I was surprised to see Sam waiting out front when I arrived home. He looked pensive. Bear was beside him, not his normal boisterous self, so I immediately knew something was off.
“Hey, guys. Everything okay?”
Sam ran his hand through his hair, his eyes not meeting mine.
“Sam?”
“My grandfather passed away.”
“No,” was all I could manage as I walked to him and pulled him toward me. He hugged me tight, nuzzling his face into my neck.
“I’m so sorry.”
He didn’t speak. We remained in that embrace for a long time, and when he finally lifted his head, there were tears in his eyes. He tried to wipe them away quickly, but it was too late. I’d already noticed them.
“I need to get up to my grandmother. Will you come with me?”
“Of course.”
Forty-five minutes later, we arrived at his grandparents’ house. By the looks of it, there are already people here. I was pretty sure Julia was one of them, but dread seeped in behind that thought. Marcus would be there too, if not already, then certainly later. I’d forgotten that and tried to steel myself for the unpleasantness that would surely follow. The front doors opened as we approached them.
“Hello, Mr. Andrews. I’m so sorry for your loss.”
“Thank you, Smith. I’m sorry for your loss too. I know how much the old man meant to you.”
Tears swam in Smith’s eyes, though he didn’t let them spill over.
“Hello, Mrs. Andrews.”
“Hi, Smith. I’m sorry too.”
“Thank you. I’ll bring you to everyone.”
We followed him down the long corridor to the kitchen. Julia was there with Darren, both sipping a glass of wine.
“Sam,” she exclaimed and moved toward him, taking him into her arms. He hugged her, both of them clearly grieving their loss.
“I’m so sorry, honey. How are you holding up?”
“I’ll be fine, Mom. How’s Gram?”
“She’s doing the best she can under the circumstances. She should be back any time. She took a phone call a few minutes ago. Hi, Sydney.”
“Hi, Julia. I’m so sorry.”
“Thank you.”
She hugged me tight as I tried to stifle a sob. I didn’t feel as though I had any right to grieve, but seeing this family so broken left my heart aching. Gram returned a few minutes later.
“Samuel.”
She reached for him, and he took her tiny frame in his arms. They embraced for a long time, Gram crying silently as her head rested against his chest. Tears spilled over as I watched the scene before me. Grandson comforting grandmother. It was touching, knowing how much they adored each other and how both their hearts were hurting.
Julia poured me a glass of wine, while Gram talked about the arrangements being made. The service would be this weekend, Saturday afternoon to be exact. They’d receive friends and family on Friday night at the funeral home, then there would be a service at their church on Saturday, mid-morning. A reception at the house would immediately follow.
“Please let me know if there is anything I can do to help, Mrs. Andrews.”
“You being here is enough, Sydney. Sam will need you more than ever. He and his pop had a very special bond.”
I nodded, knowing the truth. Sam wouldn’t need me anymore. Our business arrangement was nearing its end. He’d finally be able to be free of me. Free to return to his notorious bachelor ways, to the life he loved before he needed me. I knew, once we made it through the funeral services, Sam would tell me it was time to leave. I’d be back to my old life by next week, alone and broken-hearted. I felt pathetic for even thinking it, knowing how he was grieving right now, but my own grief was so very close to the surface. I felt as though I hadn’t had enough time with him. I thought we’d at least have a year, not two months. As all these truths flooded in, I forgot that I’d insisted that afternoon that I wanted a divorce.
Lost in my own thoughts, I didn’t hear Marcus and Lena arrive until they were a few feet away from me. My body stiffened instinctively as Marcus came into my view. He approached me with a menacing look on his face.
“How’s your mother today, Sydney?” He snickered.
I felt the blood drain from my face. He laughed, knowing the impact his question had on me.
“Looks like good old Sam will be getting his half of the inheritance, after all. You’re lucky pop died when he did.”
I saw Sam approaching in my peripheral vision.
“You’d be wise to step away from my wife and not go near her again, cousin.”
