Chapter 360
Judy’s POV
I stared dumbfounded at the woman in front of me, my heart pounding rapidly in my chest as she came into view and our eyes met. Her blue eyes were wide, and her blond hair was braided down her back. She wore comfortable looking pajamas, and her arms were wrapped around her body in a state of vulnerability as she faced me.
“Irene?” I asked, still shocked to see her in front of me.” W…what are you doing here?”
She was quiet for a moment, nibbling on her lower lip as she thought about what to say. I glanced down at the sleeping form, covered in the blanket, on the pullout couch. I grabbed the corner of the blanket and slowly pulled it back to see who was sleeping. My heart leaped at the sight of a sleeping Matthew.
I let out a breath I hadn’t known I was holding.
Gavin wasn’t cheating on me; he bailed on me because Matt and Irene were on their way. Slowly, the pieces were forming in my mind. He must have gone to pick them up this evening at the airport, and that was why he had failed to show up.
Guilt slammed into me like a freight train. I should have given him the benefit of the doubt. I shouldn’t have assumed he was with another woman. What was wrong with me? When did I become this jealous lunatic? I felt sick to my stomach thinking about all the things I had said to him.
I put the blanket back over Matt and looked up at Irene who was staring at the ground.
“When did you get here?” I asked, my voice soft so I don’t wake Matt.
“Last night,” she whispered. “I had to get out of Silver Crescent. I didn’t know where else to go. So, I called my father, and he got us a flight here. He picked us up at the airport and dropped us off before he left for his duties.”
In that one explanation, she confirmed my suspicions. He truly wasn’t with another woman… he was with his children. My heart clenched tightly in my chest as the weight of this information slammed down onto me.
I acted like such a jealous fool, and I was humiliated. I couldn’t believe I broke into his suite to get a glimpse of the other woman in his bed…and it ended up being his children.
“You have that same look I had the other day,” Irene murmured, sitting on the edge of the bed. “Humiliation, hurt, realization, feeling dumb.”
I looked at her, my eyes narrowed.
“What do you mean?” I asked her, stepping closer. I knew why I was feeling this way, but why was she?
For the first time, I saw moisture on her cheeks. She was crying. My heart clenched for her. Despite all that’s happened between us these last few months, I didn’t want to see her obviously hurting. She was still Gavin’s daughter; someone I thought of as a friend once before. I knew she didn’t have a lot of genuine friends, if any. She didn’t need an enemy right now; she needed a friend.
I sat down beside her on the bed and waited for her to speak and when she didn’t,
I reached over and took her hand, drawing her attention to me.
“Irene, what happened?” I asked her, keeping my tone low and compassionate.
“I shouldn’t have accused you of seducing him…I shouldn’t have believed him over you,” she whispered.
My heart sank to my stomach as I stared at her face.
She was talking about Ethan… this was about Ethan.
My expression hardened and my eyes darkened at the thought of Ethan doing something to hurt Irene. She was vulnerable and at this moment, she looked like a small child ready to curl in on herself. She was internally blaming herself for not seeing the signs sooner, but she had to know that this wasn’t her fault. Ethan was a master manipulator, and he was going to get what he wanted regardless.
Irene was a victim just like I was.
“Irene,” I said, turning to face her fully. “What did he do to you?”
“He used me,” she whispered. “He only wanted me so he could get close to my father…”
She knew.
“I’m sorry, Irene,” I whispered, not sure what to say.
“Did you know, Judy?” She asked, her voice low. She wasn’t accusing me of anything, but I could hear the pure vulnerability in her tone.
I didn’t want to lie to her, so I nodded slowly.
“Yes,” I whispered. “I knew.”
She nodded, accepting the reality of the situation. Her fiancé used her, and I knew about it. But she didn’t look angry; she was only confirming what she already knew.
“Why didn’t you tell me?” She asked softly, staring down at her hands as she fidgeted with them.
“I couldn’t…” I replied, just as softly. “I wanted to… but I couldn’t.”
“Why not?”
I swallowed, not sure how much I should tell her, but I also really didn’t want to lie
to her. Not anymore. Now that she knew what Ethan was doing and what he’s capable of… she deserved to know the entire truth.