How much should she tell him? Discussing her marriage to Jasper wasn’t easy. Patrick already knew some of the details, but not everything. No matter how embarrassing it was, if sharing her story could help Liam avoid the mistakes she’d made, it would be worth it.

“I thought I was smart too,” she said. “I was eighteen when I fell in love with my husband. Jasper was a biology professor at the college, and I thought he was the most brilliant scientist on earth.”

She’d been flattered when he showed interest in her. The difference in their backgrounds didn’t matter. Neither did the fact that she was an heiress and he a college professor fifteen years her senior.

The creak of the porch swing slowed, and she suddenly had the full attention of both men. Discussing her deepest humiliation wasn’t easy, but she wanted them to know.

“Jasper published his research in prestigious journals and traveled all over the world to speak at conferences. He was our most celebrated professor. He earned a respectable salary and had no vices like gambling or drink. What I didn’t understand was his ambition. He wanted to start his own academic journal and host his own conferences.”

She leaned over to tug a few more weeds—anything rather than look at Patrick as she recounted these painful memories. “He married me for my money,” she continued. “My father warned me that Jasper’s ambition outpaced his resources, but I didn’t care. I was honored that he wanted me to be his wife. I had no idea there was another woman in his life. Vivian was always the woman of his heart, and on the day Jasper married me, he betrayed us both.”

Talking about this exhausted her, and the gentle compassion on Patrick’s face was painful to see. She wandered to the fence to lean her forearms on the top rail.

“Jasper was clever in keeping Vivian nearby. He got her hired at the college to teach music, and I welcomed her into my home. I had no idea who she was to him, even after she became pregnant. Many people on campus thought she should be fired, especially after she refused to name the father of her child. It split the campus down the middle, but several professors rallied in her support. Jasper and I both did.” A bitter laugh rose inside her. How naïve she had been. She’d helped Vivian furnish a nursery and scolded the faculty wives who wanted to ostracize her.