Page 28 of Seasons of Sin

Thad’s eyes dropped to her hand. There was no ring. Saphire had taken great satisfaction in ripping it off in the hallway of her home and throwing it dramatically against the carpeted floor seconds after discovering her husband’s infidelity.

“Is it true?” He repeated, his voice colder than she’d ever believed him capable of.

She gripped the side of the table for support. “It isn’t like it sounds.”

“You are either married, or you are not.”

“I …”

“Tell him,” Rocco urged, satisfied at least that she truly felt a weight of betrayal now that her dishonesty was revealed.

“Yes.” She nodded, every part of her numb. “I’m … married.” The sentence tasted like bile.

Thad pressed back in his chair and stared out at the ocean. The words kept chasing around his brain, and he could make no sense of them.Yes. I’m married. I’m married. I’m married.

“Thad?” She put a hand on his shoulder, but he angled his head to show his displeasure in the contact.

“You should go. I have no interest in getting in the middle of a marriage.”

“Thad,” she sobbed his name and squeezed his shoulder but he wouldn’t look at her.

“If I had known, I would never,” he turned cold, bitter eyes to face her, “have touched you. Not a hair on your head.”

She shook her head. “Please, let me explain.”

“You’re married.”

She nodded. “But …”

“No.” He shouted the word, timing it with a slap of his palm onto the table. She startled at the aggressive response. “Am I not being clear? Get out. Go.”

A sob bubbled from her and she pressed her hands to her mouth to stop any more. “How?” She whispered, for she was a virtual prisoner on this island.

“My helicopter can take her,” Rocco said softly. Now that his point had been made, he almost felt sorry for her.

“Fine,” Thad nodded without so much as a look in her direction.

She stared at him, her eyes overflowing with tears, her face blotchy. Silently she willed him to look at her. To see her for who she was, to see the love that flowed through her.

“Go.” He said again, his face autocratic.

“Is that really what you want?” She forced herself to ask the words.

“I want … what I want is to … erase everything we’ve shared from my memory.”

It was decisive and cutting, as he’d intended it to be. He watched her leave, and immediately felt a need to beg her to stay.

“I’m sorry,” Rocco said gently.

“You don’t need to do that.”

“To apologize?”

Thad’s expression was grim. “No. To … I don’t know. Why did you get your guy to look into her?”

Rocco toyed with his watch. “You sounded different.” He lifted his shoulders. “You were …”

Happy.