Chapter 11
The question struck him like a blow. For a moment, Gale opened his mouth to
respond, but no words came out.
His mind was a whirlwind of confusion.
Did he love her? Could he even answer that
truthfully?
“I….” he started, but his voice faltered.
His mother waited, her gaze steady but laced with disappointment. “You don’t even know, do you?” she said quietly, shaking her head.
Gale stood frozen, his mother’s words echoing in his mind like a resounding
gong.
He had always believed his marriage, flawed as it was, had some level of mutual
commitment.
But when faced with the gratitude agreement, everything he thought he knew
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crumbled before him.
“Mom,” he said, his voice trembling with disbelief, “what do you mean by this? Are you saying Rachel married me not out of love but… obligation?”
His mother’s eyes softened with a mixture of guilt and resignation. “Yes, Gale. Four years ago, when Lilian left you, you were a mess. You wouldn‘ teat, wouldn’t sleep, and spent your free time drowning yourself in alcohol.
“I watched as you became a shell of the man you once were. I couldn’t bear it
anymore.
She sighed, taking a seat as if the weight of her confession was too much to stand
under. “When I met Rachel, I saw her potential. She was kind, talented, and grounded, everything I thought you needed in your life.
“So, I asked her to come into your life, thinking she might be able to bring you
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back from the brink.”
Gale remained silent, his hands clutching the gratitude agreement.
“But I didn’t stop there,” she continued.
“I knew how hesitant she was about
marrying someone she barely knew, especially under such circumstances. So, I made her an offer. I promised to pay for her studies at RISD if she agreed to marry you. That was all she asked for, her education and a chance to pursue her dream.”
“Her dream?” Gale repeated, his voice hollow.
“Yes. Rachel never wanted wealth or luxury. She just wanted to paint, to grow as an artist. And in return, she agreed to be your wife, not because she loved you, but because she felt indebted to me for giving her the opportunity.”
Gale‘ s mind reeled. “And you never told me? For four years, you let me believe that
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she…” His voice trailed off as anger surged within him. “This was all your doing. You manipulated her into this!”
His mother looked at him steadily. “Yes, Gale. I did. And I take full responsibility for it. But I truly believed that, over time, love could grow between the two of you.
“I was wrong. All I managed to do was trap a good woman in a loveless marriage, hoping it would fix you. And instead, it only hurt her.”
Gale shook his head, pacing the room.
“No. That’s not the full story. Rachel could have left any time if she really wanted to. She chose to stay!”
His mother said firmly. “I am asking you to let her go. For her sake and yours.
You‘ ve taken so much from her already. If
you
can’t give her love, at least give her the freedom to find it elsewhere.”
But Gale wasn’t ready to accept it. His chest tightened with a mix of desperation
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30
and defiance. “No. I won’t let this end like this. I’ll find her. And when I do, I‘ 11
show her that this marriage isn’t over. Not until I say it is.”
“Gale!”
Gale left his mother’s house frustrated,
his jaw clenched as he got into his car.
His mother’s refusal to help him find Rachel confirmed his worst fear, she was no longer in Providence, and his mother had played a role in making it happen.
Gripping the steering wheel tightly, Gale immediately called his people. “Check the outbound flights from Providence in the last few days. Focus on any passenger named Rachel Douglas or Rachel Perkins. Let me know the moment you have any
leads.”
“Yes, Mr. Douglas,” came the prompt reply.
But just as he hung up, his phone buzzed again. Lilian’s name flashed on the
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screen.
He answered swiftly, concern creeping into his voice as he heard her panicked breathing.
“Gale, please help me,” Lilian cried, her voice trembling.
“What happened, Lilian?” Gale asked sharply, his body tensing.
“It‘ s my ex–husband. He found me,” she whispered, her words barely audible over the chaos in the background. “He‘ s downstairs in the apartment lobby, demanding to see me.”
Gale‘ s mind was suddenly flooded with memories of Lilian and the tumultuous events that had led her back to Providence.
He remembered how she had left for Paris not just for her career, but because her parents had arranged her marriage to Brian Watson, the son of a powerful family friend.
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Brian had propelled Lilian into the spotlight as a renowned fashion designer, using his wealth and connections to elevate her career. But behind closed doors, their marriage was anything but glamorous.
After four years, Lilian had filed for divorce, citing domestic violence.
The scandal had driven her back to Providence, away from the man who had built her career but shattered her spirit.
“I’ll be there in a minute,” Gale said. firmly, snapping back to the present.
“Don’t let anyone into your penthouse. Lock the doors and stay inside. Do you understand?”
“Yes,” Lilian replied, her voice wavering. “Please be careful, Gale.”
Without hesitation, Gale turned his car around, causing a chorus of honks from the cars around him.
Ignoring them, he pressed down on the gas, weaving through traffic with singular
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focus.
When he reached the hotel, Gale tossed his car keys to the valet and rushed into the lobby.
He spotted a tall, broad–shouldered man attempting to force his way into the elevator while two security guards struggled to restrain him. It was Brian Watson, Lilian‘ s ex–husband.
“Mr. Douglas, we‘ re sorry for the disturbance,” one of the staff members said, recognizing Gale.
At the mention of his name, Brian turned, his eyes narrowing as he sized Gale up.
“Ah, so you‘ re Gale Douglas?”
“Yes, I am,” Gale replied coolly, his sharp tone cutting through the tension in the air. “Rather than causing a scene, why don’t we handle this like professionals? Let’s talk, Mr. Watson.”
The guards hesitated, still holding onto Brian’s arms, but Gale signaled them to
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release him.
“Let’s take this to the bar,” Gale
suggested, his voice steady but authoritative.
Brian, though bristling with hostility, followed Gale‘ s lead.
The two men walked into the apartment bar, each carrying an air of dominance that made the space feel smaller.
Once seated, Brian ordered a glass of high- proof whiskey, taking a long sip before. glaring at Gale. “So, you‘ re the one, huh? Lilian’s lover? The man who lured her
away from me and back to Providence?”
Gale did not flinch. His voice was calm but edged with steel. “As her ex–husband, Mr. Watson, you have no claim over her anymore. Whatever she chooses to do now is none of your concern.”
Brian’s jaw tightened, his grip on the whiskey glass firm. “None of my concern?
She’s still my wife since we have not
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divorce yet. Besides, I built her career, made her who she is today. But then she left me like I’m nothing.”
“Lilian didn’t leave you, Brian. She escaped,” Gale replied coldly, his eyes locked on Brian‘ s. “You don‘ t own her. And you never will again.”
Brian’s knuckles whitened as he set the glass down forcefully. “Big words for a man whose wife also walked away from him,” he spat, his words hitting Gale like a punch to the gut.
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