Page 67 of Carnival
Noelle gives me an odd, almost confused look, a glass of wine in her hands while she has her laptop on her lap, feet lifted on the small coffee table in the living room. Her fingers hover over the keyboard, and she doesn’t waste a second.
“Sweetheart, are you alright?”
“No,’’ I hiss. “Where’s your husband?”
“His study,’’ she shrugs. “But you will take your shoes off before you take another step inside.’’
A mix of a snort and a huff slips out of me, and I obey without a word, slipping my sneakers off, tossing them in a far corner of the hallway, and then sliding on a pair of home slippers before stalking up the stairs.
The anger hasn’t subsided. If anything, it’s grown between Aria’s apartment and the De Santis residency. I didn’t think about what I’d tell Hudson once I got here, and I don’t need to.
My feet carry me toward his study, and I don’t bother knocking. I push the door open, stepping inside and taking in the sight in front of me. Hudson looks up from his papers, putting the pen aside. He tilts his head, ever so slightly, silently asking me what I needed.
“You,’’ I breathe out, pointing an accusatory finger at him. “Why?”
He blinks. “Why, what?”
“Why did you send James to prison?’’ I ask through gritted teeth. “More importantly, why did you keep it a secret from me?”
Hudson immediately understands the anger, and he sighs, motioning for me to sit on one of the leather chairs. He doesn’t speak for a while, waiting for me to sit. Reluctantly, I take a seat, glaring at him, but it’s not all irrational anger.
It hurts.
I’m hurt that no one bothered to tell me. I hate how they preach family and honesty, yet no one gave me the grace of telling me the truth. If they’ve been keeping this a secret from me, I don’t even want to begin to imagine what else they must be hiding.
Hudson pulls out a flask, then takes a sip, leaning back in his chair. His eyes don’t leave my face, and he’s studying me. It’s a look in his eyes I’ve learned to recognize over the years. He’s trying to figure out how much I know, or rather, how much he should reveal.
I’m done being kept in the dark about my own life, and I’m not leaving until he tells me everything.
“Before you… lose your shit, I need you to understand that everything I did was with your best interest in heart.’’
“Did you now?” I ask, sarcasm lacing my words. “Because from where I’m standing, you keeping me in the dark did more bad than good, Hudson.’’
“I know,’’ he starts, not once moving his eyes off me. “Look, Rose… I was the one to send James to prison. I’m assuming Aria opened her big mouth and let it slip out, and I won’t lie to you. I did it for two reasons.’’
“Which are?”
“With James locked up, Vivian was less likely to rush into things. From what I’ve gathered over the past two years, although James and Vivian never met, the word is that she is actually scared of how far he would go to protect you. Given that she didn’t dare do anything to him in prison, she just wanted him out of the way without killing him. Sending him to prison was the safest thing for you.’’
“And the second reason?”
“I don’t like him,’’ he admits, shamelessly. “He’s a fucking bastard. And he is reckless. He would do anything to keep you safe, yes, and while I find that admirable, it’s not sustainable in the long run. He doesn’t feel anything, except for anger. He gets blinded by it quite easily, too, and he’d accidentally get you hurt.’’
“You think that he’d pose danger.’’
Hudson nods. “Yes. Him being in prison kills two birds with one stone. Vivian thinks he’s out the way, and you’re safe and protected.’’
“And what? James just agreed to this?”
Hudson snorts. “God, no. He threw a hissy fit. But eventually, he caved, and well, you know the rest.’’
A small frown tugs on my lips. “The day when he got arrested… was it you who sent me those videos?”
“No,’’ he says without missing a beat, and I believe him. “I wouldn’t do that to you.’’
“Right,’’ I scoff. “So who was it, then?”
“Likely Vivian.’’
