Chapter Twenty-Seven What’s For the Best
Haven
T he funeral was hard—harder than I expected, and I expected it to be unbearable. Watching Mom’s casket lowered into the ground, hearing the finality in the priest’s voice as he said his last words… it was like a part of me went with her. I didn’t cry as much as I thought I would. Maybe I’m still numb, still trying to process the reality that she’s really gone. It hasn’t hit me fully yet, and I’m terrified for when it does.
Christian was by my side the whole time, holding my hand, keeping me steady when I felt like I might break. Even as he stood next to me, I could sense something was off. He’s been distant lately, his usual warmth replaced by something more guarded. I’ve been trying to ignore it, telling myself that we’re both going through a lot, but now that we’re back at his house, the silence between us feels suffocating.
I sit on the couch, staring at the wedding decorations we still haven’t taken down. The remnants of a day that was supposed to be a new beginning, but instead, everything feels like it’s falling apart. Christian is standing by the window, his back to me, staring out into the yard. The tension in his shoulders is obvious, and I can’t take it anymore.
“You’ve been distant,” I say quietly, breaking the silence. “You’ve seemed… off. What’s going on?”
Christian doesn’t respond right away. He stays facing the window, his hand resting on the frame like he’s trying to steady himself. When he finally turns around, there’s something in his eyes that makes my stomach twist—a look of guilt, maybe even shame.
“We need to talk,” he says, his voice low but firm.
The pit in my stomach grows.
I sit up straighter, my heart starting to race. “What is it?”
He walks over and sits across from me, his face tight, like he’s bracing himself for a blow. “Haven, I made a decision… one I didn’t want to make, but I felt like I didn’t have a choice.”
I feel the air between us grow heavier, the tension so thick it’s choking me. “What kind of decision?”
He runs a hand through his hair, sighing deeply before finally meeting my eyes. “Theresa came to me with an offer. A deal, really.”
The mention of her name immediately puts me on edge. “Theresa? What does she want?”
“You know how much I’ve struggled with them trying to force their way back into Oliver’s life,” he says, his voice tight. “They were threatening to drag me into a long, nasty custody battle. They were going to spin this story about how I kept Oliver from her, how I’ve manipulated the situation. I couldn’t risk it. Not for Oliver.”
I sit there, frozen, trying to piece together what he’s saying. “So… what did you do?”
Christian looks down, unable to meet my eyes. “I made a deal with her. I agreed to marry her.”
The words hit me like a punch to the gut. My breath catches in my throat, and for a moment, I can’t speak.
“What?” I finally manage, my voice barely above a whisper.
He looks up, pain etched across his face. “It’s just a legal arrangement. A way to keep her out of our lives and protect Oliver. She’ll have access to the money, but that’s it. Oliver stays with me—she won’t be involved in his life.”
I stare at him, stunned, my mind racing. “You agreed to marry her? Christian, how could you?—”
“It was the only way,” he interrupts, his voice desperate. “If I didn’t, she would’ve taken me to court, and I couldn’t put Oliver through that. You know how manipulative she is. She would’ve won, Haven.”
I stand up, feeling the ground beneath me shift. “So, your solution was to marry her? To give her exactly what she wants?”
“It’s not like that,” he says, standing too, reaching for me, but I step back. “It’s not a real marriage. It’s just...”
“Just what?” I snap, my voice rising. “A business deal? A way to keep her quiet? You didn’t even talk to me about this! Is this your MO? Make marriage deals with people to get what you want? Switch out wives like chess pieces when one isn’t useful anymore?”
“I didn’t have time, Haven,” he says, his frustration bubbling to the surface. “She came to me with an ultimatum. It was either this, or risk losing Oliver. I couldn’t take that chance. Besides, you said yourself that you’re not sure if our marriage is real anymore. If you still feel that way, this shouldn’t be that big of a deal, right?”
There’s a bitterness in his tone that gives me pause. Is that what this is really about? The fact that, in a vulnerable moment when I was hurting, I questioned whether there was anything real between us? Irritation pulses through me and I clench my hands into fists at my sides.
“You just decided to marry the woman who abandoned you and your son—without telling me? Without giving me a chance to weigh in?” My voice is shaking now, and the hurt is clawing its way up, too strong to hold back.
“I was trying to protect you,” he says, but it rings hollow.
“By deciding to end our marriage so you can go back to the woman who hurt you and abandoned your son? No, Christian, you were trying to fix everything on your own like you always do. You didn’t think about what this would do to us. To me.”
His face tightens, his eyes pleading. “Haven, I didn’t have a choice.”
I shake my head, the tears welling up in my eyes. “There’s always a choice, Christian. And you made yours.”
The weight of it all crashes down on me—the loss of my mom, the fragile state of our marriage, and now this. I can’t breathe. I can’t think. All I know is that I can’t stay here. Not like this.
“I can’t do this,” I whisper, my voice breaking. “I need to get out of here.”
“Haven, wait—” he starts, but I cut him off.
“No,” I say, my voice stronger now. “You’ve made your decision, Christian. You’ve chosen her, not me. I can’t stay here and pretend like this is okay.”
I grab my bag and head for the door, my heart pounding in my chest. Christian follows me, his hand reaching out, but I pull away.
“Please don’t go,” he says, his voice raw. “Let’s talk about this.”
I shake my head, tears streaming down my face. “What’s the point? You clearly don’t care about me and you never have.”
