Chapter 3

Everyone stared at Rosalie in shock.

"You... you disrespectful brat!" Edmund shouted.

Patricia hurried over, trying to calm things down. "Rosalie, please. Let's talk about this calmly. There's no need to upset your father."

Rosalie snapped, "Stay out of this! You were just an actress my father kept as his mistress before he married you. Who are you to lecture me?"

Patricia's face flushed, then went pale. Fighting back tears, she turned to Edmund for help.

Edmund was furious, but Rosalie looked ready to tear the house apart. He forced down his anger and motioned for Patricia to take the frightened children upstairs.

"What the hell is all this about now?"

Rosalie looked him straight in the eye, speaking slowly and deliberately. "Did you use that drug to force Nathaniel to marry me?"

Edmund's gaze faltered. "What are you talking about?"

Rosalie pressed harder. "Don't play dumb! You know exactly what I'm talking about! Answer me, Edmund Quinn! Did you do it or not?"

Edmund could see she was at her breaking point. There was no use denying it anymore.

Finally, he snapped, "So what if I did? I was doing it for your own good! Nathaniel's a rising star in the military. Do you have any idea how many families would kill to have him as a son-in-law?

"I found you a husband like that, and somehow I'm the bad guy? You're my daughter! Why would I ever hurt you? You need a man like Nathaniel to keep you in line! He's the only one who can make you happy!"

Rosalie let out a bitter laugh.

"Happy? You think I could ever be happy in a marriage built on lies and some deal you made behind my back? Let me tell you something, Edmund. I've got plenty of men lining up to marry me! I don't need you pulling dirty tricks to get someone to take me!"

She drew a deep breath, then went on.

"And stop pretending you did this for my sake! We've been fighting over what happened to my mother for years, and you've had enough. You just wanted to marry me off so you wouldn't have to deal with me anymore!

"You knew I wouldn't marry just anyone, so you chose Nathaniel. You figured I'd fall in love with him, settle down, and have his children. Then, once I had a family of my own, you'd have him talk me into giving up my share of the family fortune.

"That way, you could leave everything to the children you had with the woman you love. That was your plan all along, wasn't it?"

Edmund looked shaken. She'd seen right through him, but he still tried to deny it.

"You... you have no idea what you're talking about!"

"Oh, don't I?"

Rosalie gave a humorless laugh. Tears stung her eyes, but she fought to hold on to what little pride she had left.

"Fine. Whether that was your plan or not, I'll make one thing clear. I don't want a penny of the family fortune!"

Edmund looked startled. Then Rosalie caught a flash of satisfaction in his eyes, and her heart sank. A chill ran through her.

She said firmly, "But I have two conditions! First, give Nathaniel the drug. Second, use your connections to get our divorce approved as soon as possible."

Edmund's anger vanished the moment Rosalie offered to give up her inheritance. His expression softened, and he even managed to sound like a concerned father.

"Well, if the marriage isn't working, there's no point forcing it. If you want a divorce, that's fine. I just want you to be happy."

He paused. "But you'll have to wait for the drug."

He sent a housekeeper for pen and paper, drafted an agreement on the spot, and slid it across to Rosalie.

"Once the divorce is final, you're going back overseas. And this time, you're staying there. No more coming home and causing trouble.

"I also want it in writing that you're giving up any claim to the family fortune. Agree to that, and I'll give Nathaniel the drug."

Rosalie stared at the agreement, her heart aching.

So this was the kind of father she had. He didn't love her. Everything he'd done had been for himself and his new family.

Her hand shook as she picked up the pen. She pressed it firmly against the paper and slowly signed her name.

Then she set the pen down and fixed Edmund with a cold stare. "Get the divorce approved as soon as possible. And if I find out you haven't given Nathaniel the drug..."

She paused, her voice turning deadly serious.

"Nathaniel plays by the rules, but I don't. I'll blow this whole place sky-high. You, that woman, and those kids will all pay for it."

Rosalie squared her shoulders and walked out without looking back, leaving Edmund stunned and furious. She was done with that place.

She didn't return to the home she shared with Nathaniel. Instead, she headed straight for the dance hall she used to frequent.

For three days straight, Rosalie practically lived at the dance hall, drinking and dancing, trying to lose herself in the liquor and noise. But no matter how hard she tried, she only felt colder and emptier inside.

When a few of her closest friends heard what she'd been doing, they rushed over to stop her. One of them caught her by the arm. By then, Rosalie's eyes were already glassy from drinking.

"Rosie, what's going on? Did something happen?"

Rosalie looked at them through bleary eyes and forced a smile that came out more like a grimace. "What? Nothing happened. I'm just having fun, same as always."

One of her friends said worriedly, "But you haven't partied like this since you got married! Isn't General Farrell usually glued to your side?"

"Glued to my side? You have no idea why, do you?"

Rosalie's chest ached unbearably. She drained her glass, but the liquor burning down her throat did nothing to ease the pain.

She couldn't keep it to herself any longer. She told them everything.

Her friends were furious. Nathaniel was a fool for not appreciating her, they said, and Edmund ought to be ashamed of himself.

Rosalie managed a hollow smile. What a fool she'd been.

"Look at me. I'm gorgeous. I could have any man I want. Why would I settle for someone who's in love with another woman?"

"Exactly! Rosie, you're beautiful. You've got everything going for you. Men would line up to marry you! Nathaniel doesn't know how lucky he is!"

"That's right! And knowing you, Rosie, you wouldn't take him back even if he got down on his knees and begged!"

Rosalie smiled faintly, without a trace of humor.

As if Nathaniel would ever beg her to take him back.

Once she was overseas and Evelyn had the drug, he'd finally be free to be with the woman he loved. He'd be thrilled. Why would he ever ask her to take him back?

The ache in her chest grew worse. She excused herself to use the restroom, hoping for a moment alone.

But as soon as she stepped out, a man reeking of alcohol blocked her path and reached for her waist.

"Hey, gorgeous. You here alone? How about a dance?"

Already in a foul mood, Rosalie shot him a cold glare, ready to tell him off.

Before she could get a word out, a sharp crack split the air, followed by the man's agonized scream.

Rosalie looked up at the man who'd intervened. His strikingly handsome face was cold and forbidding.

It was Nathaniel.