LITMIR.BIZ

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      Her hands shook as she flung clothes into her suitcase. She looked at the velvet box with the diamond necklace. If she sold it, she could give the money to the church. She grabbed up the jewelry Jake had given her, tossing it into her suitcase, determined to get rid of every glittering bit of it.

      Seething with anger, she showered and dressed in beige slacks and a matching shirt, then tied her hair behind her head with a silk scarf. As noon approached, she set her suitcases by the door. While she waited for the driver to come pick her up, she looked around the extravagant villa, remembering time spent with Jake in every part of the house. When he’d been with her, Jake had always been working toward a goal—as surely as if he’d been doing battle in a boardroom.

      As she left the villa, she refused to look back. In minutes, she was at Jake’s airstrip where a sleek jet was ready and waiting to take her home.

      Shortly after twelve, the plane lifted off the island. Still burning with fury, she gazed below at Jake’s sprawling villa and the green jewel of an island in the blue sea. When she got home, she’d get a divorce and end this sham marriage. In fact, because of the deceit, she might even be able to have their marriage annulled. She could pretend the whole thing never happened.

      She had no place to go in Dallas except her parents’ house. But sooner or later, Jake would show up and she wanted to have that confrontation in private and keep her parents out of it. Thanks to Jake she had a hefty savings account. She toyed with the idea of going to Fort Worth or Houston or even out of state and letting Jake search for her to give herself some time before she faced him. But in the end that was just postponing the inevitable.

      The prospect of working in Dallas where they might occasionally cross paths didn’t appeal to her. But when she considered moving away, she felt deflated. Her family and friends were all in Dallas. While she was certain she could make new friends, she didn’t want to sever close ties. Dallas was big enough that she and Jake might never see each other.

      She vowed she wouldn’t trust Jake again. He’d deceived her because she’d been gullible and trusting. Never again would she accept anything Jake said without questioning his motives. He was driven and power-grubbing. His world revolved around himself and she needed to remember that.

      When she landed in midafternoon, she took a taxi to a hotel and booked a suite. Next, she went to their house to get her car, pack her things and move what she needed to the hotel.

      She spent the next few hours mulling over plans. Next week she would find a lawyer and see about getting an annulment or a divorce. She wondered if she’d have a difficult time finding an attorney who would fight with Jake’s battery of brilliant, successful lawyers. And with a billion-dollar inheritance at stake, Jake would definitely fight.

      Well, he had chosen the wrong woman. Her first instincts had been right. That first night when he had proposed a marriage of convenience, she should have stuck with her initial reaction—that it was preposterous and would never work. How right she had been!

      Jake always trusted his instincts. She should have trusted her own.

      Soon she would have to see about a job. This would mean giving up her charity work, changing her lifestyle yet again. It occurred to her that she could make Jake pay for what he’d done, but then she dismissed the notion. She just wanted him out of her life.

      She’d have to give up some things if she got a job. She coordinated tutors to help students in the elementary grades with reading, math and language. She volunteered two afternoons a week at a school where she met with the tutors, talking to them briefly and answering their questions, then spending one-on-one time with anyone who needed it.

      She also served on the board of a children’s shelter. But it took up a lot of her time, so that would have to go.

      She could continue tutoring a child in math and science on Wednesday evenings at her father’s church. She’d become friendly with four young men who were on a high-school football team. They gave an hour one night a week to mentor elementary kids. She could continue to help them with that. Gradually she was getting to know both the younger students and their tutors, and her heart went out to all of them. The contrast between their lives and Jake’s disturbed her.

      The Dallas hotel she’d checked into was on a busy highway, but she was in a suite that faced away from the highway and overlooked the pool. She charged the suite to Jake. She didn’t care if he knew.

      She had a balcony with a table and chairs. The decor of her living area was beige and white and very elegant. She knew soon she’d get used to a more modest style of living and save her money, but she didn’t plan to be in the hotel long. She had enough in her savings account for a down payment on a condo. With Jake’s money, she could take her time to look for a job and a place to live.

      She ordered dinner through room service and as night fell, she was surprised she hadn’t heard from Jake. He should have returned to the island by now.

      At ten o’clock her cell phone rang, and she answered to hear Jake’s deep voice.

      “I’m in the hotel. I’m coming up to see you,” he said with a note of steel in his voice.

      “Fine,” she replied, realizing that sooner or later, she would have to talk to him and she might as well get it over with. With a click of the phone, Jake was gone. He’d found her sooner than she’d expected, but he had endless resources at his disposal. She put away her phone and stepped in front of a mirror. Her hair fell free across her shoulders. She wore a red silk blouse and matching slacks. Satisfied with her looks, she waited for his knock.

      “Emily, it’s Jake,” he said in a low voice. She opened the door and he came striding into the room, as dynamic a presence as ever. His commanding gaze stabbed into her.

      He was still in his suit, but his tie was gone and his shirt was unbuttoned at the throat. Locks of his black hair fell slightly on his forehead as if tangled by the wind. He towered over her. In his expensive flawless suit, he looked commanding. Pulling the letter out of his pocket, he held it out. “I suppose this is why you left.”

      “Yes. I want a divorce,” she said. She tried to keep her voice civil, but her fists were clenched and she was trembling with anger again. “How could you deceive me the way you did?” she blurted out, unable to control her fury.

      In agitation, she crossed the room to put some distance between them and then whirled to face him. “You married me to get Hubert’s money. Not for any other reason!” she snapped. “I hate you, Jake, for your duplicity.”

      A muscle worked in his jaw, but otherwise he looked calm. “I think you’re making a mountain out of a molehill. We married because it was convenient, not for love. I never told you I loved you.”

      “A molehill!” She struggled to get her voice back down. “Your greed is astounding. You’ll do anything for money! Why didn’t you just tell me what the deal was and let me decide if I wanted to get married under those circumstances?”

      “You know you wouldn’t have.”

      “If you think I wouldn’t have, then you know full well that you were doing something underhanded and wrong! I can’t believe how conniving you are!” She was hot with anger and her voice had risen. She hated his unshakable cool demeanor.

      “All right, maybe I should have told you. But that’s over and done. Now that you know, why can’t we go on with this marriage? You’ll still get all sorts of things you never would have otherwise. And if we split up, you may never get married again. You might never have those children you want,” he stated flatly. “You’re thirty-one now,” he reminded her. “Your biological clock is ticking.”

      “You needn’t remind me,” she replied stiffly, hating him with her whole being. “I don’t want my children to have a father who loves money more than anything else on earth. And last night…that was the most devious behavior of all. You led me to believe that you cared, that there was a chance for our marriage to be real. That love would come. ‘I told you that love will bloom,’ you said. ‘I want

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