• • •
Crystal stood before the double doors of the Oceanix penthouse suite. Her stomach roiled, and she fought the urge to throw up in the opulent hallway. Ever since Denny had called to let her know that, strangely enough, the DeSantos were still in Myrtle Beach, she’d wanted to call a halt to this crazy plan to get Mark back. Really, how much of her would possibly be left after Marcus DeSanto chewed her up and spit her out? Denny had offered to accompany her, but that wouldn’t be the same. She would still be depending on someone else to fight her battles. Even if things went south—which they were likely to—at least she’d have the comfort of knowing that she’d tried.
So, taking a deep breath, she stood ramrod straight and knocked on the door. When it opened, she felt her shoulders slump slightly at the sight of Celine DeSanto staring at her in shock. Finally, her good manners appeared to kick in and she said smoothly, “This is surprising. Crystal, isn’t it?” Then looking around, she asked in confusion, “Is Mark with you?”
“No, he isn’t,” Crystal replied. “I wondered if I could speak to you for a few moments.”
Celine looked uncertain before glancing behind her and lowering her voice. “Give me five minutes and I’ll meet you in the coffee shop in the lobby.”
Please tell me she won’t be bringing her husband, Crystal prayed inwardly as she took the elevator back down to the bottom floor. She walked past some of the swank boutiques before finding the place that Celine had indicated. She ordered a vanilla latte and found a quiet table in the corner.
Surprisingly, Celine was on time, and after giving her a nod of acknowledgment, she bought a drink for herself, and then slowly approached, pulling out a chair. Crystal had to give the other woman credit. Even on short notice, she looked cool, elegant, and polished. Plus, she could have easily passed for Mark’s sister rather than his mother. Her hair didn’t appear to have any gray and her figure was one that most women would envy. Aside from her coloring, though, it was her eyes that resembled her son the most. Striving to keep the quaver from her voice, Crystal said, “Thank for you agreeing to see me. I know I should have called first, but . . .”
“You wanted to have the upper hand?” Celine inserted, looking faintly amused and maybe a tad impressed. Although possibly that was wishful thinking on Crystal’s part.
“I had hoped it would make it more difficult to turn me away,” Crystal corrected before adding, “But a phone call would have certainly been easier, I think.”
Celine picked up her coffee and took a sip before leveling another direct look at her. “You’re here about what happened at Mark’s, aren’t you?”
“Yes, I am,” she agreed without hesitation. “You see, I love your son and he loves me. But that scene with your husband was the catalyst that split us apart.”
The other woman swallowed audibly before picking up her cup once again with an unsteady hand. “I didn’t want to come that day. I tried my best to talk Marcus out of it, but as usual, he acted without thinking it through.” Looking at Crystal with eyes that seemed to plead for understanding, she continued. “I’ve loved Marcus for most of my life. We were best friends before he finally saw me as more. And since that moment, we’ve rarely been apart for more than a day. Loving him doesn’t mean that I’m blind to his demons. It’s because of them that I never planned to have children.” When Crystal gasped, Celine smiled sadly. “I love my son, but I realized early on that Marcus and I didn’t lead a life that would make us good parents. Unfortunately, though, sometimes things don’t turn out as you plan. One oversight on our part led to a surprise pregnancy, and nine months later, Mark was born.”
“What happened afterward?” Crystal prodded when the other woman paused as if lost in time.
“For a while, things were good,” Celine said. “Marcus wasn’t drinking as much and seemed to dote on Mark. Then as our son got older and turned into some kind of child prodigy, things went downhill. Marcus’s father picked up on Mark’s intelligence, and that turn of events signaled the end of the peace in our household. From then on, Marcus mostly ignored his son, but as he got older, they began butting heads. As that became a regular occurrence, Marcus’s drinking picked up as well. Then, when the DeSanto Group was left to Mark, that was it. Since then, I’ve watched the husband I love play a cat-and-mouse game with the son I’ve never known how to save.”
Crystal’s head was spinning as Celine finished the summary of Mark’s life. From the boy who was never wanted to the man who no one had ever stood up for. It broke her heart. He’d been defending himself since he was a child, and now he was trying to protect her in the only way he knew how. Oh, my love. Crystal didn’t think she had anything to lose by being completely honest with Celine, so she admitted, “Mark left me because he doesn’t want his father to inflict the same pain on me that he has on him. He’s afraid that I’ll grow to hate him after a while and can’t bear the thought.”