The Secret Widow by Sylvie Fox

Author:Sylvie Fox [Fox, Sylvie]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Penner Publishing

Seventeen

Nari

The water I’d just drank, the lemonade Laura had served, and the overly sweet frou-frou coffee drink threatened to come up right then.

“Excuse me,” I said and made for the master bedroom. I slammed the door and threw the lock on the en suite bathroom. I sat on the lowered toilet lid and swallowed profusely. I felt like my heart was going to come up out of my chest along with today’s drink menu.

It was like he knew. But he couldn’t know. He couldn’t suspect that I’d put my own daughter up for adoption. He couldn’t know I’d left her at the hospital like a stray dog at the pound. That I still to this day couldn’t decide whether it was the best decision or worst decision of my life.

I stood, turned on the overly bright lights and looked in the mirror to see if my face was lined with guilt. Nothing but the same face I’d had my whole life stared back at me. A little pale, a few laugh lines, but no blood red letter bled from my forehead.

I lifted the hem of my shirt. Even in this light, as bright as an operating room, the linea negra no longer showed. There were faint stretch marks around my bikini line, but who but the most dogged observer would notice that or attributed it to anything but weight gain and loss? The other changes like my slightly broader hips wouldn’t be noticeable either without a before and after photo.

Sitting back down, on the side of the tub this time, I put my head between my legs until the bout of nausea passed.

“Nari,” Lucas called. Then his knuckles thudded on the wood door. “You okay in there?”

I looked at the big dial of my man-faced watch, but I had no idea how much time had passed since I’d come in.

“I’m fine,” I said. I stood and opened the door. Lucas’ hand was raised, poised to knock again.

“What happened?”

“Just a dizzy spell,” I lied.

“Maybe it’s because you haven’t eaten anything all day.”

“Neither have you,” I said.

“Nerves. Let me make us something,” he said, leading me back to the living area.

I sat at the small black granite island, nursing my self-involved guilt. Today had to have been one of the most nerve-wracking, heart-wrenching days of his life and here I was reliving my own pain and trauma. But I couldn’t walk out now. This relationship thing required I be there for him. And I wanted to be. I really did, but I wondered if it wouldn’t kill me first.

I watched while he pulled out an onion, cheese, and a couple of apples. A mandolin followed. Deftly he sliced apples, onions, then cheese. Twenty minutes later, he’d assembled some kind of pie. While we talked about work, the apartment filled with the most amazing odors. Nothing like the food I’d grown up with. Nevertheless it reminded me of dinner in Owen’s dining rooms.

With a little fanfare, Lucas pulled the round pan from the oven.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.