Chapter 171

Judy’s POV

I stared dumbfounded at the woman in front of me, my heart pounding rapidly in my chest as she came into view and our eyes met. Her blue eyes were wide, and her blond hair was braided down her back. She wore comfortable looking pajamas, and her arms were wrapped around her body in a state of vulnerability as she faced me.

“Irene?” I asked, still shocked to see her in front of me.” W…what are you doing here?”

She was quiet for a moment, nibbling on her lower lip as she thought about what to say. I glanced down at the sleeping form, covered in the blanket, on the pullout couch. I grabbed the corner of the blanket and slowly pulled it back to see who was sleeping. My heart leaped at the sight of a sleeping Matthew.

I let out a breath I hadn’t known I was holding.

Gavin wasn’t cheating on me; he bailed on me because Matt and Irene were on their way. Slowly, the pieces were forming in my mind. He must have gone to pick them up this evening at the airport, and that was why he had failed to show up.

Guilt slammed into me like a freight train. I should have given him the benefit of the doubt. I shouldn’t have assumed he was with another woman. What was wrong with me? When did I become this jealous lunatic? I felt sick to my stomach thinking about all the things I had said to him.

I put the blanket back over Matt and looked up at Irene who was staring at the ground.

“When did you get here?” I asked, my voice soft so I don’t wake Matt.

“Last night,” she whispered. “I had to get out of Silver Crescent. I didn’t know where else to go. So, I called my father, and he got us a flight here. He picked us up at the airport and dropped us off before he left for his duties.”

In that one explanation, she confirmed my suspicions. He truly wasn’t with another woman… he was with his children. My heart clenched tightly in my chest as the weight of this information slammed down onto me.

I acted like such a jealous fool, and I was humiliated. I couldn’t believe I broke into his suite to get a glimpse of the other woman in his bed…and it ended up being his children.

“You have that same look I had the other day,” Irene murmured, sitting on the edge of the bed. “Humiliation, hurt, realization, feeling dumb.”

I looked at her, my eyes narrowed.

“What do you mean?” I asked her, stepping closer. I knew why I was feeling this way, but why was she?

For the first time, I saw moisture on her cheeks. She was crying. My heart clenched for her. Despite all that’s happened between us these last few months, I didn’t want to see her obviously hurting. She was still Gavin’s daughter; someone I thought of as a friend once before. I knew she didn’t have a lot of genuine friends, if any. She didn’t need an enemy right now; she needed a friend.

I sat down beside her on the bed and waited for her to speak and when she didn’t, I reached over and took her hand, drawing her attention to me.

“Irene, what happened?” I asked her, keeping my tone low and compassionate.

“I shouldn’t have accused you of seducing him…I shouldn’t have believed him over you,” she whispered.

My heart sank to my stomach as I stared at her face.

She was talking about Ethan… this was about Ethan.

My expression hardened and my eyes darkened at the thought of Ethan doing something to hurt Irene. She was vulnerable and at this moment, she looked like a small child ready to curl in on herself. She was internally blaming herself for not seeing the signs sooner, but she had to know that this wasn’t her fault. Ethan was a master manipulator, and he was going to get what he wanted regardless.

Irene was a victim just like I was.

“Irene,” I said, turning to face her fully. “What did he do to you?”

“He used me,” she whispered. “He only wanted me so he could get close to my father…”

She knew.

“I’m sorry, Irene,” I whispered, not sure what to say.

“Did you know, Judy?” She asked, her voice low. She wasn’t accusing me of anything, but I could hear the pure vulnerability in her tone.

I didn’t want to lie to her, so I nodded slowly.

“Yes,” I whispered. “I knew.”

She nodded, accepting the reality of the situation. Her fiancé used her, and I knew about it. But she didn’t look angry; she was only confirming what she already knew.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” She asked softly, staring down at her hands as she fidgeted with them.

“I couldn’t…” I replied, just as softly. “I wanted to… but I couldn’t.”

“Why not?”

