They sat silently for some time, while Leon seemed to be arranging his thoughts.
“Her name is Vivian.” He began, and Ivy clenched her jaws. She didn’t realize how jealous it would make her feel, just to hear the name of the “another woman.”
“She was my daddy’s secretary’s daughter, so she grew up at our ranch. We used to play together as kids. She was a little older than me, by a few years, but we got along well.” He continued.
Leon wasn’t looking at her as he spoke, but Ivy kept her eyes trained on him. She wanted to see his every muscle move, she wanted to drink in the handsomeness as much as she could now. She wanted to burn his image in her brain so that she could remember it clearly later.
“As we grew up, grew into teenagers, I couldn’t help but fall madly in love with her. Vivian with her wild red hair, her green cat eyes…she was the most beautiful creature I had ever seen. She was also one of the only girls I was friends with. That could have been the problem.” He said.
Ivy could feel the jealousy coursing through her veins now. She hadn’t expected him to describe the other woman in such great detail. She didn’t want to picture this beautiful Vivian, Leon as a teenager, chasing after her. She had to clench her fists on her lap to stop herself from saying something. She wanted to be a good listener to him.
“Anyway, she led me on.” He said, and quickly exchanged a look with her.
“How did she lead you on?” Ivy asked, finally breaking her silence.
“She knew I loved her. And she wanted my money, my daddy’s money. Even as a young sixteen-year-old, she knew that if she married me she would be able to make use of my inheritance.” He said, running his fingers through his hair again, out of nervousness.
“And how did she lead you on?” Ivy asked again, knowing fully well that her cheeks were burning up from jealousy now. But Leon didn’t seem to have noticed it.
“She used her body, how else?” He said, looking at her again. Ivy saw the rage in his eyes. He looked away, trying to control it.
“She knew I was young, foolish, a stupid fourteen-year-old. She gave her body to me and I made her a promise that I would marry her the day I turned twenty-one.” He continued.
“And did you?” Ivy asked, now her jealousy was bubbling up to her throat. She was afraid she was going to scream. So, this was why, Leon had reacted so terribly to her seduction! He thought she was using him too. That she was after his money.
“No, she married my cousin instead.” He said flatly.
Ivy’s mouth fell open.
“She married your cousin?” She asked, her hands flying to her mouth.
“It was a family business. My daddy’s brother owned it jointly, and he had an only son. My cousin, Michael. Michael was older than me, older than Vivian and she seduced him too. They were married on my twenty-first birthday. She did it to spite me.” His voice was shaking now as he spoke. Ivy gulped, her brows were crossed. She could see the pain and rage in his eyes. He was forcing himself to talk about it.
“So, what did you do?” She asked softly.
“I tried to forget her. What else could I do? She lived with Michael, in our joint house, while I worked on the ranch every day. Trying to forget my feelings for her. How she had betrayed me.” He said, and banged his fists on the table.
Ivy didn’t know what to say any more. She didn’t know what to ask him. What could she possibly ask him now? She could see how he was feeling.
“I did ask her, why she couldn’t wait a day and marry me instead.” He said, in a much softer voice. He was still struggling with his emotions. Ivy held her breath for the answer. A part of her didn’t want to know any more. She didn’t want to know how much he was hurting. How she had mis-judged him.
“She said that Michael made her feel good. He was a man, while I was just a boy. She had a smile on her face when she said that.” Leon said. Just as Ivy gasped, he picked a plate up from the table and flung it to the floor. It crashed and broke into a million pieces and Ivy jumped off the chair.
“She’s a bitch, Leon. She lied. She never loved you.” Ivy was saying, the words were tumbling out of her. But Leon had lost control of his senses now.
He too jumped off his chair and was rushing towards the kitchen door.
“Leon! She was a liar!” Ivy screamed after him, but he was gone.
She didn’t know what to do but remain standing where she was, looking after him. The front door opened and closed and she knew he was gone, out of the house and to his horses. She needed to give him his space, the time he needed to recover. But it was approaching night again, and the next morning her father would be there.
She wanted to talk to Leon some more. Explain to him that Vivian had purposely manipulated the family, that he had to forget about her and move on. But how could she when all he did was push her away?
Ivy didn’t see Leon till the next morning again. She was giving him the space she thought he needed.
But she was awake at the crack of dawn the next morning, showered and packed and ready to go. She had finally replied to her father’s text messages to tell him that she was expecting him. He had told her that he would arrive by mid-day to pick her up.
&nb