“Aunt Rita,” Mitch clarifies.
“Take note; she’s the longest one. Ten years, give or take. Not including the divorce proceedings.”
That sets the room buzzing. I calm the nosy bees down when I talk over them. “I met Rita when I joined Laskey Investigations.” Silence falls. “I was hired to lead their Missing Persons and Children Division. It was easy for me to leave the West Coast. New city. New job. New version of me that didn’t have memories of uniforms, deployments, or Mara.”
“Did she work for Laskey?” Colby asks.
“No, she was the boss’s sister—Rita Laskey.” Then I add dryly, “Which might be why he canned my ass after the divorce went through.”
Mitch snorts. “You’re kidding.”
“I wish. I was already out the door when I met Caleb and Keene.” My brow furrows. “Rita was already in my life socially because of the company—fundraisers, charity events, holiday parties. She was and is smart. Polished. Easy to be around.”
“Did you love her?” Mitch wonders.
I don’t dodge it. “No, but I respected her.”
“That’s not the same thing,” Mitch says carefully.
“It’s not. But after the loss I sustained with Mara, it was safe.” I lift my glass from the mantle and take a drink. “Affection wasn’t such a bad thing. Rita didn’t demand much from me. And at the time, that felt like a mercy.”
Mitch frowns. “So you married her because she was…what? Comfortable?”
“I married her because I genuinely cared for her. I wanted stability and I thought love could grow from that,” I say. “And because I fully intended to keep my vows.”
That lands because Mitch knows how my marriage ended. He winces.
“I took vows with Rita. I knew if I did, they wouldn’t be casual or flimsy words. Those words meant everything—particularly after Mara. I truly believed we could have a solid partnership.”
“Did she know about Mara?” Mitch asks.
“She knew my heart had been shattered,” I replied quietly. “I didn’t hide that from her. But we married too quickly for me to work up the courage to be able to discuss the specifics.”
Mitch leans forward now. “Okay—but you stayed ten years. Why did you choose then to?—”
“Penance,” I finish for him. “And I confused my acceptance for the previous sins of my other marriages for what your aunt was doing to me in ours.”
He nods slowly. “So when she cheated?—”
At his words, the collective inhale should be enough to drain all the oxygen in the room. The only person who doesn’t react is Rhoswen. The night I told her, she waited for me to finish beforeasking me,“Were you punishing yourself with Rita over Mara’s death?”
Sometimes it’s a bitch to be in love with such a smart woman. Shaking myself out of my reverie, I answer Mitch flatly. “I didn’t condone her actions. Not at any time.”
“But you stayed,” he presses. “How does a man with your honor let that happen?”
The question is sharp—but fair. “Because, as it was recently pointed out to me, I may have felt I deserved it.”
Mitch tries to speak but can’t. The rest of the room is silent as they try to absorb the idea that I knew I was being cheated on and let it happen.
“Straight up, Rita and I never should have gotten married. I was emotionally absent from our marriage from almost day one.”
Mitch blinks. “You’re saying?—”
“I was tied to her by a piece of paper but still in love with another woman,” I put it as blunt as possible. “She told me that, and she was right. Sure, I showed up. Paid bills. Fixed things. Asked surface-level questions. But was that enough? No. All I did was abandon my wife with better manners.”
That hits him harder than I expect. Mitch starts. “So, when you found out…”
“I wasn’t heartbroken,” I say flatly.