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The reason for that was simple. As this pretty waitress would no doubt say, the reason was because he was a shmuck.

He got to his feet, pulling a couple of twenty-dollar bills from his wallet, and thrust them into the waitress’s hand. ‘If a tall bald man called Frank asks for Andreas, tell him I remembered I had to be somewhere else.’

Hurrying out of the bar, he hailed the first cab that came his way and instructed the driver to take him to the airport.

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

CARRIE CLOSED HER laptop after her video chat with her sister feeling slightly lighter.

They had just shared their first real, meaningful conversation since Violet had confessed to her affair with James.

Violet had done as Carrie had beseeched and confessed her lies about Andreas to her counsellor. It had been at the counsellor’s behest that Violet had arranged the video chat.

Seeing her sister’s face on the screen, in real time, had been almost as good as the conversation itself. She’d put on weight, no longer the gaunt stick-thin figure who could still fit in children’s clothes. Her complexion was clearer too, although the effect of that was to highlight the scars that had accumulated on her face over the years. Raymond had promised that he would pay for treatment for the scars once she had been clean for a year.

The man who’d been such a scummy, negligent father had finally come into his own and was doing the right thing by his daughter. He’d even come to the computer and waved at Carrie, which she’d conceded was a big deal for him considering the last time they’d spoken she’d been blackmailing him.

In all, things were looking good. Much more positive.

The only dark cloud had come when Violet had asked how things were going for Carrie with Andreas. When Carrie had responded with a prepared airy, ‘It fizzled out,’ Violet had been crestfallen.

‘I thought you’d be pleased,’ Carrie had said, trying her hardest to keep things light.

Violet had bitten her lips in the exact same way their mother had done. ‘I just want you to be happy,’ she’d blurted out.

‘I am happy,’ Carrie had promised, her stomach wrenching.

Violet had not looked convinced.

All week Carrie had kept her airy face on, telling curious colleagues that yes, she and Andreas had had a brief romance but that they had decided it wouldn’t work between them long term.

Her only real gulp-inducing moment had been when the features editor had asked when she would have the exclusive interview written up. She’d forgotten all about that.

She opened her laptop back up and decided to write the feature now. She had no transcripts of any of their conversations but she knew if she started, they would come back to her.

She would write it, email it to Andreas for his approval—after all, everything they had discussed had been between the two of them and not for public consumption—and if he agreed, she would send it to the features editor. If he refused she would say he’d pulled out. She would take the blame for it. Happily. She would not have his name tarnished.

Even if he did hate her.

She caught sight of the time and saw it was almost one in the morning.

It was Saturday.

This was supposed to be their wedding day.

She took a long breath and opened a new document to write on.

The time didn’t matter. She’d hardly slept more than a couple of hours a night since her return to London.

The nights had become her enemy, a time when her brain did nothing but try to think of Andreas.

And now it was time to slay his ghost. Finally allow herself to think about him properly, write the feature and then spend the rest of her life forgetting about him.

Oh, but the pain in her chest. It hurt. Really hurt. It was as if someone had punched her right in her heart.

So she started writing.

She soon discovered she didn’t need transcripts.

Every minute of their time together had lodged in her brain.

Every shared conversation had committed to memory.

Andreas Samaras’s fortune came about almost by accident, she wrote, her fingers almost flying off the keys as she wrote about the terrible time when his parents’ business had gone under and how it had been the spur he’d needed to work as hard as he could to save them from financial ruin.

The more she wrote, the clearer it became, the clearer he became, emerging from a picture in her mind so he might as well be standing right there, in front of her. If she stretched out a hand she’d be able to touch him.

His life. His selflessness.

Everything he’d done had been for his family. His great wealth couldn’t insulate them from tragedy but it ensured his parents never had to worry and his niece could train as a doctor without the usual student encumbrances. His extended family had benefitted too, aunts, uncles, cousins, all either having their mortgages paid off or new homes bought for them.

Source: www.allfreenovel.com
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