The Wife He Forgot: Ashes to Empire
"Because she's the mother of my children. Because I spent years being cruel to the one person who actually deserved my love, and I'm not doing it anymore. So yes, I'll threaten you. I'll use every resource I have. I'll do whatever it takes to protect her."
Vivian's face crumpled.
For a moment, she looked genuinely sad.
"I loved you," she whispered. "Did you know that? When we first got together, I actually loved you."
"No, you didn't. You loved what I could give you. The money, the status, the lifestyle."
"Maybe at first. But it became real. And you never even saw me. You were always looking past me, toward her."
"Because she was real, Vivian. What we had was a fantasy built on lies."