Chapter 88

Pearl tried to get a read out of him, but could not. She sat down at the small table, set up for dinner. "Ok, what is it?", she asked. She was leaving the set the next day and wanted to try to spend as much quality time with him as possible.

He seemed nervous.

"These last few months have been amazing. I knew that you were something special, but I had no idea I'd feel like this, ever." Pearl watched him talk, noticing his anxiousness.

"And I want you to know that I wouldn't change any of it. I'd do it all again if I had the choice, even the difficult parts." He continued. Oh my god, she thought. He's ending things. He's breaking up with me. She felt her heart starting to pound hard and fast in her chest. She felt frozen in her chair.

"I wanted you to know that, before I tell you this, so there isn't any confusion in case things change." He looked at her, his voice wavering.

"Stop, right there. I already know what you're going to say. I know what's happening. I knew it would."she choked back tears "This whole thing has been a dream. And with women like me, dreams like this don't happen to us. I'm sorry I ruined it. And I'm sorry for everything. I don't know how I'm going to survive this. I love you so much. But I'll respect it, however I can." She put her head in her hands.

"Pearl, do you think I'm ending things between us?" Rhys knelt in front of her, moving her hands from her face. "I'm not doing that. I would never do that. But what I'm about to tell you is going to change things. And I hope you still feel the same about me after."

What? Pearl thought. He wasn't ending things? What could be so bad that she would consider leaving him?

"Ok. Get on with it, then." If he cheated or was having doubts about the wedding, she would try to understand and work it out with him. She owed him that after the David situation.

"My mother found out last year that she was adopted, by complete accident. She bought a DNA ancestry kit and got results that she wasn't prepared for. Her entire life, she thought her adoptive parents were her real parents. She got the test results back, she found she had relatives that weren't known to her. So, she got into contact with them and found out her story. She dig deeper and found her birth mother was still alive, as well as her birth father.", he continued, reaching for Pearl's hand. "Her real mother got pregnant in secret when she was only sixteen years old. And her birth father wanted to marry her but he came from an affluent family that wouldn't accept her or the baby. Her mother's parents sent her to an unwed mother's home and she gave birth, giving my mom up for adoption shortly after. They never knew what happened to the baby." Rhys sounded like he was near tears.

"I'm so sorry Rhys. How overwhelming for you mother." Pearl said, kissing the top of his head.

"There's more. When my mother met her birth mother, they talked and it was wonderful. It was great news. She was so happy to reunite with her baby. But my mother also learned about her birth father. She told her he was rich. Very rich. He had made billions building a media empire. He's worth over 100 billion dollars. I've known for several months but I didn't want to tell you until I knew more about it. My mother called me yesterday, she met him, and he wants to be a part of her life. Our lives. And Pearl, my siblings and I are set to inherent it all."

Pearl pulled her hand away. She stood up and walked backwards, away from him.

"Talk to me. What are you thinking?" Rhys asked, looking at her with worry.

"I.... I don't know. I don't know what to say. I'm.... in shock", she said. Ian was right. How did he know!? All she could think about was the world seeing her as a gold digger, just like Ian had seen her. She remembered his sneer when he called her basically a money grubbing whore. She wasn't good enough for this man. She wasn't even in his league. She wasn't even before he told her this, and now it was worse. The press already saw her as user. Trying to use Rhys for her career. This wasn't anything she could cope with at the moment.

"I need time to process it." She finally said.

"I understand. I'm sorry I told you this today, but I didn't want you to hear it in the news, if it gets out. I also want you to know it changes nothing for me on my end. Nothing will.", he said.

They spent the rest of the night speaking very little. Rhys held her and they fell asleep, her mind full.

She woke up early and packed her things. She was making a coffee for the road when he came out to say goodbye. "I will be home in a few weeks. Good luck Monday with the attorneys. Please call me if you need anything." He kissed her forehead.

"I will.", She said. "I love you."

She gathered her things and left for the plane.