“When I arrived, your father asked to speak to me alone. That’s when he explained the arrangement. The rules I was expected to follow.”
“The documents were already prepared. I signed them without really understanding what I was signing.”
The confession leaves a bitter taste in my mouth.
“And you know the rest. I was allowed to return to the academy because the marriage wasn’t supposed to become public until after my year here ended. But I was still married.”
A sad smile touches my lips.
“Then you came along and ruined everything.”
His expression doesn’t change.
“You couldn’t understand why I kept pushing you away. I was married, Hunter and I wasn’t allowed to talk about it. My father manipulated me into agreeing to it. Yours threatened me through my father. It came from every direction.”
I close my eyes briefly.
“And the worst part is that I didn’t want to let you go. Even when I kept telling you to stay away from me, I was doing the exact opposite. Every time I pushed you away, part of me hoped you wouldn’t listen. I know how selfish that was.”
“I knew I’d lose you the moment the truth came out. But for a little while, I had you.”
The sadness in my chest grows heavier.
“Did he ever...” The question dies there. His jaw locks so tightly that a vein rises at his temple.
“No.” I shake my head. “Never. He was never interested in me that way. As a woman, I mean. It was... strange, really.”
My voice trails off.
Hunter nods.
“Apparently, he was gay.”
The statement catches me off guard.
“Oh.”
“As far as I understand, that was another reason he insisted on the marriage.”
I frown.
“Why not just come out?”
“Because it isn’t that simple. Not for a man his age, especially not one in his position. People can be surprisingly narrow minded when it suits them. Stupid, but that’s the reality of it.”
When he puts it that way, it does make sense.
“I don’t think he married me just to hide his sexuality,” I say quietly.
“No,” he confirms. “He and your father were tied together by a mess of their own making. Neither trusted the other not to turn on him, so they decided a marriage alliance was the safest option.”
His jaw tightens.
“And Frederick found a way to benefit from it on both fronts.”
I frown. “Then why keep it secret in the beginning?”
“Because it would have raised too many questions. One day he’s an unmarried politician. The next, he suddenly has a wife young enough to be his daughter. People would have starteddigging. The plan was to do it gradually. Appear alongside your father first. Then introduce you into the picture.”
