down and pressed a soft kiss to his cheek, my lips barely brushing his skin.
I wanted to say more, to offer some comfort, but all that came out was a whisper, so faint it felt like a secret shared with the darkness. “I need some time.”
His hand reached for mine, a weak attempt to keep me close, but I gently pulled away, my heart heavier than it had ever been. Without another word, I hurried from the room, the walls of our bedroom closing in on me as I fled down the hall.
The tears that I had fought so hard to hold back finally broke free, blurring my vision as I searched for a place to hide.
My old bedroom seemed the only refuge where I could fall apart in peace.
I burst through the door, my breath hitching as I threw myself onto the bed.
The familiar scent of the room did nothing to soothe me.
Instead, it only intensified the ache in my chest.
It wasn’t long before the bed dipped beside me, and I felt strong arms pull me into a lap, the warmth of a body against mine. I didn’t need to look up to know who it was.
“He told you the truth?” Vaughn’s voice was low, almost a whisper, as if he feared his words might shatter me further.
“Yes,” I choked out, my voice trembling with the weight of everything I’d just learned.
In that moment, I didn’t care about the animosity I usually felt towards Vaughn. All I needed was comfort, and he was here. I clung to him, burying my face in his shoulder as sobs wracked my body. He held me tightly, his arms wrapping around me as he stroked my back in soothing, rhythmic motions.
“Shhh, Joey,” he murmured into my hair, his breath warm against my scalp. “He wanted you to know.”
His words did nothing to ease the pain. “It doesn’t make it any easier,” I whispered, my voice breaking.
“Joey, I’m sorry.” His apology hung in the air, sincere but powerless to mend what was broken.
I stayed in his arms, letting the last of my tears fall until I was too exhausted to cry anymore.
When I finally pulled away, crawling off his lap and curling up on the bed, Vaughn said nothing.
He simply rose, his movements careful and quiet, and closed the door behind him, leaving me alone with the heavy silence and the truth that had shattered my world.