Page 48 of Proof

“Is everything alright, Cullen?” A look of concern crossed her face.

He held her at arm’s length and took a deep breath. “Chi-Chi. I love you. I’ve known it for a long time. I just never had the nerve to come out and say it. So there you have it.”

Chi-Chi threw her arms around him and gave him the sweetest kiss. “Thank you.”

Thank you? What does that mean? Thoughts were racing through his head. He choked out, “Excuse me?”

“Thank you for telling me. Please come in. I think we should discuss this.”

Cullen gulped. He had no idea what was coming.

Chi-Chi gestured to the sofa. “Please, sit.” He sat with his forearms on his thighs, his hands gripping his knees, readying himself for bad news.

“There is something I must tell you.”

Uh-oh, here it comes. Massive humiliation.

Chi-Chi sat next to him and took his hand. “You know I am very fond of you. There is something you should know.”

He was holding his breath.

“I was once married.” She paused, letting the information sink in. “My parents arranged it.”

Cullen’s mouth dropped open.

“And it was a terrible arrangement. His name is Debare, a very mean and cheap man. After almost a year, I could no longer stand to be with him. It was very difficult for me to tell my parents. I was afraid they might disown me.” She stopped for a moment. “But much to my surprise, they were not at all angry. They were relieved.” Cullen listened with a blank look on his face.

“Evidently, his parents gave my parents very bad information about him. Actually, it was what they did not tell my mother and father.” She got up and poured each of them a glass of water, then continued. “After we were married for three months, my husband applied for a loan and wanted my father to cosign. Before he put his name on the paper, my father did a background check on Debare. He had a gambling problem and owed tens of thousands of dollars to credit card companies.”

“And his parents failed to mention this?” Cullen was appalled.

“Yes. You see, my family had more money than his, and we were all citizens of the United States. His parents believed if he married into a good family, he would turn his life around.”

Cullen nodded. “Obviously, that didn’t happen.”

“No, it did not. But it explained a lot of his behavior. I was only twenty-one at the time, but I was not willing to forgive all of his sins if he was going to continue committing them.”

“Very good point,” Cullen replied.

“So, we got divorced. I have not spoken to him since.”

Cullen was quickly doing the math. “You haven’t spoken to him in over sixteen years?”

“This is true. The day the divorce was final was the last time I ever saw his face.” Chi-Chi looked at Cullen. “I am sorry I have not told you this before.”

“Oh, no. It’s okay. I’m glad you did.” He was still wondering where that put him on her list of priorities. “Does Luna know about this?”

“No. Only my family.”

“I shall never mention it.”

“Thank you. Now that you know, I hope it has not changed your opinion of me.”

“Not at all!” he exclaimed.

Chi-Chi let out a big whoosh of air. “I am glad. I did not like the idea that I was keeping a secret from you.”

“It’s private. I mean, it’s part of your past, and I don’t blame you for not telling me. It’s not important. At least not to me. That didn’t come out right. Your being divorced is not important. You are important to me.”

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