I’d never seen Sam this angry. His jaw was clenched, and he spoke through gritted teeth. His arm came around my waist as he stared Marcus down. I tried not to shake, but my body betrayed me. The last thing I wanted was to cause a scene, but I somehow couldn’t seem to regain even a semblance of control.
“Why don’t you ask your wife how much she liked me touching her? She looks really good tied up, cousin. Although I’m sure you’ve already seen her that way. If you haven’t, you’re definitely missing out.”
That’s all it took. Sam pounced on him. Grabbing him by his shirt collar and lifting him off the floor, Sam slammed Marcus into the wall.
“Samuel!” his grandmother yelled.
It didn’t stop him. He was in a rage, obviously beyond reason or any kind of caution. He drew his fist back, then smashed it into Marcus’ face. Blood spewed from his nose.
“Samuel! Stop it. Now!” She yelled louder this time.
That finally seemed to penetrate. Sam let go of Marcus, letting him slide to the floor.
“Why don’t you tell everyone what you did to Sydney, dear cousin, while you have a captive audience?”
A look of horror spread across Marcus’ face. Lena handed him a napkin for his nose, stepping back immediately after.
“Sam. Please. This isn’t necessary,” I begged.
“Oh, it is necessary, isn’t it, Marcus? Go on now, the floor’s all yours.”
Everyone stared down at Marcus. The napkin he held to his nose was soaked with blood. He slumped against the wall, unwilling to make eye contact with anyone in the room.
“What’s wrong cousin? Does the cat have your tongue? Why don’t I tell them for you, then?” Sam looked around at the family, his eyes hard and unrelenting as they simply stared at him in a kind of shocked silence. “My dear cousin lured my wife to an abandoned building a few days ago, where he tied her up, touched her inappropriately, then threated her and her family if she didn’t do what he asked—which was to divorce me immediately, so he would inherit everything. He then left her there for hours until her best friend and I found her, bound and gagged.”
‘Please tell me this is a joke,” Julia said, disgust etched on her face.
“Oh no, Mom. It’s not a joke. Then this morning, he left a disturbing letter on her desk, threatening her again.”
“Is this true, Sydney?” Sam’s gram asked.
I trembled worse than before, tears stinging my eyes as I whispered, “Yes, it’s true.”
Lena’s hand went up to her mouth in horror. “Marcus, please tell me they’re lying.”
Marcus was eerily quiet. Carefully, still clutching the napkin to his nose, he picked himself up off the floor and stood with his back against the wall, glaring at everyone in the kitchen. Silence settled over the group, broken only by a single soft sob which could have been Lena though I didn’t look to find out.
“Their marriage is a complete sham!” he yelled at last, “He only married her so I wouldn’t inherit everything. The whole thing is a fucking joke. I was only moving their inevitable divorce along. We all know Sam Andrews isn’t a one-lady man. As soon as he inherits, he’ll get rid of her and go right back to his philandering ways a much richer man.”
That hurt, but he wasn’t wrong. Our marriage was a sham, and right then, it was causing a lot of people discomfort, me included.
“Whether it’s a sham or
not, Marcus, you had no right to treat Sydney the way you did. Who do you think you are? Do you know what your grandfather would have done to you if he were still alive and found out this information? You’d be cut off from everyone and everything. He would not tolerate it.” Gram’s voice shook. She was pissed, clearly.
“Well, it looks like it’s too late for him to do that now.”
Sam lunged at Marcus, but Darren caught him before he could do any more damage.
Gram regained her composure and spoke steadily. “That’s enough, Samuel. I know you’re angry, but this ends now. As for you, Marcus, I think it’s best you leave. Your presence here is causing too much friction. You and I will have a nice long discussion tomorrow, when you come back to see me. Alone.”
“Let’s go, babe,” he said as he held his hand out to Lena. She took it hesitantly, and both of them left without another word.
Sam’s gram turns toward me.
