Chapter 13 - VICTORIA’S ROLE
Victoria approached Brooke.
“You used us.”
Brooke laughed bitterly.
“You used me first.”
“I welcomed you into this family.”
“You selected me to replace Elena.”
Arthur turned toward his mother.
Victoria’s face tightened.
Brooke continued.
“You said Elena’s rank made Arthur look weak. You said he needed a wife who would support the Vance name instead of building her own.”
“That is not how I said it.”
“You moved me into her guest suite.”
“You were working late.”
“You gave me her jewelry.”
Victoria touched her pearls.
“You encouraged the affair,” Brooke said.
Arthur stared at his mother.
“Is that true?”
Victoria looked at me.
“I believed your marriage was already failing.”
“You helped it fail.”
“You were never home.”
“I was deployed.”
“You refused to become part of the family.”
“I refused to disappear inside it.”
Brooke exposed one final conversation.
Victoria had said the twins would make the divorce easier because I would be too exhausted to fight.
Arthur looked sick.
Victoria whispered:
“I never wanted the children harmed.”
“You wanted their mother removed,” I said.
For the first time, she looked at the stroller without seeing heirs, leverage or reputation.
She saw two children her decisions had affected.
“What can I do?”
“Tell investigators the truth.”
May you like
“And after that?”
“Learn that regret is not repair.”
