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His voice had a low echo, as though he were standing in a hospital hallway. “It doesn’t matter. I have a question for you. When you told the hospital you were my husband, it wasn’t true, was it? We’re not really married. Why did you let me continue to believe we were?”
He sighed softly. “This is the conversation I’d meant for us to have.”
She gripped her phone tightly. “But you didn’t. You even said I’d worn my gray suit to the wedding. I should have known you were lying then. What were you after, Alejandro?”
He spoke after a long pause. “I wanted it to be true. You’re the one who asked to have a wedding at sea, so you were happy with me.”
She was furious with herself for seizing on his conveniently fabricated farce as though they were meant to be together. It was the stupidest thing she’d ever done. Rain splashed against the balcony doors as the predicted storm reached them. The weather couldn’t have been more perfect. “I was happy, which makes your lies hurt all the more. I’m going to forget we ever met. If you sell a word of this to the tabloids, I’ll sue you for every ship the Ortiz Line owns.” She ended the call before he could apologize and vow to do whatever it took to win her love.
He called her right back, but it went to her voice mail. “I don’t blame you for being angry with me. I’m disgusted with myself for not speaking up before you discovered the truth. Let’s not fight over the phone. I’ll come back as soon as I can. I love you. Good night.” He hated being stuck in the hospital again where he could do nothing to help his father or reach Ana. There was also the baby to consider. She’d have to call him when she realized she was pregnant, and he’d have to pretend he didn’t know. It would be another convenient lie, but it was all he could do. If she called.
The bouquet of yellow roses arrived with the breakfast cart. Ana was up and dressed, but she hadn’t ordered anything. “This all looks wonderfully good, but are you sure it’s for me?”
The steward assured her it was. “Mr. Vasquez left orders for the week.”
“How considerate of him.” Ana tipped him and waited until he’d gone to open the card on the roses. Alejandro had written he missed her. She wondered if he’d left bouquet orders with notes for the whole cruise. If he hadn’t, she was sure he’d called them in that morning. There was a vegetable omelet that smelled too good to ignore, and she sat down and placed the plate in her lap.
There were women who believed all men were incredibly stupid but trainable. She’d never been of that opinion, but thought she was even more stupid than Alejandro. He’d scooped her up so easily, and she’d been a willing party to her own kidnapping. That was the real story. She’d never been so gullible with any other man. If anything, she was too cynical for most men’s tastes. The omelet was gone before she’d decided what to do, and the crumb cakes didn’t help either. She poured a cup of tea and looked out at the gray day.
Rather than sit in her cabin brooding, she returned to the library.
The rainy day brought more people in looking for something to read, but she didn’t glance up from her book. The hero suffered so much pain and loss, she readily identified with him.
Eduardo came over to her when they were alone. “You look so sad. Maybe I suggested the wrong book.”
“No, this is fine. It’s just that my life has taken a strange turn, and I’m not sure what to do. Please don’t worry about me. I’ll pull myself together.”
“Perhaps some tea and muffins?”
“Tea only, please.”
He returned swiftly with her cup. “There are good movies playing in our theaters. You might like one of the comedies, and there are many films available to watch in your cabin.”
She wasn’t in the mood for a comedy, and with anything serious, she’d only sit in the dark and cry. As for entertainment in her cabin, it was too full of Alejandro to be bearable. His clothes were still in the closet and held his scent. “Thank you for your concern, but I’ll just finish my book and maybe begin another.”
The captain came to escort her to dinner, but she hadn’t changed out of the long skirt and knit top she’d worn all day. “I should have called and saved you a trip, but I’d rather eat here in my cabin than join the others.”
“They are a regrettably uninteresting group, aren’t they?” he replied. “I can send another officer to take my place if you’ll join me for dinner in my private dining room.”
He’d ruined her life with a little detective work, and she didn’t trust his motives. “That wouldn’t be a good idea.”
“Do you think Alejandro would object?”
“I’m the one who objects, Captain. Our first stop is Corfu. Will I be able to fly home from there?”
“You want to leave the cruise early?”
He looked so aghast at the thought, she almost laughed. “Yes. The Siren was supposed to be a fun place to rest, and without Alejandro, I can’t bear it.”
“You choose, dinner with me or the others, and then I’ll help you make your travel arrangements.”
He was a very good-looking man, certainly personable, but one-on-one was more than she could manage in her present mood. “The others. Let me get the shawl I wore last night, and I’ll go.” She’d begun using her wheelchair as a walker in the cabin and quickly hopped to the closet, came back to him and sat down in it.
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“I admire any woman who can get ready that quickly.” He rolled her out the door and closed it behind them.
“I spend most of my working life changing clothes, so I don’t play around with my own clothing when I’m not. Besides, I don’t care how I look tonight.”
