Sharon woke up the next morning with her heart pounding dully in her chest as the memories of the evening before came rushing back. She laid still in bed, her skin crawling with warmth from where his hands had explored her body as the strong scent of his skin intoxicated her. She remembered every kiss, every sound that emanated from his lips, every emotion that pumped through her veins...

Releasing a soft sigh, she turned to the side disappointed to find the bed empty. She would have thought that the evening before was nothing but the workings of her imagination, but the dent on the mattress where he once laid told her otherwise. It was possible that his absence was as a result of his need to start the day early. He ran a farm after all; she imagined it was necessary for him to get things started before the break of dawn.

Pushing aside her disappointment in his disappearance after what was certainly the most precious evening of her life, she simply crawled out of bed. The morning air was cold against her skin as she struggled to get dressed in the dimly lit room. Once she was finished, she turned and began making her way through the sleeping building, deciding to get started with breakfast if Nana Lois wasn't already on it. If she was, she would join in. The activity would hopefully help to distract her from the dull pain in her chest caused by Matthew's presumed abandonment.

She had reached the foot of the stairs when the sound of harsh whispers began to drift to her.

Pausing in her tracks, she contemplated going back up the stairs and sitting in bed until the day had fully broken, considering the tone of the conversation that was taking place in the living room; it became quite apparent to her that an argument was brewing very quickly and Sharon did not want to get caught in the midst of it. But just as the thought drifted through her mind, she recognized Matthew's voice, his anger carrying in every word.

"How about you get right down to the point?!" Matthew half growled, nearly frightening Sharon. She had never heard him sound so upset before.

Silence followed his words, the tension in the air so heavy, it made her heart pound.

Someone heaved a breath. "I lied. I lied about your grandfather's Will."

"Which part?" Matthew snarled.

"The part about ensuring you get married-"

There was a sharp scraping sound that made Sharon jolt in shock.

"It was in a feeble attempt to get you to return home. I didn't think you'd go through with the ridiculous marriage! I did it for your own good, son. Look around you," the unfamiliar voice continued. "You have failed as a farmer. I didn't raise you to be a farmer, I raised you to take over the family's dairy factory. All your life, I have trained you..."

"No, father!" Matthew yelled and Sharon feared he would awaken the entire house. "All my life, you have badgered, tormented, humiliated and controlled me, but you most certainly have not trained me!" He roared. "I left San Francisco and your control and nothing you do will make me go back. Hell, I would rather have a rock tied around my neck and be thrown into the deep blue sea than return to San Francisco! The moment you accept that, the better for all of us!"

Sharon stood, shocked for several seconds as the implications of the stranger's words began to sink in; there had been no need for Matthew to get married to her in the first place. He had instead been lied to and deceived into acquiring a wife.

Trembling slightly, Sharon took the last stair down until she was peeking into the living room. Matthew stood with his back to her, his attention fixed on an unfamiliar older man. From what she had gathered through the conversation and from the little she could make out given the dim light of the room, she knew he was Matthew's father.

He sat there, his legs crossed as he observed Matthew for several seconds. Then, he continued:

"I have." The fire in the hearth illuminated the sly smile on his face. She wondered how he could find it in himself to smile at a time like this, how it was that the man saw no ill in what he had done to his son, just like her own father saw no ill in the wrong he had done to her all her life. "Now sit down, Matthew." He said sternly.

Matthew clenched his fists but did not move an inch.

He heaved a breath, inching forward on the sofa. "I have accepted your decision to stay here, to make a name for yourself, and to build your farm. I have also decided to support you."

"You have?" Matthew finally asked, skepticism lacing every word.

"I have." He nodded.

The tension in Matthew's features seemed to ease as he nodded to his father's words. "Good."

Sharon saw him move and she immediately retreated behind the wall, turning to run back up the stairs lest she be caught eavesdropping, when his father's next words nearly caused her to fall forward.

"But first, you must get a divorce.

~*~

Matthew stood, anger coursing through his veins with so much speed, he nearly passed out from it. Mentally, he cursed himself for coming down the stairs that morning to surprise Sharon with breakfast in bed. He was a fool for leaving her side but so much more than that, he was a fool for enduring this conversation with his father.

"I cannot blame you for stooping low enough to marry the daughter of a dangerous, psychotic drunk man. It is my fault you're married to her in the first place and for that, I must apologize. Once you are divorced from her, I will pay all of your debts, down to the last dime."

"You conniving bastard!" He swore, furious. "You will hand over what my grandfather left to me and you will get the hell out of my house, that's what you will do!" He said, fighting the urge to reach out and grab his father by the collar.

"Your grandfather left you with nothing! I'm the sole beneficiary of his wealth. It is money that I do not need, money I'm willing to hand over to you once you have gotten rid of her."

"She is my wife!"

"Only because you needed the money. You don't love her, Matthew, it is simply impossible to think you moved on so quickly from Gretchen Riverside who is certainly a much better fit. I understand how desperate you must have been, I understand how much you needed the money,"

"You don't know me," Matthew breathed, the shock of his father's revelation rendering him speechless; his grandfather left him with nothing. He had left home and embarked on this journey to independence for nothing. He had gotten in thousands of dollars worth of debt for nothing. He had gotten married for nothing. It was all for nothing.

"I know you need to pay your farmhands. I know you need to pay your debt or you'll lose your farm. I know you managed to find a woman desperate enough to marry you in such a short period of time because you thought you had a share in your grandfather's property. Tell me son, am I wrong?" He raised a brow. "I know you well enough Matthew, I know you well enough to know that you are not in love with that woman. You married her for the money and now I'm asking you to divorce her for the money."

The feeling of defeat washed over Matthew, his shoulders sinking as a result. It was a feeling that left him bare and vulnerable, one that made him feel hopeless. And wasn't he indeed hopeless? Everything he had ever fought for proved to be futile —everything including his marriage. It was a painful thought, but it was the truth; he had married Sharon for his inheritance and she had married him to get away from Jenkins. Now that there was no inheritance to possess, and Jenkins was out of sight, he imagined it was still in her plan to get a divorce from him. Hadn't she made her desires for a divorce known more often than not? She only stayed this long because she thought she was helping him take possession of his inheritance. Perhaps it was time to set her free?

The memory of the evening before suddenly washed over him, ridding his mind of thoughts of divorcing her. He felt every fiber of every second of that evening so strongly, his arms ached to hold her once more.

Still, he didn't know how she felt —if she felt anything. He didn't even know how he felt. Nothing was clear to him anymore; nothing but the predicament he was suddenly in. Not only was he incapable of paying his farmhands, he was incapable of providing for a wife.

"How can I trust you?" He heard himself say.

"The moment you affirm to divorcing her, even before you sign the papers, I will pay off all your debts. And when you do divorce her, I'll give you the rest of the money."