LOGINTabitha knew that if she didn't speak up for Theodore, Jeanne would drag him into the study and tear him apart.She never expected him to just straight-up admit he was the other man. He wasn't lying, but he'd cherry-picked the most dramatic bits and tossed them out there with zero context, making everything sound even worse."Mrs. Fulton, I really think I should explain what actually happened," Tabitha said.Theodore immediately took her hand and led her upstairs. "Wait for me in my room. I'll handle everything else. This has always been between us, and we both agreed to it. No need to feed those gossips any more drama."He knew she wanted to defend him, but those people didn't deserve the courtesy."Relax. We had a deal—if my family gave you a hard time, I'd be the one to deal with it," he said. He took her up to the second floor. "Just stay in my room. If you're tired, lie down for a bit."Tabitha couldn't win against him when he got like this, so she did as he said and went in
Viola had David lower the projector screen in the living room. She then linked her phone to the projector while looking at Tabitha with open provocation, as if to say that she was finished.Tabitha and Theodore didn't bother defending themselves. He kept one arm around her and pulled her down onto the couch, lazily playing with her fingers like none of this had anything to do with him.A moment later, the online posts and videos started playing on the projector screen.Theodore watched the clip and nodded in satisfaction. He had to admit, the angle was pretty good. Tabitha's face couldn't be seen; she was turned away from the camera, her long hair falling down her back. Only half her profile showed as she cupped his face and kissed him, completely focused.In the last few seconds, half his face was buried in the curve of her neck. His eyes slid toward the camera, and he grabbed whatever was within reach and hurled it at the lens.There were also plenty of still shots of those male
Jeanne jabbed a finger at Theodore. "This is your mess. You can clean it up yourself."Theodore raised his hands in mock surrender and backed away, still wearing a lazy grin. "Mom, none of this would've happened if you hadn't secretly set up this marriage alliance behind my back.""What did I do to deserve this?" she muttered. "Why can't you be more like Terence and Millie and give me a little peace?"She let out a long, tired sigh. "Whatever it is, your girlfriend is definitely pretty. How'd a woman like that end up with you? And whose daughter is she? You'd better spell that out."Theodore's grin only widened. "You'll find out soon enough."He turned and headed downstairs without another word.George and Jeanne exchanged a look. Something about Theodore's tone made their skin crawl.When Theodore got downstairs, he saw everyone crowded around the couch. Viola sat in the middle, bundled up in a blanket like a burrito. She was sobbing her heart out.Meanwhile, Tabitha, his not-
"Sure, I'm still waiting for my divorce to be finalized, but Theodore's been protecting me from start to finish. He couldn't wait to introduce me to his parents, too." Tabitha cocked her head slightly.Her tone was innocent enough, but every word hit its mark. "Now look at you, Ms. Lane. How many years have you been chasing after him? You've shown up at every single Fulton family dinner, and you still can't figure him out. You keep throwing yourself at him and getting iced out. Everyone in our circle knows you're delusional."You're now going out of your way to spread rumors that I'm still married and clinging to him just to trash my reputation and force me to step aside."Tabitha's gaze turned razor-sharp, cutting straight through all of Viola's schemes. "Too bad for you that the more trouble you cause, the more Theo despises you."Viola's face turned blotchy with rage. She balled her hands into fists so tight that her nails dug into her palms, and her chest heaved with anger."D
Tabitha wasn't stupid. She instantly knew Viola was up to no good. It was obvious what she wanted—to drag whatever was going on between Tabitha and the Gills out into the open.It was the kind of thing everyone would find out about sooner or later anyway; there was no point trying to keep it under wraps. Besides, Tabitha wanted to see how Theodore, as a man, would handle it.The only thing she really worried about was Viola dragging Jordan here. There was always a chance he might suddenly have second thoughts and back out of the divorce.Tabitha didn't say anything. She just nibbled on her pastry and sipped her tea while Theodore fussed over her.George and Jeanne weren't fools, either. They knew Viola staying would only complicate things, but they couldn't exactly throw her out since she insisted on staying.Theodore had suddenly brought a woman home. That meant he'd finally wised up, which was a good thing. They'd tried to push him into this marriage alliance only because he had
Jeanne might have been blindsided, but she was still a woman who'd spent 30 years navigating high society. Her shock vanished in a heartbeat. By the time she set her teacup down, her face was already framed with a gentle, gracious smile."Honestly, Theodore. Something this big and you don't give us a heads-up? You've made a fool of yourself in front of Mr. and Mrs. Lane," she said, her gaze drifting over Tabitha, coolly appraising but not hostile.Tabitha kept a faint smile on her face, her back straight. The cream dress she wore made her look like a magnolia blooming in early spring—quiet, not competing for attention, but with a backbone all her own. She was gorgeous.George finally spoke, his voice carrying the weight of someone who had been in charge for a very long time. "You're registering your marriage? Did you discuss this with us?""Isn't that what I'm doing right now, Dad?" Theodore sat down beside Tabitha. He casually placed a pastry on her plate and poured her a cup of t







