The Duke's Masked Wife 2: The Prince's Outcast Bride-Chapter 145: Staying together (1)

In the Kennedy home, Noah sent Mary out so he could sit alone with Kate.

Kate’s behaviour had gotten better, so Noah saw it as the right time to talk about Warren.

Noah sat on the bed whilst Kate was seated before a mirror.

"It is time we speak about Warren marrying and moving out of this home. He will need a roof over his head, where he will provide for himself and his family. I’ve been saving so he could do it," Noah shared.

"How much could you have saved to get him a home? I haven’t heard of Warren finding a lady to marry," Kate said, looking at Noah’s reflection. "He shouldn’t marry. He doesn’t have much to offer."

"He has more than some men around the town. If he continues to work, he can provide for his family. I know it haunts you, but perhaps giving him Simon’s home-"

"No. I will not send my son to be where that bastard lived. The horrors of what Simon did still plague that home. You shouldn’t fuel Warren’s interest in it. I want to burn it," Kate said.

All that held Kate back from burning the home was the fear that she might free Simon from there.

Simon was long dead, but Kate still felt him around her. She still heard his voice, and at other times, she heard her mother’s voice.

"We cannot burn it. You should sell it and move on from here. We should leave Lockwood since there is nothing left for us here. Warren is going to find himself in trouble, and we are going to be tangled up in it. He wants to speak with the duchess-"

"He shouldn’t!" Kate exclaimed.

Warren didn’t have any reason to go to Alessandra.

Why would he want to go there? For Alessandra to laugh at Warren?

"He shouldn’t go near her. Tell him to keep away from them or he’ll end up like my father," Kate said in a frantic tone.

"Kate!" Noah stood up and walked over to Kate to grab her shoulders. "You must keep calm. I am doing my best to keep him away from the Collins family, but he wants to be near them. He is old enough not to listen to us anymore. We must think about ourselves."

"I do not want him to go there. What if she turns him against me? What if she tells him what happened?" Kate asked, afraid Warren would learn more about her actions.

"I don’t think that is on the duchess’s mind-"

"Now, you speak up for her. Whose side are you on?" Kate asked, angry that Noah was always against her.

"I am on your side as your husband, but to a certain point. A lot of your troubles could be fixed if we moved to somewhere quiet where no one knows you. It will help you to move on from the past you are holding onto," Noah argued.

"I have spent all my life here in Lockwood, and I will take my last breaths here. You always seek a way to sell my father’s home. Even when my father struggled, he made certain that we never lost our home. My mother adored this home," Kate said, refusing to give it up.

This home was all that Kate had left to her name. It was all that tied her to her old name and reminded her of her parents.

"If we stay, then you must promise me that you will make an effort to get better. You sit inside, trying to fight your guilt," Noah said, needing change to occur.

"I don’t have any guilt," Kate replied.

Noah knew that wasn’t true. He had been fortunate to see a vulnerable moment from Kate, which changed his judgment of her. Noah had seen Kate weeping due to her past actions. She hated who she once was in that moment.

It was unfortunate that Noah never got to see that moment again, but he knew how Kate truly felt. She was too stubborn to admit that she had done wrong. She didn’t want to lose as if she were still in competition with Alessandra.

"You know what you did to your sister was wrong. I know that you once believed that Simon was your punishment-"

"Enough!" Kate yelled, wanting to cover his mouth.

"You hated yourself because Bella thought you were another victim like her. She believed that you had not done anything wrong, so it ate you up inside to think about the person you were. You were a horrible person, but I believe you can admit your wrongdoings and move on. It is not too late," said Noah.

Kate was still alive, so there was a chance for her to apologise and move on. She shouldn’t die with any regrets.

"Do not put words into my mouth. I do not like it when you try to act as a saint. You paint me out to be the bad one when I know how you are. Do you love me?" Kate inquired.

"Of course I love you," Noah said, holding Kate’s hand. "Do you love me?"

"We don’t make any sense. We are two people using each other," Kate said, slipping her hand out of Noah’s hold. "After all the time I spent preparing to be a wife, I deserved to be married, even if it was to you. You used me for money, but that’s fine."

Kate didn’t mind since she had more money to be able to control Noah.

"Kate, I don’t care about your money," Noah said.

"You cared enough to accept the money Clark gave you to stay at my side. You think I have lost my mind, but I haven’t," Kate said, surprising Noah. "I don’t know everything surrounding your deal with him, but I do know you made one. He didn’t want to leave me alone. He didn’t want me to be unhappy."

All Kate wanted was to be courted and feel wanted, so Clark gave her those feelings.

"Kate-"

"Why did you stay with me? Clark is long dead, so you had plenty of chances to steal and leave. I’ve been looking forward to the day when I would wake up and you would be gone. Did you feel guilty leaving Warren behind?" Kate wondered.

"You could have just left. After all, this started being about money for you. You didn’t ask for a family. I remember Clark being upset to learn that I was pregnant and scolding you. Little did he know that I welcomed you into my arms. I deserved to feel love after what I endured," Kate said.

Noah couldn’t believe Kate knew of all of this, yet remained silent all this time.

"I got you out of trouble by telling Clark that I loved you, so you were brought back and we got married," said Kate.

"Despite how we started, I have come to love you because I know there is some good in you. I have stood by your side for years when I could have run off. If you do not believe I love you, then there’s nothing I can do now," said Noah.

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