That had her stomach in a knot. She’d heard a lot of rumors before, but never anything like that. “Does Rene know?”

“There’s not much Rene doesn’t know about our family, and he loves to rub the rest of our noses in it. I know you think he’s kind and upright, but he’s his father’s son to the bone. He married you to secure his place at the head of the family. When he doesn’t need you, he’ll drop you very quickly because while you might give him what he needs now, he’ll want a moneyed wife later on.” Charles looked her up and down. “Although he might keep you as a sidepiece.”

“If you want me to slap you right here, say it again,” she said, her voice as cold as ice. “I will then tell anyone who asks what you said to me. Because if you think I’ll keep quiet to save face, you don’t understand who the bad guy is here.”

He had the good grace to flush. “Sorry. I shouldn’t have put it that way. I know you won’t believe me, but I am trying to help you.”

She managed not to laugh in his face. “You’re right. I don’t believe you. Not for a second.”

“Then let me make it clear to you. I will pay you a hundred thousand dollars to get an annulment before my aunt comes to town. Think about what you could do with that money. You could run a campaign for a better position. A smart girl like you can’t be happy being a small-town mayor. You have to be thinking bigger.”

“Your first mistake is to call me a girl when I am obviously a woman.” She had to choke back her anger because, despite what she’d said before, she didn’t want to cause a scene. Rene might know about his father’s affair, but the rest of the town didn’t, and she wasn’t going to give Charles a chance to make it public knowledge. “Your second is to assume that you know my marriage better than I do.”

“I know he hasn’t told you the truth about his parents,” he said evenly. “You’ve got an excellent poker face, Madam Mayor, but you didn’t know about Ross’s affair. That means Rene’s not truly confiding in you. You should ask him about it. See how he reacts.”

“Is this your plan? You’re going to spread nasty rumors around town?”