Marrying My Father's Killer

Chapter Three

Chapter Three

"Chloe, not everyone's lucky enough to have love in their lives, but even two people who don't love each other can live together and share a great, passionate life. Love and hate are powerful emotions — just like two sides of the same coin, very close and interchangeable. Indifference is the real killer in marriage and any relationship. If either of us were indifferent, our marriage wouldn't work. But we're not, so our marriage stands a good chance. That is, if there's no one else you care about?"

For a brief moment Chloe wanted to say there was, then, remembering Troy had done his homework on her life, she answered flatly, "No. There's no one."

His blue eyes studying her face, he said, "Tell me, Chloe. Has there been anyone else since me?"

Knowing there wouldn't be any shortage of women in his life, and to spite him, she said, "Yes. Dozens of them."

"The truth, Chloe."

"No. There's been no one else."

She heard him hiss through his teeth. "Why not? You're a warm, passionate woman."

"Well, after making one disastrous mistake, I can no longer stand men."

His mouth tightened. "So you look on our time together as a disastrous mistake?"

"What else would you call it?" Quickly she amended, "No, I don't mean Rea. She can never be a mistake. She's the most wonderful thing that ever happened to me."

"Why didn't you tell me you were pregnant?"

"Do you really need me to spell it out?" Chloe demanded fiercely.

"Well, even if you didn't want to marry me, you could have let me know, so I could help financially. Having a baby alone can't have been easy."

"It wasn't easy, I can't lie about that. But I'd still do it again without you."

Troy's face went pale. "So you never once regretted your decision?"

"At times I felt guilty about depriving Rea of a father," she admitted.

"Well, you can correct it now by marrying me and giving Rea a complete family."

But there was one aspect, she realised, that still hadn't been mentioned. If she agreed to this marriage, did he intend to stick to his wedding vows?

There was no denying that Troy was a red-blooded, charismatic man who would always attract attention. Even so, if he'd been marrying a woman he loved, she would have had her doubts about his fidelity. But the fact that he hated her, and only wanted to marry her because of Rea, made things vastly different.

Would he want other women? Maybe even flaunt them, to pay her back?

That would be unbearable, and she needed to know.

"What kind of marriage do you have in mind?"

"You mean, would there be other women?"

She nodded.

"No," he answered firmly. "One woman is all I need."

He took her hand. "I want the good old-fashioned kind of marriage. The kind our grandparents had, where two people stay faithful to each other for life."

"Think about it, Chloe. Then say yes, you'll marry me."

Just for an instant she was tempted. In some ways it would be a relief to give up the fight and agree. She wouldn't have to live with the fear of losing the child she loved. There would be no more financial problems. No more denying her natural needs.

Most important of all, Rea would have a father, and there was absolutely no doubt in her mind that, whatever his faults, Troy would make a good father.

No, no — she must be mad to even consider it. Too much anger and resentment, too many doubts, too many bitter memories still existed for a marriage between them to stand any chance.

And how could she bear to marry a man she hated?

Though did she still hate Troy? A lot of that hatred had been engendered by what she believed he had done to her father. How drastically did the truth alter her feelings?

Once she had loved Troy deeply, until that love had turned to hate... Yet not totally. Mingled with the black hatred, hadn't there always been golden strands of love?

But no matter how she felt about Troy, it didn't alter the fact that he hated her. He'd admitted as much. She shivered. To the best of her knowledge, no one had ever hated her before.

Though he had every right to hate her, the chill voice of honesty pointed out. She had robbed him of his daughter.

She felt a deep sense of shame.

After a moment, that shame was swamped by anger. She might have been wrong as far as the bank was concerned, but it didn't mean she'd been wrong about him having an affair with her stepmother.

Despite all his denials, Rose and he must have been lovers. Why else would she have been in his room, wrapped in his arms, clad only in a transparent negligée?

Chloe clenched her teeth. How often had she tried to drive that image from her mind, without success? She could never forget the past, never forget that while he had been making love to her, he had been making a cuckold of her father.

So how could she marry Troy? No matter how hard she tried to make their marriage work, that memory would always come between them.

But what alternative did she have? His threat to take Rea away from her was a very real one. He had money and power, and was ruthless enough to use both to achieve his goal.

It was one thing to tell herself he wouldn't succeed, but how could she be sure? She couldn't risk losing her daughter.

Yet neither could she marry Troy.

She was caught between a rock and a hard place.

But there must be some means of escape... Suppose she took Rea and disappeared again? Perhaps moved up north, where it would be cheaper to live and Troy would never think of looking for her?