Fernando stood
before her looking into her eyes, gathering his thoughts. She’d forgotten how
slowly he spoke. At the memory a sword went through her heart.
Finally he spoke. “I
never meant to leave you and Tony. I wanted to marry you, remember?”
“So what kept you
from doing so?” She couldn’t hide the venom in her voice.
“I was kidnapped
that day.”
“You what?
Kidnapped? I don’t believe you. You better come up with something better than
that.”
“Please hear me
out. My friend Brett Doukas, who had just started with Mamie’s All Foods
Company, asked me to see him after classes. He had something interesting to
tell me, he said. Instead, when I entered his apartment, I was hit over the
head and woke up in the basement of some apartment.”
Isabella wanted to
scream at him. He was lying. If that were true he wouldn’t be here right now. He’d
be at the police station, at the least. And who would keep a man captive for
three years? And Brett was supposed to have done that? No way. “Get out,” she
almost screamed, but kept her voice low with an effort so as not to wake Tony. “I
don’t ever want to see you again and hear your lies.”
Fernando held out
his hands. “Please, Isabella. It had something to do with that trip I took
while you were pregnant. I went to Costa Rica for three months, remember? You
hated to have me gone so long, but it was part of my doctoral work, and I had
to go.”
It took all her
effort to keep the tears at bay. She ripped the door open again. “Leave now. And
don’t come back.”
Fernando
hesitated. “Tony? Can I see Tony? Please?”
She shook her
head. “Not now. I can’t stand any more. Maybe… maybe some other time. You need
to go now.” She pushed him toward the door.
With one last look
at her, eyes beseeching her to have compassion, he left.
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