Page 19 of Collateral Damage
“We knew of each other from the time we were very young, but we didn’t officially meet until we were in college. The start of our relationship was rocky at best, and so was the beginning of our marriage.” She looks at the ceiling and releases a long-suffering sigh.
“He wasn’t a bad guy. He was really kind to me. He was funny and smart and handsome, but there was a big problem.” Her face is pink, which is not a color I see often on my demure, sophisticated mother. “He wasn’tinterestedin me romantically. He saw me as a friend, and then he met my little sister.” Her eyes flash to Arden. “It was love at first sight. He would’ve chosen her if he’d had the option, but she had a longtime drug problem and was the black sheep of the family. Even though I loved her dearly, not everyone saw the potential in her I did.” She clears her throat. “That your father did.”
I can’t imagine being with someone who only sees you as a friend but your sister as someone to love. It must have been so painful.
Ethan and Arden flash through my mind, and I realize I could’ve been exactly like my parents. Had history repeateditself, Ethan would’ve cheated on me with Arden, and I’d be in Mom’s shoes now, making excuses for the people I love who love each other more than they love me.
Both relief that it wasn’t me and regret that it was my mother slide through my veins.
She didn’t deserve this.
“By the time I found out they cared for each other, he and I were already married. It was doomed from the start.”
Arden is the first to speak. “I don’t have any memories of my mom,” she says. “I imagined her to be tortured, but kind. I can’t believe she betrayed you like that, Aunt Amelia. I’m so sorry.”
Mom shakes her head. “I don’t blame her. You shouldn’t, either. Your mom was a wonderful person, but you have to understand what the drugs did to her brain. I really believe if she’d been sober, none of this would’ve happened… at least not without lots of conversation first.”
Is that true? I don’t know, but fragments of a sinful kiss I shared with the wrong person come to mind. I quickly bury them, refusing to go back there.
“She didn’t try to steal him from me. In fact, she kept her distance. And I didn’t blame either of them all that much, considering our marriage was arranged. It was a sad situation. They swore they’d never act on their feelings.”
Obviously, that’s where the lies started—the real betrayals.
The look in Mom’s eyes is nothing short of haunted. “Her drug problem got worse, and she became estranged from the family. Your father and I tried to help her, but she didn’t want it, and she disappeared onto the streets. It was hard; you can’t help people who don’t want to be helped. So we did what we had to, and we moved on with our lives. At least, I thought we moved on.”
They had two children before Arden was born. The timeline is rife with betrayal.
“It’s not your fault, Mom,” I interrupt. “You don’t have to tell us more. We get what happened next.”
Mom shakes her head. “I want to tell the whole story. It’s important you understand.” She clears her throat, straightening the wrinkles in her skirt. “Once we started having children, your father and my partnership grew into more than an arrangement. We fell in love. We really did. We were happy for many years.” She swallows hard. “I believe your father was in love with both of us. There’s no other explanation.”
He was torn between the sisters, a tale as old as time. God, what a mess.
“I realize Arden came in the middle of me having my children. I didn’t know Greg had seen my little sister and gotten her pregnant.” She gives my half-sister a pointed look. “But I swear to you, honey, I don’t blame any of this on you. You are a gift and a blessing. I’m so glad you’re here. If anything, I blame myself for not realizing the truth sooner, for not finding you. I’m truly sorry you had to grow up the way you did. You never should’ve been without a family. We were here all along.”
Arden’s eyes spill over with tears, little streaks of painful truth splashing down her cheeks. This story is the kind of bombshell none of us could’ve seen coming. It’s confusing and horrible, but it’s the reality of our situation, and at least we got Arden out of it. Mom’s right. Arden really is a gift.
However, there’s one thing I don’t quite understand. “Why did you guys agree to an arranged marriage in the first place?” I ask.
Mother grew up in a wealthy family, and father did, too. There were plenty of prospects for both of them. They could’ve married anyone they wanted.
“My parents were extremely controlling. That’s why we didn’t visit very often while they were still alive.”
It’s true. We hardly ever saw our grandparents.
“They were hard on us girls, and honestly, I blame them for contributing to my sister’s addiction. They had no mercy for her, no matter how life threatening it became and how much she needed us.” A ghost of a smile lifts her mouth, but her eyes stay heavy. “You have to understand, people who value money and power above all else will sacrifice their own children if necessary. Ours did it to both of us.” She’s quiet for a long moment, and I can practically see the highlight-reel of childhood memories running through her mind.
“I had to please my parents. There was no other option for me. It was a similar story for your father. Laurence International needed an influx of funds, and my wealthy father was willing to give them what they needed if they brought my family into their sphere of influence. These kinds of deals happen more than you’ll ever know.”
She shrugs. “Even today, many prominent people arrange their children’s marriages. This marriage contract your father signed with Conrad? It’s similar. I guess he never learned the lesson.”
I wonder what that would be like to be forced to marry a man who was in love with my sibling. That could’ve happened if Ethan and I were still together. In another life, had circumstances been different, I could be the one sitting across from my future children, trying to explain away my husband’s indiscretions.
As horrible as this situation is, at least I’m not my mother. Arden is not her mother. Ethan isn’t Dad.
It’s Cooper I can’t place. I really thought he was good at heart, but his behavior recently says otherwise. He’s become his father’s son, through and through, and I wonder if the old Cooper is still in there somewhere, or if we’ve lost him forever.
Nine
