AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“I visited you when you came home. The minute I saw you, I could tell something was off. You called me pathetic when I said I was marrying Sarah for love. I tried to talk to you, but at every turn, you scorned me. You told me you had found new friends who had shown you what it was like to be powerful and respected, and that you could not waste your time with people like me—weak.”
A tightness formed in Owen’s chest. Bile rose in this throat. He was a reprehensible fiend. To have abandoned his friend, and for what? That’s what Owen needed to find out.
Finally, he turned to Bran. “I am sorry for any offense I may have caused you.”
Bran studied Owen for a moment. “It is in the past. What’s done is done, and we must look to the future.”
“That’s what Selena said, but I cannot just pretend that I don’t have a past.” Owen sighed. “How can I move forward when all my relationships, every aspect of my life, are connected to the man I once was?” Suddenly it felt like an insurmountable obstacle. How could he make his way? Owen dropped into the nearest chair, his head in his hands. “I am at a loss, Bran.” He peered up at the other man. “I have a wife who detests me and servants who scurry out of my way like I have the plague. How am I supposed to build a new life when everyone around me is scared I will become that monster again?”
“Then you will have to show them you are no longer that man.”
“But how?”
“Just be yourself. Be whom you want to be, not whom you think you ought to be.”
“Thank you.”
“Sarah and I want to help you and Selena, in any way we can.”
“Right now, I could use a friend.” His voice broke at the end.
“Then you have one, Owen.” Bran patted his shoulder.
“I don’t know where to start.”
“Take it one day at a time. I can help you catch up with local business, reintroduce you to everyone you need to know.”
“That is much appreciated.”
“We’ll talk about it later. For now, perhaps we should rejoin the ladies.”
They strolled down the hall toward the study.
“How are things with you and Selena?”
“It is strained, to put it mildly. She has told me how I used to treat her, so I can’t blame her. But I am determined to make her happy, whether with me or not.”
“Just give it time.”
Time was all he had.
