Page 114 of Discretion at Its Finest

“Genevieve…” he said gently, “…is now a good time to talk?” His eyes drifted down to the perfect little angel in my hands before glancing back up to me.

I hadn’t been expecting him. He was always in his office these days, at the hospital with Jamie, or providing whatever face the media needed in the wake of the collapse and the scandal.

But today… I’d never seen him like this.

Unpolished and tired… he was a man who tolerated failures, knew how to mask it under the armor of protecting his public image. But the man before me wore his defeat on his skin.

He entered the room, sitting in a frilly pink seat as I rocked lightly in the rocking chair.

“She’s beautiful,” he murmured after a minute. “Truly, she is.”

I gave a small smile. “Thank you.”

He nodded, hands clasped together in front of him as he sighed. “I wanted to speak with you because—because things with Jamie have taken a turn.”

My heart stilled, my breath catching. “She… she isn’t—”

He shook his head. “She wouldn’t leave us like that. You know that. She’s fighting it… she always fights it. But this time…” He exhaled slowly, eyes glistening in a way I’d never seen from him. “This time she’s tired. And the doctors are… preparing us for difficult decisions.”

“Raymond… I’m so sorry.”

He shook his head. “It’s a part of life. Jamie accepted it long before I did. It’s only just starting to settle in now.”

I nodded, but there seemed to be something else on his mind.

“Got some other news today… about my health. Not as dire… not yet, but it’s something wrong nonetheless.” He took a shaky breath. “They found signs of early onset brain cancer.”

The nursery fell silent as my eyes stung. “Raymond—”

“It’s still early, but they think it’s a malignant tumor. It’s small but aggressive. Doctors want to treat it fast. Too early for surgeryof any kind, too risky of a procedure given its location. There’s a possibility for treatment in the coming years, but there’s also a possibility I’ll need therapy for years on end, I’ll lose my ability to speak, walk, remember; it’s endless the walking list of risks I’ve become.”

“Does Gregory know?”

He shook his head. “You’re the first person I’ve told.”

Hearing that didn’t feel like an honor for some reason. It felt more of a burden, some kind of load he just couldn’t hold any longer, wrapped in the grief he didn’t know how to express—but I listened nonetheless.

“Reason being… this family is about to lose its head. What’s left of the business, the house, the responsibility… I won’t be able to bear it. Not if I want to survive this, and grow old with Jamie.” He shook his head. “I can’t just leave her behind. No matter what we’ve gone through, I… I need to be there to take care of her… And once I’m gone…” His jaw clenched. “Gregory will take full control… I know you were thinking of leaving, and I don’t blame you,” he said. “God knows this house has given you more reason to run than stay.”

Tears gathered fast, but I blinked them away, swallowing hard.

“And I know my son,” he whispered. “I know what he’s capable of, especially when he feels abandoned, second best, unworthy… I know what he’ll become once I’m not here to temper him.”

“So this is a warning, then?” I hissed, unable to hold back the tremor in my voice.

His eyes lifted to mine, soft and apologetic. “Genevieve,” he murmured, “I’m telling you the truth you already know. I already don’t recognize the boy I raised… I don’t want you to get the chance to see it either. Reid won’t be able to protect you if you do stay,” he said. “And soon… neither will I.”

He was quiet for a long moment, his eyes on the baby in my arms. I had no clue what to say to him. My mind just keptspinning with the idea that soon enough, I’d be more trapped than I already was.

“I owe you an apology,” he said finally, and my eyes found his. “For what I said to you the day they took Reid away.”

The words he spat at me echoed in my mind instantaneously.“History repeats itself in this family. And apparently, so do the women who can’t keep their loyalties or their legs where they belong… Whatever you think you’re doing, it stops now. If you want this family to have any dignity left…”

It was a formal way of calling me a home-wrecking whore… but I didn’t say anything.

“I meant it when I said it.” His jaw tightened. “And I’ve regretted it every day since.” He let out a tired sigh at my silence. “You know… even when I found out about Jamie’s affair,” he murmured, eyes lowering, “I stayed.”

“…Why?” I asked after a moment.