My brows draw together. “How?”
“My entire life, Elliot. My finances, my driving record, everything. And let’s just say that I have a lot of debt—student loans, credit cards, you name it.” I nod because I already know all of this. “And he told me, in no uncertain terms, that if I could get you to marry me, that would all go away.”
Click. One piece of the puzzle has been found.
“So, he bribed you with money to get you to convince me to marry you…”
Tears build in her eyes. “I’m not proud of my decision, Elliot. I hope you can believe that.”
“Funny, I’m not even sure I can believe what you’re telling me right now, Tori, because you’ve done nothing but lie to me since we met, but…”
“Not everything between us was a lie.” She tries to reach for my hand, but I pull away.
“Just keep talking.”
Shesighs. “So, I started bringing up marriage and kids, right? Trying to get you to agree that that’s where we were headed. And when we got engaged, I felt a sliver of relief that everything was going to work out, until my ex started coming back into the picture.”
“Wait.” Narrowing my eyes at her, I continue, “Your ex was your boss, wasn’t it?”
She nods. “Yes. My boss at the talent agency who I’d broken things off with just before we met,” she explains. “Trust me, it made working together the opposite of fun. But when he found out I was getting married and I had talked about leaving the agency, he started pursuing me again, begging me for a second chance.”
“That’s why he was always calling you, wasn’t it? And asking you to work late?”
“Yes, but I also needed the money, Elliot. It wasn’t like I could say no…”
“You could have gotten another job, Tori. Or told me what was going on. I—I would have helped you before we even got married.”
“I didn’t want you to think any less of me,” she says as tears start to slide down her face. “I was already so ashamed of what I was doing to you, the last thing I wanted was any sympathy. I—I’m a terrible person, Elliot. I’ve made so many fucking mistakes in my life…”
“So why did you go back to him, Tori?”
She brushes a tear away from her cheek. “Because the closer that we got to the wedding, the more I realized that you didn’t deserve what I was doing to you, or what your father had planned.”
For a moment, I’m almost remorseful for her. But it’s short-lived. “Did he ever tell you how he was going to make your debt go away?”
She shakes her head. “No, just that once we got married, there would be plenty of money to make my life easier.”
Okay, so she didn’t know about the will—at least, that’s what she’s claiming.
“And on the day of the wedding, Barry showed up at Hart Winery, begging me not to go through with the marriage. I figured I was better off leaving you at the altar and never going through with the wedding than marrying you for the wrong reasons.”
Memories assault me from all angles, loaded with anger I thought I had moved past. “You fucking destroyed me that day, Tori,” I grate out, fighting to keep my composure. “I was so fucking heartbroken, so betrayed. You played your part perfectly and I fell for it, hook, line, and sinker.”
Her eyes find the table. “I know.”
“So here’s what I don’t understand…why did you come back?”
She clears her throat and lifts her gaze to mine again. “Well, your father called me a few months ago, asking if I would want another chance with you. He must have gotten wind somehow that Barry and I broke up again when I found out that he had opened two credit cards in my name without me knowing and racked up over $100,000 in debt.” She scoffs. “I guess I deserved it for believing he wanted me for real, so I finally quit the company and was working as a waitress while I tried to figure out how I was going to get out of this mess. And when your dad asked if I would be willing to try to get you back, I figured it was the best way to solve my problems quickly, so I agreed.”
“Did it ever occur to you that it was strange for a grown man to be essentially hiring a woman to deceive his son?” I ask, my jaw clenched tight.
“Yes, but…” More tears fall from her eyes. “I’m just trying to survive, Elliot. I know how fucked up that sounds, but after Barry, after the debt, after everything fell apart, I—I wasn’t thinking clearly. I was desperate and your father knew it.” More tears build in her eyes, but I remain silent. “I’m just trying to fix my life and when I was with you? It truly was the happiest I had been, lying excluded. You loved me in a way I never knew was possible.”
“I thought I did,” I say. “Turns out, I was just blinded by a good actress.”
She tries to reach for me again, but I lean back. “You have to admit that things between us were good, Elliot. You always took care of me, both mentally and physically.”
“I know I treated you well, Tori. And at the time, I believed our relationship was solid. But even without the lies, we weren’t really partners. I know that now.” I lean closer to her over the table and say, “You and I were a lie, and that’s all there is to it. I’ve moved past it, thank God, and can look back with clear eyes now.”