“Yes.”
Her skin burned with outrage and hopelessness. God, this was too much. Harrison hadn’t shared any of this information with her—after he’d promised never to keep secrets again. “Considering what happened right after our marriage, I would have expected you to discuss these things with me.”
“Maddie, I didn’t want to upset you. The Archers have caused enough damage. I needed to keep you safe.”
“So what I want doesn’t matter. Is that what you are saying?” She let out a bitter, brittle laugh. “You are not listening to me. You never have, even after I begged you not to keep anything from me again.”
“We are talking about your safety. If I feel you are in danger and need protection, I won’t hesitate to do it, whether you agree or not.”
Her throat tightened with anger and resentment but she forced the words out. “Oh, I see. You’ll hide it from me. Again. Is this how our marriage is destined to be for the rest of our lives?”
“It’s hardly the same as what happened before. I know you are furious, but looking after your welfare is my responsibility as your husband.”
“Not while disregarding my opinion. This is a marriage, not a dictatorship. If you wanted a society wife who allowed her husband to run roughshod over her, you married the wrong woman, Harrison.”
He dragged a hand through his hair and tugged on the long strands as if trying to rip them out of his head. “I don’t want a society wife. I want you . . . and only you. But I need you safe, Maddie. This is about nothing more than that—and a good thing the guards were there today, even if they were too late. Who knows what else might have happened?”
Frustration burned in her chest, making it hard to breathe. “That is not the point. You cannot make decisions about my life without consulting me. You, of all people, should know how much I hate surprises. To feel powerless in my own life.”
“Maddie—”
“Stop. You cannot treat me like a thing, a possession without a voice. We’ve known each other for far too long for that. And you promised you wouldn’t keep another secret.”
“I couldn’t let my family ruin this for you. I had to keep you safe.”
“You broke your promise to me after only a few days. You have no intention of confiding in me, of trusting me. Of letting me be an equal partner in this marriage.” She dragged in air, filling her lungs as best she could. “I don’t know what happened to you during these last three years, but the man I used to know told me everything. He never hid things from me.”
“That man was not your husband,” he said, his voice hardening. “That man was not responsible for your well-being.”
Tears threatened as the hopelessness of their situation washed over her. The same argument and he still didn’t see her side.
And it was quite clear he never would.
Since he returned, he’d run roughshod over her life. Coerced her into marriage, even after she’d asked for more time. Hadn’t told her about his plans to destroy his family, or the reasons he’d left. He was still dictating their terms, still telling her how this was going to work. Hiding what he deemed necessary instead of sharing with her.
The certainty of it sank into her bones like a lead weight. This marriage was a lost cause. She and Harrison had been compatible as friends, inseparable and synchronous, but that had been ages ago. A relationship required communication and compromise. Honesty and respect. He’d given her little of that, even after he’d promised to.
She wanted a partner, not an overbearing tyrant. Because, over time, such high-handedness would strangle whatever affection she held for him. She’d come to resent him, far more than she did at this moment, and that resentment would transform into loathing.
Clearly, their friendship hadn’t carried over into something more meaningful, as perhaps they’d both hoped. Childhood friendship and physical attraction alone did not make for a happy marriage, and they would only hurt each other far worse if this continued any longer. Because she deserved better than being lied to and kept in the dark regarding decisions that affected her life.
This had all been a terrible mistake.
She had to clear her throat to get it out, but the words needed to be said. “I think we should separate.”
Harrison’s entire body seized, every muscle and tendon locked in surreal horror.
We should separate.
No, he refused to believe it. This was Maddie, and he knew her better than anyone on earth. She couldn’t truly wish to give up on them so soon.
He’d hired guards to keep her safe. True, he hadn’t told her, but how was that a reason to walk away from their marriage?
Dragging in a deep breath, he let it out slowly. “You cannot mean that.”
Her gaze was filled with unhappiness and resolve. “I do. This is not working, Harrison. We are not working. And if we don’t separate, we’ll only come to resent one another. I don’t want that for either of us.”
Resent her? Never. Not in a million years. “I love you. I don’t ever want to be apart from you.”
“You don’t love me.” She stared at the window blankly. “If you did, you would take my wishes into account. You’d keep the promises you made.”
“Wrong. I love every bit of you, from your fierce competitiveness to your stubbornness.” He stepped closer, intending to touch or hold her. Kiss her. Anything to stop this avalanche of panic compounding in his chest. “Your drive and determination, your smile and your laugh . . . there isn’t any part of you that I don’t love.”
“I don’t believe you.” She dropped back a step, out of his reach. “Because if you did, you would listen to me.”
“Fine. I’ll fire the guards and protect you myself. Is that what you want to hear?”
“It’s more than the guards. From the time you returned home you have done what you wanted with little regard for anyone else, including me.”
“That is not true.”
“It is, otherwise you would have confided in me about your family’s finances and the takeover. As well as the real reason for the house party.”
He put up his palms in surrender. “You’re still angry with me for lying, even though I’ve apologized and explained why I didn’t tell you.”
“Yes, but it’s more than that.” She clasped her elbows and gave a tiny shrug. “It’s pushing me when I ask for time to think. It’s not listening to me or taking my wishes into consideration. We are not compatible, Harrison. This is doomed to fail.”
Wrong. He would not allow them to fail.
Unable to help himself, he closed the distance between them and took her face into his hands. She didn’t resist but seemed remote, as if she’d already made up her mind. But he had to try to talk her out of leaving. Prove to her how wrong she was, show how perfect they were for each other.
“What about our wedding night?” he asked softly. “What about those nights since? I’d say we were quite compatible. It could be like that every day for the rest of our lives.”
She stepped around him, pulling out of his grip. “Our happiness was fleeting, a honeymoon period full of lust and abandon. I am talking about the way we communicate and make decisions in a marriage.”