C10, PT. 2

She could trust him because Roth was a man of his word. Even before she signed the prenup, he acted on his promise to help her sisters and let them in on a deal he made in Germany. Her sisters also overlooked the fact that Roth had every right to be vindictive. Dad fucked him over on multiple fronts for years, and had galvanized many of his contacts to do the same. Despite that, Roth shelved his plans to destroy Hennessy & Co and was helping to rebuild an empire that had done him no favors. He was getting her sisters back on track, and his efforts were already having a positive effect—not that her sisters would admit it. Ariana was looking for pitfalls and hadn’t found one, yet still wouldn’t give him the benefit of the doubt. No matter what he did to redeem himself, her sisters would see only what they wanted to.

That realization was a hard blow, but she acknowledged the truth without flinching. She turned on her heel and made her way over to the kids. She smiled even though she was dying inside. Although Ariana had a right to feel uneasy about Roth, every fiber of her being vehemently rejected the idea that he was capable of harming a child. His actions tonight—the way he backed away from Kye when they arrived and his instinctive need to give Bailey space when she plopped between them on the couch, showed he was very aware of how fragile they were and was terrified he would inadvertently harm them. The fact that Ariana thought she would put them at risk made her sick to her stomach.

She sank to her knees between Kye and Bailey’s chairs. She didn’t have to ask for a hug. Kye immediately wrapped himself around her—arms around her neck and legs around her waist. She sat back on her heels, rocking him from side to side, unsure when she would see him again. If Ariana didn’t want Roth around her kids, by default, that meant she wasn’t welcome either.

She knew her sisters didn’t have a high opinion of her, but hearing Ariana chalk up her first marriage as a rebellious act to spite dad made her sound like a petty, selfish brat. Had it never occurred to her sister that she forfeited everything for love and that she was willing to give Roth another chance because those feelings were still there? Or, was that too simple of a human emotion for her sister to fathom? Despite everything that went down between her and Roth, she had never seen her first marriage as a mistake. She wouldn’t be who she was if it wasn’t for his entry into her life. In Ariana’s eyes, however, she’d gone downhill from that moment and hadn’t turned her life around to “right her wrong.” Fuck her.

Just when she’d begun to believe that they were making progress and forging a true sibling bond, they fell back to square one. She felt as if they were back at Dad’s funeral with her sisters on one side of the aisle and her on the other. The familiar ostracism felt like a knife in the back.

“You be a good boy, okay?” she murmured in Kye’s ear.

He nodded and scooted off her lap. She turned to Bailey, who had tears in her eyes.

“You’re leaving?”

Her astute niece was going to make her lose her shit. She swallowed the lump in her throat. “Yes.”

“You don’t have to go,” Ariana said from somewhere behind her. “I’ll make sure to keep the kids away from him, so there won’t be any accidents.”

Only Bailey saw the agony that ripped across her face before she dragged her niece into her arms and buried her face in her fine, silky hair. If Ariana thought that solution would mollify her, she was off her fucking rocker. Roth’s only aim this evening was to experience his first Thanksgiving. He’d been cordial, respectful, and on his best behavior. Still, he’d been labeled as strange and dangerous—someone the kids needed to be protected from because their ditzy aunt couldn’t see him for the monster that he was. In her experience, kids were the best judge of character and would have given Roth a wide berth if they sensed he was evil. The fact that her sisters didn’t trust her judgment and freely vilified her partner when theirs weren’t sweet, harmless florists wasn’t something she would ignore.

Roth was unapologetically himself, unwilling to put on a false persona to make her family, who were used to shallow social interactions and polished facades, feel more comfortable. The way Roth watched the children with such rapt attention that freaked Ariana out so badly was how he analyzed everything—with complete, unwavering focus. Her sisters insisted on seeing Roth through the distorted lens their father created, and refused to look past his worst moment to the good. Ariana was quick to condemn, arrogantly assuming no one would uncover her sins and that Rami had none. How would her sisters feel if she told them Roth felt they were just as untrustworthy as they thought he was?

“I’ll see you soon,” she said to Bailey before she rose.

She didn’t look at her sisters as she passed. Her chest was tight with the need to rage, but she knew that would accomplish nothing. It wouldn’t make her sisters see things from her point of view or change their minds. It would only reinforce their image of her as an immature child instead of a grown woman. Colette tried to stop Ariana from voicing her opinion, not because she didn’t agree with what was being said. Once again, she was an outcast in her own family. So be it. At least she had Roth, who accepted her for who she was.

“Jasmine, wait.”

She ignored Colette’s call and swiped at her eyes before she entered the grand living room. Roth took one look at her face and got to his feet, making Rami and Lyle wheel around.

“We’re leaving,” she said.

Roth’s eyes flicked over her shoulder before he started toward her.

“What happened?” Lyle demanded.

“Nothing.” She went on tiptoes to kiss him on the cheek. “Thank you for having us tonight.”

“But—”

She gave Rami a fierce hug. “It was good to see you.”

She reached back and felt her equilibrium steady when Roth’s hand closed around hers. Colette and Ariana stood side by side in front of the hallway. Colette nervously fingered her pearls, while Ariana’s hands were balled into fists at her sides.

 She didn’t meet their eyes as she said with quiet dignity, “Happy Thanksgiving.”

The irony of that statement wasn’t lost on her. Colette reached out to her, but stopped before she made contact. The awkward moment was broken by the housekeeper, who appeared with their coats. Jasmine didn’t stop to put hers on but draped it over her arm and strode to the elevator. Before they turned the corner, she heard Lyle snap, “What the hell happened?”

She pressed the button for the elevator, her stomach in knots. Roth was on the phone, but she couldn’t hear anything over the sound of her blood racing through her veins. Her family was entitled to their opinion, but to think she was so simpleminded that she didn’t see Roth for who he was or understand the ramifications that came with him made her insides burn. They were quick to cast stones at her glass house without realizing theirs was made of clay. She accepted the good and bad in all of them, but it didn’t go both ways. She wasn’t to be trusted because of her choice in partner, yet Dad chose their spouses, and where had that gotten them? Rami was his own brand of villain, and Lyle… She rubbed the throbbing space between her brows. He could be the worst of them.

**This is a raw draft of Bitter Confessions. Please do not share or distribute.

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