Page 4 of Passion and Privilege

Amber noticed my expression and followed my gaze. A gasp escaped her lips as she took in the scene unfolding before us. “Asshole,” she hissed under her breath.

Without a word, I stood up, the bar stool scraping against the floor. I barely heard anything. I had tunnel vision. It was just me and my cheating boyfriend in the busy restaurant. Everything else faded away as I walked toward the table where Scott and his other girlfriend sat.

As I approached, Scott looked up, his eyes widening in shock at the unexpected intrusion. “Catherine!”

Scott stammered as he withdrew his hand from the woman’s grasp. I noted the way his lips formed a tight line, the color draining from his face. The woman turned to me, her brows furrowing in confusion. “Do I know you?” she asked.

“No,” I replied, my voice shaking. “But you seem to know my boyfriend quite well.”

The woman’s face fell, her eyes darting between Scott and me. It was as if she was trying to process what was happening, but it wasn’t fast enough.

“I didn’t mean for you to find out like this,” Scott began, rushing out the words as if they could somehow dampen the reality of his betrayal. “Catherine, I—”

“Save it,” I interrupted, holding up a hand to stop his stumbling response. “I don’t need your apologies, Scott. Or your excuses. What I need is for you to look me in the eye and tell me how long this has been going on.”

He hesitated, confirming my suspicions even before he muttered, “A few months.”

“So, while I was busy planning our future, you were busy ruining it,” I spat at him.

The woman across from him looked mortified, her gaze flitting nervously between us.

“Catherine, stop,” Scott said with exasperation, as if I was the one ruining his life.

“It’s over,” I declared, my voice steady despite the turmoil within. “Enjoy your dinner,” I added before I walked away.

Amber rose from her seat, shooting a dirty look at Scott and his new woman. Without saying a word, we left the restaurant behind, the door closing on the shattered remnants of the evening. Amber and I walked in silence back to her car.

The reality of the situation sank in. The person I had trusted, the one I believed would be my partner in creating a future, had betrayed me in the worst way possible. He was a despicable man.

“He’s a dick,” Amber said. “You’re better off without him.”

“Why wouldn’t he just tell me he didn’t love me anymore?” I asked, not expecting an answer.

“Because he’s a coward. He wanted his cake, ice cream, sprinkles, and the whole nine yards. It’s not like he’s that great of a catch. You can do better. Let her have him. He’ll screw her over soon enough. Men like that never learn. They leave a path of destruction in their wake, and when they get to the end of the road, they wonder why they are lonely old farts. Fuck him.”

I felt a mix of emotions. They were all at war with one another. Anger, sadness, and a sense of liberation all vied for the top spot. The pain was raw, but so was the newfound clarity. Scott’s actions had severed the ties that bound us, but they also released me from the illusion of a relationship that was built on deceit. I supposed it was lucky for me I found out. This thing could have dragged out for weeks or months.

I shook it all off. The wounds would heal, the scars would fade, and the strength within me would prevail. Scott was not going to get me down. I refused to let him win.

Chapter Three

Timothy

THE HEAVY DOOR OF GLORIANA Manor creaked open, revealing a grand entrance hall that echoed with the faint whispers of time. I stepped inside, the air thick with dust and memories long forgotten. The once opulent surroundings were now shrouded in silence, the furniture draped in ghostly sheets, frozen in a timeless slumber. Cobwebs hung in every corner. The once polished wood floors were dull and covered in a thick layer of dust.

I hadn’t set foot in this place for many years, not since college, and certainly not since the painful loss of my parents two decades ago. The manor, once filled with laughter and warmth, had become a distant memory. But now, as the sole heir, I was ready to breathe life back into its decaying walls. I exhaled. My breath kicked up dust.

The sunshine coming from a window high up the wall highlighted every particle in the air. It was a daunting image. I didn’t know if it would ever look the way it did when I was a kid visiting my grandparents when they called this place home.

As I walked through the empty rooms, the job grew bigger and bigger. I had the horrible thought it might be easier to just tear the whole thing down and rebuild. I dismissed the thought immediately. The mansion was a historical site. It deserved the love and attention it required to restore it to its glory days. I had been told it had good bones. It just needed a little help. The thing had stood abandoned and neglected for too long.

The library on the upper floor drew me in, its shelves lined with old books that were probably worth a fortune. I let my eyes glaze over, imagining my dad sitting in a leather chair with a book open in his hand. Bennet Edmundson, my trusted assistant, joined me. His expression said it all. He thought I lost my damn mind.

Maybe I had.

“You sure about this, Timothy?” Bennet’s voice cut through the stillness. Just speaking stirred up dust, which made him cough. He waved a hand in front of his face to clear the air.

I nodded. “I’ve wanted to bring this house back to life for over a decade. It deserves more than the slow decay it’s endured. I’m going to do it.”