“Sydney, I apologize for his behavior. There is absolutely no excuse. I’m so sorry you had to endure that.”
“Thank you. I’m okay. Sam found me. I’m safe. There’s a police report…” I sounded like a complete idiot with my much too short sentences.
“Good. He can’t get away with behavior like that. He needs to understand there are consequences for his actions. Tomorrow, he’ll learn that. As for you, Samuel, why didn’t you say anything last night? You should have told us what he did to Sydney.”
“I had it under control, Gram.”
“Really? So much so that he threatened her again this morning. I don’t call that having it under control.”
Sam ran his hand through his hair, visibly frustrated.
“This is not how I envisioned this night going, but this family never ceases to surprise me. I’m going to head up to bed. I’ve had enough for one evening.”
“I’m sorry, Gram. I shouldn’t have lost my cool.”
“I understand why you did, Samuel, but he’s not worth it. Marcus has always had a side of him that none of us has liked. He has shown that two-fold by what he did to Sydney. Unfortunately for him, there is a clause in the will that will be quite surprising to him now that these events have come to light.”
She paused, looking over her shoulder as she headed out of the kitchen.
“As for you, Samuel, if this marriage is a sham, you’re a complete fool.”
With that, she left. Stunned by her words, I was too afraid to make eye contact with anyone, so I stared down at my feet.
“Sydney?”
It was Julia.
“Yes,” I answered hesitantly.
“Are you all right?”
“It’s just been a long couple of days. My emotions are a bit raw.”
“Let’s get you home, Mrs. Andrews,” Sam’s voice, now back to its usual gentle, caring cadence, soothed me.
“I’d like that.”
I felt numb as we said our good-byes to Julia and Darren. This night had turned out to be a complete disaster. I felt horrible for Sam’s gram. She shouldn’t have had to endure the ugly truths she had tonight. Not after her terrible loss only hours ago.
“I feel terrible, Sam.”
“I know. I do too. Gram shouldn’t have seen that or, for that matter, heard what happened. Not tonight, anyway. I should have kept it together.”
“Thank you for defending me to Marcus. You were like a knight in shining armor, coming to my rescue again.”
“I’ll always defend you, Sydney.”
“What do you think your gram meant by Marcus finding out the consequences?”
“You know, I’m not sure. It sounds like Pop put something in the will that he isn’t going to like.”
“He’s going to flip out if he doesn’t receive what he believes is his portion of the inheritance.”
“He is. Which means he’ll probably come after me in some way. He’ll leave you alone once we separate. You won’t be on his radar anymore.”
And there it was, right back to business. Even though I knew it was coming, it didn’t lessen the blow.
“Sydney, after the funeral, we can begin the process of separating and divorcing. I’ll have the two hundred and fifty thousand transferred into your account on Monday. It’s what we agreed upon. You can move back to your house on Monday as well. I’m sure you’re ready to quit playing pretend and get back to your life.”
I only nodded. It was all I could manage, knowing I only had a few days left of being Mrs. Andrews.
“We can tell everyone you didn’t want to be harassed by Marcus any longer, so you chose to leave. It actually sets up well after everything he’s done. You got what you asked for today, after all.”
Right. I had forgotten I’d told him I wanted a divorce earlier. It did play out nicely, even though it wasn’t really what I wanted. Hiding my heartbreak, I looked at him, covering my emotions with a hesitant smile. His lips curled up slightly, but the smile never reached his eyes.
“I’ve had an amazing time being your husband. We made a promise to remain friends. I hope we can still do that.”
“Of course, we can.” I barely managed the words, not knowing if I could actually remain in his life as his friend. I thought I’d need time for my heart to heal before I could even consider it.
