She nodded.
That was very tempting. She and I kept our pasts close to our hearts. It was never said, but it was implied. We never violated each other’s privacy. We never got too close. “Okay.” I swallowed the lump in my throat.
“What happened with the woman who broke your heart?”
I stilled at the question. How did she know? Realization dawned on me. “Who spoke to you?”
She didn’t answer.
“Who?” I repeated.
“McKenzie.”
“And what did she say?” I felt anger brewing inside. I never asked my sister to protect my secrets, but I didn’t expect her to bring it up to Prudence at the first opportunity, especially when I left her alone for only five minutes.
“She threatened me.”
“What?” My hands automatically formed fists. “What the hell did she say to you?” I was going to have a nice chat with that brat.
“She said you’ve been hurt before, and I better not hurt you again.”
“Fucking brat…”
“I’m not mad,” Prudence said. “She meant well. She’s your sister.”
“That’s still completely uncalled for,” I snapped. “I’m so sorry.”
“Don’t apologize,” she said gently. “She loves you.”
“That doesn’t give her the right to disrespect you.”
“Let it go.” She gave me a gentle smile. “Now tell me, Cash. What happened?”
I sighed, preparing for the plunge. I never expected to tell her what happened to me. I never spoke about it to anyone, and everyone acted like it never happened. I was humiliated, devastated, and destroyed. It was the single worst thing that ever happened to me. But I wasn’t scared to tell her…I didn’t know why. And that was a first. “I used to be married.”
Her eyes widened but she didn’t speak. I gave her a moment to process what I said. It was a lot to take in. I definitely wasn’t the kind of man to take a wife.
“When we met, she was perfect. She was beautiful, funny, outgoing, playful—everything I wanted in someone else. When I found her, I couldn’t believe how lucky I was. She was the one, the love of my life. So I married her.”
Sympathy came into her eyes. “What happened?”
“I found out she used me. She just wanted me for my connections so I could make her famous. She wanted gigs in the industry and I arranged them. And when we got married, she refused to sign a pre-nup, saying it was a slap in the face to our marriage. It was important to her, so I respected her wishes.” Just talking about it made me feel like shit again. “It was a lie. She was cheating on me before we were married, and she cheated on me for the entire duration of our relationship. Everyone knew but they were too scared to say anything to me—because I was happy. When I found out…I broke down. I was humiliated and shattered. I loved her—at least I thought I did. But it was all a lie. She took half my money in the divorce. She took everything. Now she’s a star in television and movies. Which is what she wanted all along.” I took a deep breath then closed my eyes for a moment. I was over the break-up and I was over her. But it still hurt to mention it. When I opened my eyes, I saw Prudence’s face. She was crying.
“Baby?”
She wrapped her arms around me and held me. “I’m so sorry that happened to you.” She sniffed loudly and squeezed me. “You don’t deserve that, Cash. You’re such a wonderful man. She’s an idiot.” She wiped her tears and continued to hold me.
I returned her embrace and listened to her cry—for me. She shared the pain I felt. She understood it. There was no judgment or disapproval in her eyes. And that made me feel a million times better. “Thank you.”
She pulled away then cupped my face. The look in her eyes chased all my thoughts away. “You’re every girl’s dream, every girl’s fantasy. She’ll realize what she lost, Cash. And by then, it will be too late.” She kissed each cheek then pressed her head against mine.
For the first time, I felt like I wasn’t alone. She understood the depth of my despair. I had to hide it from the world so I wouldn’t seem weak, but I didn’t have to hide from her.
She controlled her emotions until she stopped crying. A few loud sniffs escaped her nose until the tears ran dry. “Is that why you are this way?”
I nodded. “It’s just easier. With this arrangement, there is no pain or disappointment. I can’t be hurt. And I don’t have a heart to share anyway.” A slight twinge of pain exploded in my heart. I hated the feeling.
She hugged my waist and rested her head against my chest. “Thank you for telling me.”
I kissed the top of her head. “It’s nice to get it off my chest. And it’s nice not to be lectured. You accept me as I am. And that’s what I need.”
“I hate her,” she whispered.
From the moment I met Prudence, she never had a bad thing to say about anyone else—ever. She was never mean or vulgar. So the words she said now caught me by surprise.
“I hate her,” she repeated. “She had the greatest man in the world and she threw it away.”
“You give me more credit than I deserve,” I whispered.
“Or not enough.”
I placed my hand under her chin then lifted her face. Her gaze met mine. Even when her eyes were wet with fallen tears, she looked beautiful. I could stare at her face all day. When I remembered my marriage, all I felt was pain. But I wondered how different it would have been if I picked a better person, a woman who really loved and respected me. Who cared about me, wouldn’t lie to me, and didn’t want me just because of my stature in life. I imagined Prudence being that woman. When I did, all I felt was joy. But reality set in. I couldn’t turn back time and erase the past. I couldn’t find the rest of my broken heart and put it back together. It wasn’t possible.
I pressed my lips against hers and gave her a gentle kiss. I didn’t want her sexually, but intimately. My emotions were too complicated to express verbally. I knew she’d understand me through my embrace.
She returned my affection with precise movements. Her fingers moved through my hair then down my back. When she touched me, I felt her desire and need. She didn’t just want me and need me in a sexual way either. The connection thawed the frozen ice of her heart. I healed her as much as she healed me.