Anger boiled up inside of me. Instead of signing over his half, like a decent man would do, the dickhead was literally taking all of Sutton’s money and then some.
“When is it happening?” I asked, even though I knew the answer.
Sutton shrugged. “We’ve been running into some issues.”
“He won’t come back to Seaside for us to close on the sale,” Ted explained.
I frowned. “Sounds like Jack.”
Ted started to gather up his things. “Remember, if he does come back, Sutton, you still have the restraining order in place. He needs to communicate with me, not you.”
She nodded, and I felt my stomach lurch at the words “restraining order.” It had clearly gotten so bad that she didn’t want her ex anywhere near her.
Sutton walked Ted through the house, and I trailed behind them.
Before leaving, Ted raised his hand toward me. “See you around, Brody.”
“Yeah, good seeing you, Ted.”
Sutton said her goodbyes, shut the door, and turned to me with a fake smile on her face. “I’m starving.”
She started for the kitchen, and I gently reached for her hand and brought her to a stop. “Restraining order?”
Her cheeks turned bright red.
“Did that bastard hit you, Sutton?”
“No,” she said quickly. “But…he was verbally abusive, and let’s say he changed toward the end of our marriage—especially after I found out about his affair. He started to threaten me, and…he made some comments that scared me.”
I balled my free hand into a fist. “What kind of comments?”
“It doesn’t really matter, Brody.”
She tried to walk off, but I stepped in front of her. “It matters to me, Sutton. What did he say to you?”
With a one-shoulder shrug, she attempted to downplay it. “He said I was making a mistake, that he’d make me regret leaving him. Then he accused me of having an affair.”
Laughing, I asked, “With who?”
When she wouldn’t meet my gaze, I knew the answer. My stomach felt sick, and I had to force down the bile at the back of my throat. “Me?”
She looked up and nodded. “He was always jealous of you, and he used to accuse me of…”
“Of what?”
With a quick shake of her head, she let out a bitter laugh. “It really doesn’t matter. It’s over, and I just need him to sell me his half of the boutique so I can be done with him for good.”
I let her go by me as she walked back toward the kitchen. I pushed a hand through my hair and cursed under my breath. This is all my fault.
What in the hell had Sutton gone through because I’d been too scared to admit my feelings?