Chapter 6 - The Truth About Wes

"I never told you how I ended up on the street," he said, "because it's ugly, and I didn't want to drag you into it. And honestly, I liked our life too much to risk it."

He sat down on the edge of the couch.

"I built a company. Two of my brothers worked with me. About a year ago they decided they wanted it without me in the picture. They forged documents. Faked my signature on transfers. They even got hold of my identity and drained what they could. Then one of them drove me eight hours from Charlotte and left me here in Columbus with nothing — no wallet, no phone, no way to prove who I was."

I sank down next to him.

"I went to the police," he went on. "My brothers have money and connections. Nothing stuck. The lawyer I hired stopped returning my calls, and I found out later they'd paid him more than I could. So I stopped fighting for a while. I just tried to stay warm and eat."

He looked at me.

"Then you came along. You gave me a bed and a coat and forty dollars in my pocket, and you did it when you thought I had absolutely nothing to give back. That's when I decided to fight again."

"How?" I whispered.

"I called the best firm in the country — Hale and Merrick. They represent my brothers' biggest competitors, so there was no way to buy them off. I told them everything and promised them a serious payout when it was over. They almost passed because I couldn't put money down. Then they realized helping me was a chance to gut their rivals, and they said yes." He shook his head, half smiling. "There's a court date next month. My accounts are already unfrozen. My name is mine again."

He reached over and took my hand.

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"I'll say it plainly. I'm not a poor man, Nora. I've spent my whole adult life looking for someone who wanted me and not my bank account. Every woman I dated eventually asked about the company first. You never did. You were kind to me when I had holes in my shoes. That's why I love you. And I'm sorry I kept all of it from you this long."

I stared at the petals on the floor. The man I'd married on a furious whim was a betrayed businessman who'd been quietly rebuilding his entire life in my spare room.