Chapter Twenty
The week went by too quickly for me. It was now Friday evening and we were heading to the funeral home, where the family would receive those who came to pay their respects. We hadn’t heard a word from Marcus and assumed Gram had put an end to his harassment. The will wouldn’t be read until next Monday, the same day my marriage would officially end. There would be a family meeting that afternoon with the attorneys. I would conveniently be at work, unable to attend. Sam was arranging to have my things brought back to my house. Lucky for me, I never got around to renting it, so I could move right back in. Sam would drop Bear off that afternoon, so he’d be at the house when I returned home from work.
“You’re awfully quiet, Mrs. Andrews. Penny for your thoughts?”
“I’m okay. Just taking this all in. I’m a little afraid to see Marcus this evening, but I don’t think he’ll do anything in a public place. At least I hope he doesn’t.”
“He won’t. I’m sure Gram gave him a good talking to about his behavior. He’d be a complete idiot to try anything at this point.”
When we arrived at the funeral home, there was already a line out the door and around the building. The doors wouldn’t be open for another thirty minutes.
“Wow.”
“He was a likeable guy. People loved him. I have a feeling there’ll be line all night.”
Going in the side door reserved for the family, Sam and I saw we were the first ones to arrive.
“Do you want a minute alone?”
“No. I feel like I said my good-bye the other evening.”
Marcus and Lena walked in five minutes after us. I squeezed Sam’s hand, but they ignored us, moving to the other side of the room. Relief swept over me at their distance. I didn’t want either one of them anywhere near me.
Sam’s gram arrived with Julia and Darren.
“Just so you boys know, I don’t want a scene like we had the other night, understand?”
Both Sam and Marcus nodded their heads in understanding. She was a dominating force, the matriarch of the family putting both her boys in their places. I couldn’t help but smile. Julia caught me and gave me a quick wink. I would definitely miss her.
The night was beautiful. I met many people who shared wonderful stories of Pop. I wished I had known him better. From the stories, it appeared Sam was a lot like him—both savvy businessmen known for bulldogs when it came to negotiations, but also kind-hearted givers, who gave back to the community in multiple ways. The only difference was Pop’s unwavering love and commitment to his wife. If only Lena and Marcus hadn’t betrayed him, maybe then, Sam would have that quality too.
The last of the guests left us all alone in the funeral home. Marcus and Lena exited quick
ly, and I assumed Gram had given him strict orders on his behavior for the services. I was happy to see them go.
“Ready to go, Mrs. Andrews?”
“Yes. What about Gram? Should we go back to the house for a little while?”
“Mom and Darren are staying with her tonight. We’ll meet them at the church in the morning.”
“I’m ready, then. Do you find it peculiar that Marcus didn’t say a word to either one of us?”
“I did, but I assume Gram put him on notice. As much as he is the biggest asshole, he doesn’t mess with Gram. Never has.”
“She’s definitely formidable.”
“That she is. Now, let’s get out of here. I’d like some time alone with my wife.”
Back at home, Sam poured us each a glass of wine. I took a greedy sip, trying to hide my emotions. I’d been off my game all week, the end of us weighing heavy upon me.
“You’ve been quiet this week. Everything okay?”
I paused, thinking about my response before I answered.
“I’m fine. I’m just wrapping my head around going back to my life. I don’t want to go back to the girl I was before I met you. She was a hot mess, living in her pj’s for the majority of her existence. I don’t want to go back to her.”
If I had been brave enough, I’d have told him the truth. That I loved him and didn’t want to leave, but that wouldn’t be fair to him. He’d kept to his side of our business arrangement, always honest with where this would end. I would keep to mine out of respect for him, if for no other reason.
“I have a feeling you won’t be that girl again, Sydney.”
“No. I don’t think I will either. I just want to make sure I don’t fall into old patterns. You’ve changed me, Sam. You’ve shown me things I would have never looked at before. It’s as if I’ve come back to life by being with you.”
“You’ve changed me too. You’ve shown me that there is still kindness in this world. That there are people out there who will like me for who I am, not for what I have. You’ve opened up pieces of me that I thought had died a long time ago. You’ve unlocked them. I do hope we can remain friends.”
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