"If your mother hadn't been thinking of you, she would never have married Robert, who was then just a fervent suitor with nothing to his name," Eric murmured, his voice soft as he kissed her lashes. "Marrying a man like that, she likely thought one day he might learn you weren't his biological daughter. But because of family bonds, he wouldn't mistreat you."
Ella's eyes sparkled with emotion. "You're right. It's sad, though… Even after she had me, my mother probably never felt she'd earned the love she deserved. So she dedicated herself to building the business with Robert, only for him to cheat as soon as they got things running."
Robert had never been well-liked, and Ella's grandmother had disapproved of him from the start. When Ella's mother chose Robert, the Carter family had cut ties with her, especially as the Carter Group's fortunes grew.
"A marriage that lacks a family's support rarely has a happy ending," Ella sighed.
