Ever since Georgia returned from the hospital, Luther had been stopping by her house every few days, diligently showing his concern.
Scarlett and Harvey both noticed his frequent visits, and though they didn’t say much at first, they couldn’t help but wonder what was going on.
Finally, during dinner one evening, they decided to ask Georgia directly.
“Georgia, what’s going on between you and Kayden?” Scarlett asked, unable to hold her curiosity any longer.
Harvey nodded in agreement, adding, “Yeah, we don’t understand. You two seemed fine before. Why did you suddenly get divorced? I mean, the last time we had dinner together, your grandmother tried to set you up with Luther, and you outright refused. Back then, you were so determined to spend your life with Kayden. What happened?”
Georgia sighed deeply. She didn’t intend to keep the truth from them any longer. Looking at Scarlett and Harvey, she finally spoke.
“Kayden is married,” she said, her voice trembling. “He’s a rich man, born into a wealthy family, and his family arranged for him to be with another woman since he was young.”
Her words caught in her throat, and for a moment, she looked like she might cry. But she held herself together, her emotions carefully restrained.
Harvey was stunned. “That doesn’t seem possible. Where did you hear that?”
Georgia recounted the story of how an elderly man had come to see her and explained everything. After hearing the details, Harvey shook his head in disbelief.
“Kayden doesn’t seem like that kind of person. Are you sure you weren’t misled?”
Scarlett, however, furrowed her brows and gave Harvey a shove. “What do you know? You’re still defending him at a time like this? Honestly, I’ve had a bad feeling about that boy from the start! It was your father who insisted on their marriage. And now look at what’s happened!”
Then, as if suddenly realizing something, Scarlett gasped. “Wait a minute! He hasn’t even divorced you yet, right? How can he marry someone else? That’s illegal!”
Georgia shook her head, her voice laced with bitterness. “Mom, his family doesn’t follow the same rules we do. The Adams family is wealthy, but they’re still bound by societal norms. The Scott family, though-they’re above it all. In their world, it’s perfectly acceptable for men to take multiple wives.”
“But the truth is, my marriage to Kayden was a mistake from the start. He only married me because Grandpa forced him to. He wasn’t in his right mind when it happened. This isn’t entirely his fault. Let’s just pretend we never knew him.”
Her tone was resolute, but there was an undercurrent of despair.
Over the past few days, Georgia had come to terms with many things. She had even processed the pain of Kayden being with another woman while still married to her. At the time, she had been living in a beautiful illusion, planning their future together.
But then, reality had struck her like a hammer, shattering every dream she had.
Looking back, she realized that Kayden probably thought he owed her something for their three years of marriage. Sleeping with her might have been his way of compensating for the inevitable betrayal.
All those sweet promises he had made-“You’ve protected me for three years; now I’ll protect you for life”-were nothing but empty words. Why should she dwell on them anymore?
None of it mattered now. Georgia was determined to let go of everything.
“No!” Scarlett declared firmly. “This is unacceptable. So what if his family is rich? For three years, we fed him, housed him! Who knows where he’d be without us? How can a man be so irresponsible? Georgia is his wife! How can he just go and marry someone else?”
“At the very least, he owes us an explanation!” Scarlett fumed, her anger building.
“It’s all your grandfather’s fault,” she continued, her voice rising. “He forced this marriage on you, and I knew from the start that boy wasn’t good enough. And now he’s hurt my daughter like this. I-I just can’t stand it!”
“Mom, enough,” Georgia said, her voice heavy with disappointment. “This is just my life. I’ll accept it, no matter what.”
Scarlett looked at her daughter’s weary face and let out a deep sigh. Stepping closer, she placed a hand on Georgia’s shoulder.
“Actually,” Scarlett began gently, “I think Luther is a good man. He’s been taking such good care of you these past few days.”
She hesitated, then added, “To be honest, your father and I thought you might have fallen for Luther and that’s why you and Kayden started having problems.”
Harvey, who had been silent until now, suddenly spoke up, his voice loud and clear. “That’s your assumption, not mine! I’ve never thought my daughter would do such a thing. I know Georgia better than that.”
Scarlett shot him a glare. “Fine, fine. Whatever you say.”
Harvey huffed but said nothing more. After a pause, he squinted thoughtfully.
“But, now that I think about it,” he mused, “if Kayden really did all that, why is he still coming around? He seemed so sincere, so innocent when I saw him. Could he really be up to something?”
“Ha! Shows how much you know!” Scarlett scoffed. “That man is a scoundrel! Can’t you see his game? He’s trying to keep Georgia emotionally tied to him while also staying with the other woman. Don’t be fooled by his innocent act, Harvey. He’s far more calculating than he appears.”
Scarlett’s scorn deepened as she recalled the incident when Kayden had given her acupuncture, even brushing against her inappropriately. The thought made her shudder. Was he plotting something even more outrageous?
But she quickly dismissed the idea, shaking her head.
Harvey opened his mouth to argue but couldn’t find the words. Georgia, meanwhile, remained silent, her expression confirming Scarlett’s suspicion.
Yes, Kayden’s visits were just his way of keeping her in check, of persuading her to accept being one of his many wives. The thought filled Georgia with disgust.
“Georgia,” Scarlett said, her tone softening, “you don’t need to waste any more time on that man. You can move on and build a new life. Luther is a good choice-wealthy, talented, kind, and most importantly, he doesn’t care about your past. A man like him is worth trusting.”
Georgia swallowed hard, unable to respond.
Just then, the doorbell rang.
Standing on the doorstep were Luther and a young woman named Cyan.
“Georgia, how are you feeling?” Luther asked anxiously as he stepped inside, placing the items he’d brought on the table.
Scarlett’s face lit up at the sight of him. She immediately grabbed his arm and asked, “Luther, you’ve been so good to Georgia. Let me ask you something-if Georgia got divorced, would you be willing to marry her?”