Fidelity (Infidelity #5)(75)

Though Nox’s shoulder was against my side and his woodsy scent soothed me, my vision was beginning to narrow. My heart beat faster as the red faded and Alton’s confidence grew.

Fighting my childhood training, I maintained my ground. “My mother isn’t delusional. She’s clearheaded for the first time.”

“No, dear. It’s too late for that. I filed papers long ago.” He tilted his head toward Ralph. “He can show you. Your mother signed them. She can’t file for divorce. She’s not mentally stable. She lost the legal right to make that or any other decision years ago. Her behavior recently, her stay at Magnolia Woods… it all supports how truly ill she is.”

He twisted the figurative knife, doing what he did so well. He planned and plotted. He prepared for every turn of events. Yet if that were the case, why had he been yelling at Ralph?

I shook my head. “No. She’s free from you. She’ll never come back.”

“That’s up to you.”

“I’m not marrying Bryce!” My declaration came out louder and shriller than even I liked.

Alton nodded, a smile gracing his thin lips. “You’ve made that clear. I have an alternative for you, a way to give your mother the freedom she thinks she wants without allowing her to end up destitute.”

“She will never be destitute,” Nox’s deep voice infiltrated my nightmare. “Neither will Alex.”

“Alexandria, you are the heir to more money than these criminals can fathom. If you think that either one of them is interested in anything other than your bank account, you’re mistaken.”

His tone was slow and calm. He’d moved closer and closer until only the shiny table separated us.

My hands slid on the table’s surface, perspiration leaching from my palms despite the goose bumps on my skin.

“That’s not true,” I countered. “I love Lennox and…” I took a deep breath. “…for the first time I’ve seen what Momma looks like in love.”

He shook his head. “Delusional. I wonder what drugs she’s taking now. Is she washing the pills down with wine? It’s her favorite pastime.”

“Stop it! She’s not. She’s strong.”

“The choice is yours, Alexandria. I’ll let her go. I’ll even give her some money in the settlement, so that when that criminal gets tired of her, when he learns how truly boring her company can be in and out of bed, at least she’ll be able to afford a roof over her head.”

I didn’t try to hide the disgust from my face. “You’re the one who’s delusional. You’re the one who will be without a roof.”

“Alexandria,” Ralph said. “I have the medical and legal power of attorney. If you’d like Daryl to look at it, that can be arranged. The documents support what Alton is saying.”

I shook my head, trying to keep my thoughts straight. “You wanted me to marry…” My stomach twisted, bile bubbling at the words I was about to say. “…your son!”

Alton’s eyes opened wide as Suzanna’s closed.

“That is not common knowledge. I did, but I was wrong. It isn’t too late,” Alton said.

“Too late? It is. He’s going to prison. He killed a woman.”

“Dear, he didn’t.” Suzanna’s words faded away as Alton and I continued our stare down.

“Hear my proposal.”

Straightening my neck allowed much-needed air to fill my lungs. “Make it quick.”

“I’ll give your mother the divorce. I won’t make a public spectacle out of her mental state. We’ll keep it a family matter. You don’t need to marry Bryce. However, you will need to marry. Without a marriage you can’t inherit. I’ve generously decided to allow you to maintain your inheritance. Instead of marrying Bryce, once the divorce is final, you’ll marry me.”





THE SMALL ROOM exploded in a chorus of retorts.

Suzanna’s skin paled until it filled with red, her blood running to parts unknown and then rushing to the surface. She wobbled on her too-high heels until she found her voice. “What the hell? Her? What the hell?”

Her distaste for foul language was forgotten as she spewed and sputtered. She repeated the question, each time louder, though no one answered. She wasn’t alone. Nox was on his feet, rage permeating his words and oozing from his stance. He wanted Alton out of the room, demanding that Daryl file an immediate restraining order.

Isaac’s eyes were wide as shock registered on Ralph’s and Daryl’s faces.

It was chaos, yet through it all, Alton stood steadfast, his hands now on the table, his beady gray eyes seeing only me. With each passing moment, his thin lips moved to a smile as he slowly scanned me up and down, seeing as far as the table would allow.

My flesh quivered as if his gaze could literally touch me, could see beneath my clothes.

“As I said, a spitfire.”

I reached for Nox as he lunged forward. “Everyone, stop.”

The turmoil quieted though it hung thick in the air.

“Alexandria, it’s your chance to keep what you should never lose and help your mother in the process.”

The first laugh was more of a cough. I feared that it might be filled with the bile that his proposal had produced. It wasn’t. Instead the ring filled the room. With each breath my laughter grew until it poured from my soul. I was manic as tears of hilarity filled my eyes. “Delusional? You’re the one who’s delusional.”