“What?”
She swallowed past her dry throat. “That you were having an affair.”
“What!”
She stiffened. “What did you expect me to think, Matt? You’ve been working late every evening this week. Wasn’t it reasonable to think you were having an affair?”
“No. And I was working late. I was trying to catch Irene in the act.”
Lana winced as they came back full circle. Whether it was about him not trusting her enough to tell her about Irene, or shutting her out until she thought he was having an affair, they were clearly lacking in trust.
And if they couldn’t trust each other, how could their marriage survive?
He scowled. “Where’s all this coming from? I promised you I wouldn’t have any affairs while we were married, and I haven’t.”
“You said that, but—”
Someone knocked on the door. “Mr. Valente, I need to get a statement from you,” one of the policemen interrupted.
“In a minute,” Matt growled loudly. “Lana we need to talk. I—”
She pulled her shoulders back. “No more talk. Just leave me alone, Matt.”
“No, you—”
There was another knock on the door, and frustration and anger swept over his features as he glanced back at it, then back at her. “Fine. You’ve got it.” He spun away and stalked out of the room.
Lana stood there for a moment then left the room, too. She didn’t look at anyone as she walked to the elevator, not even relaxing once the doors closed. Her mind was too full of her emotions. There was so much anger and hurt between her and Matt now. So much mistrust. How long before the raised voices started between them?
Like her parents.
She’d lie in bed and listen to their arguments and flinch at every word until her father stormed out to spend the night with some other woman.
She flinched now. Up until this evening she had fooled herself into believing she could get through the year without upsetting Megan.
But this was the moment where she knew what she had to do. She would never let Megan go through what she had gone through growing up. She’d made that promise to her daughter when she’d been born.
She would keep that promise now.
Eleven
M egan was awake and fretful when Lana got home, and Ruth was nursing her back to sleep.
“That’s okay, Ruth. I’ll take care of her now.”
“If you’re sure.”
Lana nodded, desperate to get some time alone before she fell apart. She needed time to think, had to put one foot in front of the other. She’d have to find a new job and another place to live, her apartment having already been rented out. The thought of it all swamped her like a tidal wave. There was so much to do.
She wasn’t sure how long it was before she looked up from rocking Megan in her arms and saw Matt in the bedroom doorway.
He’d followed her.
“Is she okay?” he asked quietly, his brown eyes dark and unreadable.
Lana rocked her. “She will be.”
“Come into the living room when you’ve finished.”
“It might be awhile.”
“I’ll wait.”
That sounded ominous.
Fifteen minutes later, with Megan settled in her crib. Lana straightened her shoulders and walked toward the living room. As she got closer, she heard Matt’s voice.
“You were the one who told me to marry her, Dad,” he was saying into his cell phone, his back to her.
There was a pause.
“Yeah, like you forced Alex and Nick to marry, as well.”
There was another pause.
“I’m not sure what I’ll do yet.”
Lana felt like her breath had been cut off. He was talking about her.
And what was this about Alex and Nick? Cesare had forced them to marry their wives? He’d forced Matt to marry her, too?
God, how many lives were the Valentes prepared to wreck for the sake of the family name? They’d certainly ruined hers.
She must have made a noise, because Matt spun around and saw her. “Dad, I have to go.” He switched off his phone.
Lana swallowed with anguish. “Don’t worry, Matt. I’ll make it easy for you. Megan and I will be gone by the time you get home tomorrow.”
Matt looked at his wife standing there in the doorway and something erupted inside him. He jumped to his feet. “The hell you will!”
Her chin rose in the air. “Matt, you can’t stop me.”
He strode toward her and put his hand on her arm, not tight but enough to bring her fully into the living room. “Right, let’s talk.” He slammed her with his eyes. “And I mean let’s really talk this time.”
She fixed him with a piercing gaze, then took a few steps away, forcing him to let her go. “Don’t pretend, Matt. We both know you married me for Megan’s sake.”
He frowned. “That’s right. So what’s the problem?”
“But I didn’t know your father had pressured you into it.”
“He didn’t.”
She shot him a withering look. “Now who’s lying? I heard you a moment ago. You reminded Cesare how he’d told you to marry me.”
He waved a dismissive hand. “I was being sarcastic. He did tell me to marry you, but I made the decision to marry you, not him. There’s a difference.”
Her brow rose. “Different to Alex and Nick? How pleased you must feel to be one step ahead of them all,” she said, sneering. “The youngest brother jumping in and sacrificing himself on the marriage altar would definitely make you a big man in their eyes.”
What on earth…
He swore. “It wasn’t like that.”
“Then what was it like?”
“You already know all there is to know, Lana. I don’t have an agenda.”
She held his gaze and he held hers, then her shoulders suddenly drooped as all the puff seemed to leave her. “Matt, our marriage isn’t working. Megan has your name now, so there’s no further need for us to stay together. She’s a Valente. I’ll make sure she’s proud of it.”
Jealousy stabbed at him. “Even when you marry someone else?” he said in a harsh voice.
She looked baffled. “What do you mean?”
His muscles bunched at the thought of her with someone else. “You said you wanted more children.”