Being a Colton.

039.

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THE PRESENT.

IRENE's POV.
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Frederick and I might have acted like everything was okay but we had a plethora of issues to resolve. I couldn't watch and let himself destroy because that was what he was doing.

From what I have learned from therapy. People who often grew up in a transaction household would think earning forgiveness had to be transactional. He gives up everything and dedicates his life to Fabian and me, he would atone for his sins.

He might have been looking at his actions as selfless but it was actually selfish. How can you lose your inheritance knowing there was a way to save it?! Maybe losing the inheritance made him free. Make him free of the burden of carrying that family name and the family mess.

I was not going to let Frederick lose everything though. He had suffered enough for me. I wasn't going to tell him I had forgiven him because I needed to heal better, and he needed to do the same. Conflating self-love and romantic love will do you a disservice.

We spent the holiday together. It was like the conversation we had changed the course of our relationship and how we saw ourselves. Fredick started going to therapy. We went to different doctors, he gave separate exercises that my therapist.

We spent the holiday, happy and jollying. Fabian growing up with his parents, was growing into a beautiful toddler.

I found it to be unfair that Frederick was paying for everything when his Granny could just give him back his inheritance. What sort of clause ostracized your grandson because of a divorce?! That was painful!

A party was being held for charity and I decided that was where I was going to see Granny. I wanted to talk to her about the entire thing, make her understand why her reasoning was stupid.

Fabian would need a lot of resources to grow up. It might be selfish but I didn't have a job at the moment, I was solely dependent on Frederick, his finances are tied to my comfort.

Also, how can he create a company, walk to build it but it can be taken away from him? He was still forced to work hard for his parents but all the money was going to the family instead of him. It was like a parasitic relationship.

I didn't want Frederick to know of my intentions though. I knew he would try to stop me and this was the only time in a long while Granny will be in the country so I had to be smart about the entire encounter.

Maria got me ticket into a small gathering that Davis was hosting. I didn't know why the party was being hosted but I knew it was the perfect opportunity. Frederick was going to be in the office, Maria and Kate were watching Fabian.

The party was in a small playroom in a country house, beautiful and exoctic arts were all around the room. Maybe the party was about arts. I looked around the room noticing that some art were pictures of Mia. My eyes widened, when I noticed she was displayed on art and ink naked.

I remembered what she told me before she died. I gasped, not able to believe what I was seeing.

"Do you love it?" I turned around. Davis was standing behind me, he was smiling down at me. Do I love it?! What the fuck! He was asking me if I was loved a piece of art of his naked dead wife he refused to see when she died?!

I didn't want to talk to him, not after what Mia told me.  I was here on a mission and I was not going to allow anyone to derail me.

"Excuse me," I said, deciding I didn't want to talk to him. He grabbed my arms before I could move, stopping from going anywhere.

"Are you going to continue ignoring me?! It has been so long since we have spoken to each other."

"Yeah, that's because you fires and me unjustly! Do you think I forgot how you discarded me, Davis?" I folded my arms.