I swallowed, not sure how much I should tell her, but I also really didn’t want to lie to her. Not anymore. Now that she knew what Ethan was doing and what he’s capable of… she deserved to know the entire truth.

“For a couple reasons,” I admitted, nibbling on my lower lip. “Your father didn’t want me to say anything to you.”

She snapped a look at me, her eyes large as she obtained that new information.

“My father knew too?” She asked. “Did everybody know??”

“I’m not sure, I told her softly. “But your father was worried that you’d try to hurt yourself if you found out, or if you thought we were lying. He kind of just let it happen, despite knowing that Ethan wasn’t good for you.”

She swallowed as reality sunk in. Realization flickered through her eyes, and she let out a shaky breath as she nodded slowly, understanding clearly in her eyes.

“What was the other reason?” She asked.

I was quiet for a moment as I tried to put together the words; there was really no way around it, I had to tell her the entire truth for her to better understand the situation and for her to be grateful she got out of that situation when she did.

“Ethan was blackmailing me…”

Her eyes grew wide as she snapped a look at me, her mouth nearly dropping to the ground.

“What do you mean he was blackmailing you?” She asked, her eyes narrowed. “How?”

“You know his family are the Betas of the Redmoon pack?” I asked. “They have a lot of power. They are the richest family right now and they hold a lot of influence. Even more so my family, the Deltas.”

She listened thoughtfully and nodded, waiting for me to continue as I gathered my thoughts.

“My father owned a business, and we don’t come from a lot of money, so when he opened the business, he took out a pretty large loan. They racked up interest on the loan, though without telling him, so he owed twice as much as he borrowed. Ethan used his influence to triple the interest, so my father owed triple as much and then he got the loan pulled, so the loan sharks came demanding the funds. It was money that my father just didn’t have yet. Despite the business being successful and money coming in quickly, he didn’t have enough to pay off the entire loan yet. He had to give the sharks every penny he’s made, including the business, and it still wasn’t enough….”

“Oh Judy…” Irene whispered, tears clear in her eyes.

I was quiet for a moment as I thought about my family, the weight of their reality resting on my shoulders. This was the first time I was telling this story out loud, and it was to someone kind of unexpected.

Taking a deep breath, I continued.

“Because my father couldn’t pay back the rest of the loan, he was put in jail. Ethan is the reason my father is in jail, and he could get him out if he wanted, but he’s holding him against me. Getting him beaten on a daily. My father is being tortured in prison, and Ethan is the reason it’s happening. He wanted me to live in a home that he purchased and be his mistress while he was married to you, Irene.”

She sucked in a sharp breath as she stared at me. I knew this was new information too and I hated being the one to tell her the reality of the situation, but she deserved to know everything.

“I refused and it’s been driving him crazy. He's the reason I started to work with your father as your brother’s tutor. I needed the money so I can help out my family and try to pay off the rest of my father’s debt so I can get him out of jail,” I told her.

She shook her head, tears spilling out of my eyes.

“Why hasn’t my father done something? He can easily pay off that debt for your father so you can get him out of prison and then he can do something about Ethan…”

I shook my head as tears filled my eyes.

“I didn’t tell him what Ethan was doing to me,” I admitted. “This is my problem… I don’t want to involve your father. Plus, my father has a lot of pride and would never accept help from anyone, especially a Lycan. But mostly, I’m just ashamed and embarrassed…”

“That’s ridiculous, Judy,” Irene said, a flicker of anger crossing her eyes. “Your father is in danger. You should have told my dad so he can help you. You have to get him out of jail.”

I nibbled on my lower lip, knowing she’s right.

“I also don’t think your father would help me if I tried,” I admitted softly.

“Wrong,” a deep and furious voice said from the doorway, making us both flinch. “Give me 20 minutes,” Gavin said through his teeth as he pulled out his phone. “Afterwards…” he added, now turning his eyes at me, making my entire body heat under his scrutiny. “We are having a serious conversation.”