Through his sobs, Becca's Father tried to explain himself desperately, "I didn't mean to hurt her like that! I love her with all my heart! I didn't know my actions were hurting her! She never told me…I wouldn't have gotten concubines in the first place if I knew…"
I put my hand on his shoulder to comfort him. "Listen, all you can do is make the active choice today to be a better husband. You can't go back and change the things you have done so far, but you can make it clear to your wife that you regret it and that you will do better from now on. Just like how I realized I was wrong for how I treated Becca and worked hard to gain her trust, you need to put in an earnest effort and I believe your wife will be able to forgive you and your relationship will end up being stronger than ever."
Becca's Father calmed down slightly, but was still sniffling. "Do you really think so? I have been hurting her for so long…"
"Remember that she said even when the new law will be enacted, she would not take a concubine. She still loves you very much. If you having concubines was such a dealbreaker, she would have brought it up to you in the past. The reality is probably that she long accepted being a noble woman meant your husband would have concubines and she has gotten used to the extra loneliness she feels when you are gone. When you bring up to her that you want to get rid of your concubines, she will probably only feel happiness.
However, I think it is important that you don't gloss over the fact that you made a mistake taking in concubines in the first place and instead you should highlight how bad you feel. This way your relationship can grow stronger and she can start trusting you and expecting to be treated better in the future. Then, if she ever feels slighted again in the future, she will bring it up to you instead of holding it in like she has all these years."
Becca's Father had a determined look in his eyes. "Yes, my wife has been lovely to me all these years. I have to make it up to her and convince her that I truly feel that no one in this entire world can replace her. She is the only person in the world who can put up with my constant fixation on steel innovation and improving the margins on our bussiness. We have been together 31 years and she has had two children, yet she is as beautiful as the day I first met her. While I'm starting to loss my hair and getting fatter by the day…I am the one that doesn't deserve her."
I shook the shoulder I was holding happily, "alright, that's perfect! Say those exact words to her and I'm sure she will be delighted! Now, when are you planning to talk to her?"
Becca's Father didn't think about it too long, "probably tonight before bed?"
I explained, "there was actually something I wanted to talk to you about and what we just talked about could help to solve my issue. I wanted to bring up with you that you have not been doing enough so far to reconcile with Becca. However, I think she would be delighted if she knew your choice to get rid of your concubines. I think you should have this discussion during dinner tonight with the whole family around. Then, you can also reveal to Becca about all the secret plans you and your wife did to try to get her out of our marriage in the past. That would kill two birds with one stone. You should be able to make up with your wife and daughter all in one night and we can all be a big happy family!"
Becca's Father was hesitant, "I don't know if those two revelations are good things say infront of everyone…I feel like it would be easier to talk to my wife in private and Rebecca herself in private. Also, I don't know if I should tell Rebecca in the first place since I will have to explain to her that every noble boy I talked to did not want her to be their wife. I don't want to hurt her."
"The ultimate decision is up to you, but I think the key right now is to be as open and honest with your thoughts and feelings as possible. It's not bad for your children to see you feel regret for your actions up to today. They will respect you for owning up to it.
As for Becca, she is a strong woman. Plus we have reconciled now, so she will probably be happy that the other noble boys rejected her. Becca is the type of person her values honestly and trust. She will be moved once she learns that you did so much to try to make her married life better. Once everything is out in the open and she sees how much you love her and want to make her happy, she will finally understand the truth and want to go back to how you were before she got engaged."
Becca's Father sat there thinking for a few minutes. "Ok, I'll let everything off of my chest tonight at dinner and hope for the best."
"As long as your heart is in the right place, your loved ones will understand."
Becca's Father was nervously tapping his thigh, "I hope so…all I ever wanted was for us to be a happy family, but I always messed it up."
"Don't be too hard on yourself, at least you want to change. There are plenty horrible husbands and fathers who have no self awareness and refuse to admit they are in the wrong."
Becca's Father clentched his fist, "thanks, Nick. As long as I take steps forward, things will improve."
"Don't worry about it too much now, we are almost at the workshop and need to focus on our deals."
"Yes, let's get down to business."