"Talk to me please. I said I was sorry."

"If you think I care about what you've said then you don't know the first thing about me." She snapped.

Conrad sighed. Days after accusing her of sleeping with her father in law, Victoria had given in to him physically. Days after that, she still refused to hear him out, let alone give him a chance to make amends. He was used to the hurtful words and angry actions. This, this was a completely different level. For the first time in their marriage he felt that he had truly broken Victoria's spirit.

"What will it take, Vic? Please. I am begging you."

"A divorce." She said coldly.

"Out of the question. I'm trying to fix things, not end them." She scoffed. She hadn't expected him to comply. She didn't even really want the divorce; she was only lashing out because he had hurt her. And yet his refusal only fueled her fire, making her angrier.

"If you won't set me free from this sham of a marriage the least you could do is leave me alone. I have nothing to say to you."

She crossed her arms as she headed towards the door. Conrad leapt across her bed, jumping in front of the doorway, blocking her from leaving. She refused to let a smile emerge although she was entertained by his antics. She felt a wave of uneasiness come over her. Conrad was the only person who knew exactly what to say or do to make her melt. One look was all it took to make her anger disappear. She silently scolded herself, promising to stay strong.

"You don't have to say anything to me. You can just listen."

"That isn't leaving me alone, Conrad."

"It's called compromise. I want you to talk to me and you want to be left alone. Neither of us gets what we want but it's better than getting nothing at all."

"Is it?" She questioned.

He grabbed her arm and lead her to the edge of her bed. She flailed her arm, breaking free of his grasp but complied. As she sat on the edge of the bed she slowly crossed her legs. She knew his eyes were on her legs. He knew she did that deliberately. It was her version of dangling a prize in front of him. He could look but was unable to touch. For now. He planned on fixing that.

"Victoria, you've got to hear me out. I mean it, absorb the words I am telling you-"

"Would you get on with this? I don't plan on being held captive in my own bedroom all day..."

"I didn't mean it. I was devastated when my father passed. I was angry at myself and angry at him. I spent my whole life trying to make him proud. He wasn't. Not at my academics. Not at my career. Not at my first wedding-"

"I'd hardly consider Stevie an accomplishment." She scuffed. He gave her a small smile. She was giving him something, no matter how small.

"And then I met you. My father didn't care that I was already married. He didn't care about anything. He was proud of me because of you. He couldn't believe that his son had caught the attention of such a beautiful, resourceful, intelligent, artistic woman." He paused unexpectedly.

"And-?" She prompted, unable to pretend her interest wasn't piqued.

"And I blew it. I've blamed you for the crumbling of our marriage-"

"Me?!" She demanded. He held a hand to her, calming her down.

"It was easy to imagine that if you hadn't slept with David Clarke this domino effect wouldn't have occurred. In actuality, it would have. Long before David Clarke even applied to Grayson Global I stopped putting an effort in. I had the girl and moved on to other accomplishments. That's the thing they don't tell you when you're young."

"What is?"

"Getting the girl is the easy part. Keeping the girl, that takes an effort. And I didn't do the work. I stayed late in the office, went on business trips and left you alone with Daniel. I forced you to put him into boarding school against your wishes. I treated you like a shareholder instead of a partner. I didn't care about your thoughts or feelings unless they effected me. I'm guessing David took the time to learn all those things. In a way he knew you better than I do."

"Did." She corrected quietly. He stared at her for a moment, unsure of what she meant.

"He knew me better than you did. A lot has changed since then. I've changed since then. I'm not the same person. Even if he were alive, he wouldn't know the person I am today." The words hurt her, but it was true. She would always hold a place in her heart for David. She loved him. But she knew that she had become someone different from the person she was when he fell in love with her. He probably wouldn't like who she became. She wasn't sure she liked who she became.

"I lashed out at you because of petty jealousy. My father turned our marriage into sibling rivalry. I had to compete with you for his attention and approval. Only it wasn't a competition. It was unanimous. You won, Vic. He loved you. He respected you. When our first marriage ended so did any trace of respect from him. I lashed out because it was easier to assume he loved you for your body than to accept the fact that you are better than me. And that my father knows you better than I do. You let everyone in except for me." His words were choked and he struggled not to cry in front of her.

She slowly stood from the bed, stopping inches from his face.

"It's easy to let people like your father in."

"What makes it so difficult for you to let me in? What is it about me, Victoria?"

"They don't matter. They can't hurt me. I don't have to protect myself around them."

"Why do you have to protect yourself around me?"

"Because you always hurt me," she whispered, a tear escaping the corner of her eye.