Page 102 of The House Guest
My stomach was upset. My legs were shaky. And more than that, I felt like the worst person ever. Like I deserved nothing but an angry, hateful reaction from him. Casey was going to be blindsided. I should’ve made this decision months ago when Dorian came to town. Even then I’d known what my heart desired, even if I refused to accept it. Instead, I’d sat on the inevitable. Now we were that much closer to the wedding, and everything would be so much harder. It wasn’t just Casey’s heart I was about to shatter. My daughter had been looking forward to wearing her princess dress, to seeing her parents united forever. I only hoped she was still young enough that she wouldn’t clearly remember this time in her life when her mother turned her world upside down.
When the door opened, I felt ready to drop, like my legs might collapse under me.
A look of alarm crossed Casey’s face. “Babe? What’s going on? Did something happen?”
“No!” I wiped the sweat from my forehead. “Everything is fine. Rosie is with your mother for a few more hours.”
“Why is she still there?”
“There’s something we need to talk about. I needed to be alone with you.” The room felt wobbly.
“Okay...” He put his hands on my arms and looked into my eyes. “Are you having doubts about the wedding?”
I was surprised that he’d immediately jumped to the correct conclusion. But I was downright shocked at the next question that came out of his mouth.
“Is this about Dorian Vanderbilt?” He let go of me suddenly.
I nearly fell back at the sound of Dorian’s name exiting Casey’s mouth. “How do you know his name?”
He paced. “You’ve been acting strangely for some time now. I’m sorry to say that after you’ve gone to sleep at night, I’ve occasionally checked your phone and computer. I can see your search history. Almost every day, you search that name.” He stopped for a moment. “I looked him up and discovered he’s from Orion Coast. I know you lived there with your aunt before we met. I put two and two together and realizedhemust have been the ex you’ve alluded to but would never speak about, the man you said broke your heart, yet you’ve given me almost no details about it over the years.”
“Yes…that’s him.” I cleared my throat. “What else did you find?”
“I read an article that said he was presumed missing at one time, but later it was revealed he’d been in hiding. Pretty crazy story.”
I felt entirely numb. “Why didn’t you confront me about it?”
“Because I wanted to hear it from you first.” He sighed. “And I didn’t want to believe any of it meant anything. I’d hoped your searching was just innocent curiosity. But given the look on your face when I walked in just now, I have a bad feeling about this.” He let out a long breath. “What were you about to tell me, Primrose?”
I closed my eyes a moment. There was no other way to explain it than to tell Casey the absolute truth from thevery beginning. “Can we sit, please?” With a shaky hand, I gestured to the sofa.
I took a deep breath and went back to the time right after Aunt Christina died, explaining my time with Dorian at the mansion, his breaking up with me, and ending with Dorian’s recent stay in Cincinnati. “I haven’t been having an affair with him, Casey,” I concluded.
“Just an emotional one,” he countered.
I couldn’t argue with that. “I promise that nothing physical happened while he was here. But I haven’t been able to move past it.”
“Because you still love him?” His eyes glistened. “Is that what you’re trying to say?”
I took a deep breath and muttered the only answer that was true. “Yes.”
“And you never loved me? Or you only loved me so long as he was dead to you...”
“Idolove you,” I insisted.
He crossed his arms. “But it’s not the same kind of love as you have for him.”
With tears in my eyes, I shook my head. “It’s not.” I’d come too far to deny anything anymore.
Casey dropped his head into his hands before looking up at me. “I knew something was wrong. I should’ve blown the lid off it earlier...but I neededyouto tell me. I suppose, too, a part of me didn’t want to know. But I’m not stupid. Things haven’t been right with us for a long time. You stopped wanting to sleep with me...” He exhaled. “This explains so much.”
Tears welled in my eyes. “Our daughter deserves better than me.”
He met my gaze. “You’re a damn good mother, Primrose. None of this changes that.”
“How can you say that right now?” I sniffled.
“Because it’s the truth. Regardless of what happens with us, you’re a good mother. You give every bit of yourself to Rosie every day.” He sighed. “You don’t think I’ve known you had your doubts about us? I’ve just ignored it because I haven’t wanted to believe I could lose you. But obviously, I can’t ignore it anymore.”
