Lawful Lover
Page 54
At first, she thought it was empty, but then she noticed a photo and pulled it out.
Her heart nearly stopped, and her breath deserted her.
In her hands she held a glossy photo of Daniel and Audrey. Behind Daniel she could see bras hanging from a display, indicating that they were in a lingerie store. But that fact wasn’t the worst. Daniel’s hand lay possessively on Audrey’s breast, his hand squeezing her boob while Audrey had her hand on his nape, her fingers splayed in his hair as if she were caressing him.
Shock made her legs shake. The way Audrey’s arm was angled, it was impossible to tell whether the two were kissing, but from the distance between their heads Sabrina could only assume the worst.
Sabrina swallowed the bile rising in her throat and braced one hand on the side table in the foyer. Her hands shook and tears threatened to overpower her.
Breathe, she told herself. Maybe this was an old picture. It could easily have been taken a few months ago when Daniel and Audrey had still been together. This didn’t have to mean anything.
Calmer now, she looked at the picture again and inspected it more closely, trying to find some sort of clue as to when it had been taken. She turned it around, but there was no date stamp on the back. She turned it to the front again, once more looking at Daniel and Audrey embracing.
No, she couldn’t believe it. This had to be an old picture, and whoever had sent it to her simply wanted to spook her so she’d leave. Most likely, it had come from Audrey herself. Who else would try to get her to break up with Daniel? Hadn’t she said herself that Daniel would come back to her? Was that how she was going to do it? By sending her some old picture of them and making her believe it was recent?
Sabrina looked closer, seeing a Sale sign on a display table, but it didn’t tell her what kind of sale it was. Besides, sales happened practically every week for one reason or another. It wouldn’t help her pinpoint the date when this photo was taken.
She looked at Audrey’s immaculate appearance: perfect make-up, plenty of jewelry, and expensive clothes. Her handbag had probably cost more than a sales clerk’s monthly salary.
Sabrina scoffed. “Ugly thing!”
Then her eyes suddenly zoomed in on something that seemed out of place: a newspaper sticking out of Audrey’s handbag.
She read the headline and recognized it. She’d read the first paragraph of the article a few days ago in the law library where somebody had left it on the desk where she’d studied all evening.
Devastation coursed through her: the photo was recent; in fact, it was from only a few days earlier. Was that why Daniel was never home in the evenings, because he was still seeing Audrey?
A sob tore from her chest.
Daniel was cheating on her. With his ex-girlfriend!
How could he do this to her? Why had Daniel asked her to move in with him when he wanted to carry on with Audrey?
“Why?” she choked out on another sob.
Had this all been a game for him to see how far he could go with a woman who’d once pretended to be an escort? Was that how he was repaying her now for her earlier deception? For pretending to be an escort? For lying to him about who she was?
A terrible thought struck her: what if this was another bet he and his friends from the Eternal Bachelors Club had concocted? Had he told them the truth about how they’d met? Was that why they’d all flirted with her? Had he bet with them that he could have two women at the same time?
She felt betrayed. She’d only asked for two things when she’d agreed to come to New York with Daniel: his love and his respect. It appeared that he’d never intended to give her either.
The sound of a key in the door made her snap her head to it.
Daniel entered, a massive bunch of red roses in his hand. “Hi, baby,” he started, then stared at her. “What’s wrong, Sabrina?”
His voice was laced with panic as he rushed to her, his free hand reaching for her.
“How could you?” She thrust the picture into his palm. “I trusted you!”
She glanced at the flowers and felt more anger well up. If anything had guilt written all over it then it was a man giving his girlfriend flowers for no reason. She almost choked on their strong scent.
“What is this?” His eyes darted from her to the photo in his hand.
Feeling another sob working its way north, she snatched her purse from the side table, stormed out and rushed to the elevator. Frantic, she punched the call button. The doors slid open instantly, the elevator car still being where it was when Daniel had used it, and stepped inside.
