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How could I forget? Hayley thought in sinking despair.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
WHEN JASPER CAME home that evening Hayley was waiting for him in the lounge.
‘Where did you go last night?’ she asked.
‘I told you I had some business to see to,’ he said as he poured himself a drink.
She found his cool, offhand manner immensely irritating and threw him a scornful glare. ‘All night?’
He took a sip of his brandy before answering. ‘Yes, as a matter of fact.’
Her blue-green eyes flashed with sparks of anger. ‘You’re a lying, cheating bastard,’ she spat. ‘Who were you with?’
‘I don’t have to discuss my private affairs with you.’
‘Affairs is exactly the right term, isn’t it, Jasper? You just can’t help yourself, can you? One woman is never enough for you.’
‘You are acting like a jealous wife, Hayley. I warned you about getting too attached to the role.’
‘Don’t worry. I know we’ve only got twenty-three days left. But let me tell you something for free. If you think you can go out all night, then so can I, and, like you, I won’t tell you where I’ve gone or who I’ve been with.’
His mouth tightened as he set his glass down. ‘You wouldn’t.’
She lifted her chin. ‘You just watch me, sweetheart,’ she said and flounced out of the room.
Hayley hadn’t really intended going out at all, but when he didn’t call her back or even follow her out of the room she decided she would just for the heck of it. She scooped up her purse and keys and left, but once she was on her way down the street she really had no idea where to go until she drove past the hotel she and Myles had often gone to for a pre-dinner drink while they had been dating. She pulled into the arrival bay and left her car with the parking valet attendant and went inside.
She sat in the piano bar sipping a fruity mocktail, trying not to blubber over the mournful songs being played. She was onto her second drink and her last tissue when a voice called out to her in surprise.
‘Hayley!’
‘Myles,’ she said, inwardly groaning.
He took the seat opposite. ‘What are you doing here all by yourself? Where’s your husband?’
‘Um … he’ll be along shortly,’ she lied.
He took her hand before she could stop him. ‘Hayley, I feel terrible about what happened. I want you to know I’ve completely finished with paying for … well, you know.’
‘It’s all right, Myles,’ she said, trying to remove her hand from his.
‘No,’ Myles said, his grip on her hand tightening. ‘I love you, Hayley. I hurt you abominably. I’ve been agonising over it for the past week or so. I want you to know that if things don’t work out with Jasper Caulfield I will be here for you. We can run away together, have the baby as we planned. We can set ourselves up for life with the money you get from the divorce.’
‘Myles, please—’
A tall shadow fell over her as a deep voice drawled, ‘How very touching.’
Hayley pulled her hand away from Myles’s and got unsteadily to her feet. ‘Jasper … I … I … ‘It was pointless going on, she decided. The blistering look he was giving her informed her she would be wasting her time trying to dig herself out of this particular hole.
Jasper turned to Myles. ‘If you will excuse us, Lederman,’ he said with a supercilious smile. ‘My wife and I have some important business to attend to. I hope you understand.’
‘Yes … yes, of course,’ Myles said, looking flustered.
Hayley felt the savage bite of Jasper’s fingers around her wrist as he led her from the hotel, her feet almost tripping over themselves as he gave no consideration to her much shorter stride.
He handed the parking valet attendant a wad of cash and gave him instructions on where to have Hayley’s car delivered, his face rigid with anger as he led her to his own car.
