Chapter 50
Dax
I tilt my head and gesture for my mother to leave, but she ignores me.
Everything makes sense now. The shift in Cori’s attitude started after that impromptu meeting with Leander. He showed up uninvited and insisted that we talk. My first instinct was to kick his ass out, but he said it was about his wife’s treatment. It wasn’t.
“Cori, listen to me—”
“It’s my turn to talk.” She’s much too calm for the occasion, and that puts me on alert.
My girl has a temper. She goes from zero to sixty in an instant.
She’s passionate and beautiful when she’s angry, not calm.
“He forced me to marry him.” Mom’s head whips around to look at me, but my eyes remain on Cori. “I was bought and paid for, Haddie.”
“It wasn’t like that,” I say.
“In exchange for him paying for my mother’s surgery, he told me I had to marry him. He got my dad to guilt-trip me into doing it because what kind of daughter would let her mother stay in a wheelchair when there’s another option? I thought that was bad enough, but there’s more.”
“Come sit next to me, baby.” Mom stands, wraps an arm around Cori’s waist, and brings her to the couch. Once they’re both seated, she takes hold of her hands.
“I admit, I started it. I was investigating him and followed him around town. You don’t know it, but I followed you, too.”
“Did you?” Mom asks, and Cori nods.
“I thought he didn’t know, but he did.” Cori waves her hand around.
“Anyway, your son hired my brother, who promptly stole from him, so he used that to make my father do his dirty work. Force me to marry him, or he would press charges against that dumb ass brother of mine. There’s a long history of my parents choosing him over me, even though they will deny it.
You want to know why I didn’t go to fashion school?
Because they needed me to take care of my mother, and like a dummy, I listened.
I was young, dumb, and easily manipulated. ”
“Sweetheart, I’m sure you did it because you love your mother, and you thought you were doing the right thing. You have a good heart.”
She wipes a tear and nods in agreement.
“That’s true, too. Despite everything, I love both my parents.
So, after I agreed to marry him, the lies continued.
My mom pretended she didn’t know about the forced marriage, but she knew the entire time.
She let me marry a stranger so she could get what she wanted.
I had to sacrifice myself for the family again.
My dad was taking money from me to give to my brother. I heard all of it.”
“I can explain everything, sweetheart, if you give me a chance.” She doesn’t answer me with words. She holds her hand up, gesturing for me to shut up.
“For my entire life, the people who were supposed to care about me have used me.” She finally points at me. “You think I don’t know you married me because you wanted to parade me around in front of the Mitchells so you can buy that motel chain?”
“That’s not why I married you.”
“It doesn’t matter, Daxton. I don’t even blame my parents anymore.
I decided not to go to school. That’s on me.
But people using me end today. Right now.
I’m done. I’m leaving you and filing for a divorce.
You can do whatever you want with my parents.
I don’t care if you pay for the rest of my mother’s treatment or not.
That’s between you and them.” She gets up and points at my face.
“You want to know the funniest part? The day you forced your ring on my finger, I had decided to be with you. I thought you were handsome, smart, and funny. I genuinely liked you and thought we could be good together. And yes, after we got married, I decided to play with your emotions, but I changed my mind. I guess you didn’t bother to read those messages.
A few days ago, I came home, excited to tell my husband about the location I found for my shop, and I overheard the most hurtful conversation, so I lashed out.
I know it was childish, but I was hurt, and I let that pain turn into anger.
” She pulls out her phone. “Look at these texts that I sent Eden and Selene. That morning, I told them I was going to be in the marriage and leave my plan behind. Eden is the one who talked some sense into me days before, and you revealed yourself to be a garbage human being. When you were invading my privacy and going through my phone, you missed these messages. Convenient for someone who likes to play victim.”
By the time she’s done speaking, her face is soaked with tears. I try to take her in my arms, but she shoves my chest before she slaps me across the face. She yanks her wedding ring off her finger and hands it to me.
“I’m not going to take that, Bella. I can explain.” I take a step back, but she puts the rings on the coffee table.
“Did you know my brother was a thief before you hired him?”
“Yes.”
“Did you hire him so he could steal from you?”
“I did.”
“Was that so you can use this as a tool to force my father to do what he did?”
“Yes, but your father didn’t want to go along with it. He—”
“But he did, though. Are you going to make excuses about my father to me?” The question is more like an accusation.
“I won’t do that,” I say in defeat.
“Did you buy that motel chain from the Mitchells?”
“That deal is almost final.”
“You’re just like them.” The words hit me harder than the slap she just gave me. “You use me, my feelings be damned.”
“I want to give you everything you’ve ever wanted.”
“Except I never asked you to give me a damn thing, but I’m going to take them.
I’m not stupid. I’m going to take whatever my divorce lawyer can get me, and I’m going to stay right here in Shadow Cove.
Every time you see me, you’ll be reminded of what you did.
And one day, maybe I’ll meet someone who treats me like I matter, and not a pawn in a game I never wanted to play. ”
She tries to leave the living room, but I block her. Mom quickly stands between us. She shoves me away and wraps Cori in her arms. My wife leans into my mother and cries on her shoulder.
The sounds that come out of her are raw. Each sound is like a knife wound, and the only reason I’m not freaking out is that she’s finding comfort in the arms of my mother.
Mom makes soothing noises and gently walks her back to the couch, where she continues to hold her through her heart-wrenching sobs.
“It’s okay, baby. Let it out.” Mom rubs the back of Cori’s neck like she used to do mine when I was upset as a kid. “I know you’re hurt. It’s okay. A good cry can be so cleansing. Let it out.”