With that, I walk out the door, leaving him standing in the doorway, the weight of everything we’ve built crumbling around us.
I get into my car and drive to Marie’s, the tears blurring my vision as I go. The pain in my chest is unbearable, but I can’t stay there. I can’t stay in a house filled with lies and decisions made without me.
I need space. I need to think.
Right now, I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to forgive him.
I pull up to Marie's house, my hands gripping the steering wheel so tightly my knuckles are white. My heart is pounding in my chest, my mind racing, and the tears won’t stop falling no matter how hard I try to push them down. I can barely think straight. Christian’s words are still echoing in my head: I made a deal with her. I agreed to marry her.
How could he do this to me? To us?
I wipe my face with the back of my hand and take a deep breath before getting out of the car. The cool night air hits me like a slap, clearing my head just enough to get my feet and move toward Marie’s front door. I don’t even have to knock. Marie opens the door before I can lift my hand, her face full of concern.
“Haven?” Her voice is soft but filled with worry, and just hearing her say my name makes me break down again. The tears I’ve been holding back spill over, and I crumble into her arms, sobbing.
She pulls me inside, wrapping her arms around me as I cry into her shoulder.
“It’s okay, I’ve got you,” she whispers, leading me into the living room and sitting me down on the couch. She rubs my back, giving me a minute to catch my breath before speaking again.
“What happened?” she asks gently, sitting beside me. “Talk to me, Haven.”
I take a shaky breath, wiping my face again. My voice is hoarse, barely audible.
“It’s Christian… he… he made a deal with Theresa.”
Marie’s brows furrow in confusion. “What kind of deal?”
I swallow hard, my throat tight. “He’s going to marry her. Again.”
Her eyes widen in shock. “ What? ”
I nod, the reality of it hitting me all over again. “He said it’s just a legal arrangement. That he’s doing it to protect Oliver, so she doesn’t take him to court. But he didn’t even tell me, Marie. He just made the decision without me.”
Marie’s jaw clenches, and I can see the anger rising in her. “He’s marrying Theresa ? After everything? After all she’s done to him and Oliver?”
“He said it’s the only way to keep Oliver safe,” I murmur, my voice thick with emotion. “He said if he didn’t agree, she’d take him to court, and he was afraid she’d win.”
Marie shakes her head, her expression hardening. “That’s not an excuse, Haven. He didn’t even tell you? Didn’t talk to you about it?”
“No,” I whisper, fresh tears filling my eyes. “He said he didn’t have a choice, but... he’s just pushing me out. Making decisions without me, like I don’t matter.”
Marie reaches out and grabs my hand, her grip firm. “Of course you matter. And you’re right to be furious. He should’ve talked to you. You’re his wife . You’re supposed to be a team.”
I nod, but the hurt is still gnawing at me. “I don’t know what to do. Part of me understands why he did it—he’s just trying to protect Oliver. But the other part of me… I can’t stand the thought of him being tied to Theresa again. Even if it’s just on paper.”
Marie squeezes my hand, her eyes softening. “He’s put you in an impossible situation, and you have every right to feel hurt.”
I sniff, wiping my nose with the back of my hand. “I just don’t understand why he didn’t trust me enough to talk about it. I would’ve helped him. I wanted to help him. It feels like he’s chosen her over me.”
Marie shakes her head firmly. “No. He didn’t choose her. He’s scared, Haven. Scared of losing Oliver, and I get that. But the way he went about it was wrong. You two are supposed to be partners in this. He should’ve trusted you with this decision.”
I nod, trying to make sense of it all. “I just feel like I’m being pushed out of his life. Mom just… died, and now Christian is making decisions like I’m not even part of the equation anymore. Like I don’t have a say in my own life.”
“But you do,” Marie insists. She suddenly looks determined and grabs my shoulders. “You do have a say, and you don’t have to take this lying down.”
Furrowing my brow, I say, “What do you mean?”
“If Theresa wasn’t in the picture, she wouldn’t be able to threaten Christian and he wouldn’t leave you to give her what she wants.”
“Okay,” I reply, confused. “That’s all pretty obvious.”
“So you need to convince her to get lost.”
I let out a bark of laughter, but there’s no humor in the sound whatsoever.
“Are you kidding me? How am I supposed to convince a woman like Theresa to leave Christian alone? As long as he has money and she wants it, she won’t stop.”
Marie holds up a finger and explains, “If you can get her to confess to blackmailing him and record it, you’ll have leverage over her. You can use the recording to secure Oliver’s custody. Cut her off at the knees! She can’t make threats if she can’t actually back them up with the custody battle.”
I stare at Marie, stunned. It’s a wild idea, but… but it could work.
“How am I supposed to get her to talk to me?” I ask, shaking my head and reminding myself that this won’t be as easy of a solution as it seems.
Marie snorts. “Please, if I know anything about mean girls, it’s that they love to rub their victories in the faces of those they’re targeting. If you confront her, I have no doubt she’ll talk. She won’t be able to help herself.”
The more Marie talks, the more sense this idea makes. Besides, what do I really have to lose?
“Okay.” I nod. “I might as well try, right? I don’t want to lose Christian. Not like this.”
“That’s my girl!” Marie hoots. “Let’s go get that bitch!”
Christian might think what he’s doing is what’s best for all of us, but I’m going to make sure Theresa never darkens our doorstep again. I’ve found a happily ever after with Christian, and I’m not giving it up without a fight.