Page 159 of The Paid Wife: A Lesbian Romance

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I wanted for her.”

Dani thought about pointing out that she wasn’t with Emily

for her money, but that opened up all of her confusing feelings

for exploration, opened them up to being picked apart, and she

very much doubted a man like Peter Radcliffe would

understand any of it. She wanted to keep her private life

private, at least those more intimate bits. If she didn’t fully

understand her feelings herself, how she was she supposed to

defend them and fight for them?

Surprisingly, Radcliffe went on, and he seemed to genuinely

mean what he was saying. “I want Emily to have someone

love and cherish her, not see her as a bank account.” The way

he said it, it felt personal.

Dani briefly wondered how happy Emily’s parents were in

their own marriage. She knew nothing about them, so she

dismissed the thought. It sounded like Radcliffe cared about

his daughter far more than he’d let on from the conversation in

the car. Dani could actually see he was worried now. Was it

that same worry that had driven him to say things that were

just a few shades away from being harsh and despicable? Or

was this all a carefully calculated act to make him appear like

a loving father?

Dani didn’t doubt that men like Radcliffe could be stellar

actors when they wanted to be. Wasn’t that what politics was

all about? Looking squeaky clean and good when the cameras

were on you, promising one thing and then doing another

entirely when you had the power to carry it through? Were

there a few honest people left out there?

Radcliffe seemed to sense her doubts. “Look. I love my

daughter. The party is one thing. My personal life is another. I

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