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He sounded almost apologetic. The abrupt switch from raging beast back to cool businessman gave Jasmine mental whiplash.
“Why did you go to him, princess?”
She let out a shuddering sigh. “You know why. He was the only one powerful enough to take you on.”
“Did you know he was going to blackmail me?”
She shook her head.
“You never asked how he got me to sign the divorce papers?”
“I assumed he offered you something you couldn’t refuse. A business deal or a payout.”
Even with her eyes closed, she sensed his energy shift.
“A payout?”
“I thought if Dad offered to compensate you for the trouble he caused, you’d sign.”
“No amount of money could have forced me to let you go. If Maximus wasn’t armed with blackmail, there would have been no divorce.”
She didn’t allow that to penetrate. His words slid off her like water on a raincoat. She focused on the scalp massage—a welcome diversion from this treacherous trip down memory lane littered with land mines.
“Maximus said you never wanted to see me again.”
“You don’t see him again. Ever.” She flinched at the echo of her father’s steely decree and her vehement “I don’t want to!” If Dad could see her now... Her shoulders drooped under the crushing weight on her shoulders. As she deflated, Roth guided her face to rest against his abdomen.
“Did you say that, princess? That you never wanted to see me again?”
With her father’s voice in her mind listing all the promises she’d broken, speaking was beyond her. She nodded.
His hand bunched in her hair. “I was so terrible that you sold your soul to the devil to get away from me?”
When she started to rise, his hand clamped her nape.
“Answer me.”
She was grateful her face was hidden, as a stray tear fell and joined the remnants of her bathwater he was still wearing. “Better the devil I know than the one I don’t. My father could be cruel, but I believe a part of him still held some affection for me. Enough for him to help.”
“And you didn’t believe I held the same level of affection, if not more than what your father showed you?”
His hand flexed when she hesitated.
She ground her teeth. “No.”
“No what?”
“No, I didn’t believe you had any real affection for me.” When his chest swelled, she added, “Whatever you feel for me is muddied by my family’s connections and the business opportunities you thought would come through me.”
“I had affection for you, princess. More than your father and sisters combined. I sacrificed everything for you, just as you did for me. That has nothing to do with business.” His hand twisted in her hair to stop her from shaking her head.
“You only wanted me because?—”
He tugged, forcing her head back. Wet lashes parted and looked up the long length of him. He stared down at her, grim-faced, eyes two burning black holes.
“I picked you out of a crowded room. I coveted you before you spoke your first word. But you sealed your fate when you asked me to take your hand. You risked rejection and ridicule to integrate a stranger who didn’t belong in that room. You backed me with no expectation of compensation or reciprocation. I saw traits in you I’d read about in books but didn’t believe truly existed, especially in Maximus Hennessy’s daughter. Every weakness I uncovered I used to bind you to me. Whatever your family wouldn’t give you, I did. I gave you my time and my attention, and I encouraged your dreams of being a writer. Baldwin was so sure of himself he didn’t even bother to seduce you, so I did. I always intended for our affair to be discovered.”
“You...” She was so astounded she couldn’t articulate the question that had plagued her for years.
