Wow. She hadn’t known his wife had been paid off by his father. How horrible and no wonder he was bitter.
But why? Galen had said his ex-wife had been from a good, well-to-do-family, which was the opposite of destitute. Her family was neither truly rich nor poor, but she’d never betray Galen, ever.
Alison sounded desperate. “I needed the money, Galen.”
Did she need more now? Was that why she was here? Natalie couldn’t ask because she wasn’t in the room, though she could hear everything.
“If you needed it, you could have gotten it from me.”
“I couldn’t ask you.” Alison said with such emotion even Natalie believed her.
She held still and refused to make a sound—would Galen want his ex back?
Galen asked, “Why not?”
Her sadness was embedded in every syllable. “Because I needed to do something you didn’t want me to do.”
What in the world would Galen not support? Natalie had been with him only a few days but she’d known him a long time. Galen was one of the few honest and good men she’d ever met. Her skin heated from just the memory of his touch.
“And what was that Alison? What would I judge you for and have said no to?”
Good questions.
Alison then said, “What we both said we agreed on.”
Mysterious. She wasn’t sure what the other woman meant. She should run and get back in there. Her stomach knotted because she wasn’t there for Galen, but her curiosity held her still.
“I don’t remember much agreement on anything.”
“We said we didn’t want children.” Alison’s tone suggested it was the obvious answer.
Goosebumps grew on Natalie’s arms as she put together what that might mean.
“Thankfully,” Galen said. “We didn’t have that worry in the end.”
“Well I meant it, too, which is why I needed to get an abortion, but you… you take family seriously. I couldn’t take the chance that you’d stop me.”
Abortion? Natalie felt her chest cave in and pressed her hand to her heart.
How horrible for Galen. He’d had no idea.
“Why are you telling me now?” Galen demanded. “Years later?”
Natalie would ask a lot more things, but his question was valid. She could feel the tension in her skin as she hurried around the corner to be there for Galen.
“Because you’re getting married again and I thought you should know why I left.”
So she wanted to ruin his future with talking about the past?
“You couldn’t just let me think it was all the arguing we did?” Galen asked gruffly. “And how unhappy I made you, every single day.”
He was off kilter, she could hear it. Natalie hurried faster. She shouldn’t have lingered.
“That wouldn’t be right,” Alison said. “I did love you, Galen.”
Sympathy gone, Natalie decided Alison was someone she would never have been friends with in school.
Galen’s footsteps echoed on the tile floor as he said, “Sure. Look, it’s time to go.”