“Sabrina! I can explain! This is not what it looks like!” Daniel ran after her.
Her heart nearly stopped, and her breath deserted her.
In her hands she held a glossy photo of Daniel and Audrey. Behind Daniel she could see bras hanging from a display, indicating that they were in a lingerie store. But that fact wasn’t the worst. Daniel’s hand lay possessively on Audrey’s breast, his hand squeezing her boob while Audrey had her hand on his nape, her fingers splayed in his hair as if she were caressing him.
Shock made her legs shake. The way Audrey’s arm was angled, it was impossible to tell whether the two were kissing, but from the distance between their heads Sabrina could only assume the worst.
Sabrina swallowed the bile rising in her throat and braced one hand on the side table in the foyer. Her hands shook and tears threatened to overpower her.
Breathe, she told herself. Maybe this was an old picture. It could easily have been taken a few months ago when Daniel and Audrey had still been together. This didn’t have to mean anything.
Calmer now, she looked at the picture again and inspected it more closely, trying to find some sort of clue as to when it had been taken. She turned it around, but there was no date stamp on the back. She turned it to the front again, once more looking at Daniel and Audrey embracing.
No, she couldn’t believe it. This had to be an old picture, and whoever had sent it to her simply wanted to spook her so she’d leave. Most likely, it had come from Audrey herself. Who else would try to get her to break up with Daniel? Hadn’t she said herself that Daniel would come back to her? Was that how she was going to do it? By sending her some old picture of them and making her believe it was recent?
Sabrina looked closer, seeing a Sale sign on a display table, but it didn’t tell her what kind of sale it was. Besides, sales happened practically every week for one reason or another. It wouldn’t help her pinpoint the date when this photo was taken.
She looked at Audrey’s immaculate appearance: perfect make-up, plenty of jewelry, and expensive clothes. Her handbag had probably cost more than a sales clerk’s monthly salary.
Sabrina scoffed. “Ugly thing!”
Then her eyes suddenly zoomed in on something that seemed out of place: a newspaper sticking out of Audrey’s handbag.
She read the headline and recognized it. She’d read the first paragraph of the article a few days ago in the law library where somebody had left it on the desk where she’d studied all evening.
Devastation coursed through her: the photo was recent; in fact, it was from only a few days earlier. Was that why Daniel was never home in the evenings, because he was still seeing Audrey?
A sob tore from her chest.
Daniel was cheating on her. With his ex-girlfriend!
How could he do this to her? Why had Daniel asked her to move in with him when he wanted to carry on with Audrey?
“Why?” she choked out on another sob.
Had this all been a game for him to see how far he could go with a woman who’d once pretended to be an escort? Was that how he was repaying her now for her earlier deception? For pretending to be an escort? For lying to him about who she was?
A terrible thought struck her: what if this was another bet he and his friends from the Eternal Bachelors Club had concocted? Had he told them the truth about how they’d met? Was that why they’d all flirted with her? Had he bet with them that he could have two women at the same time?
She felt betrayed. She’d only asked for two things when she’d agreed to come to New York with Daniel: his love and his respect. It appeared that he’d never intended to give her either.
The sound of a key in the door made her snap her head to it.
Daniel entered, a massive bunch of red roses in his hand. “Hi, baby,” he started, then stared at her. “What’s wrong, Sabrina?”
His voice was laced with panic as he rushed to her, his free hand reaching for her.
“How could you?” She thrust the picture into his palm. “I trusted you!”
She glanced at the flowers and felt more anger well up. If anything had guilt written all over it then it was a man giving his girlfriend flowers for no reason. She almost choked on their strong scent.
“What is this?” His eyes darted from her to the photo in his hand.
Feeling another sob working its way north, she snatched her purse from the side table, stormed out and rushed to the elevator. Frantic, she punched the call button. The doors slid open instantly, the elevator car still being where it was when Daniel had used it, and stepped inside.
“Sabrina! I can explain! This is not what it looks like!” Daniel ran after her.
