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Why?
Because she wanted to be able to trust the father of her child completely? She didn’t doubt that Ramon would be fully committed to his child. Family held a premium place in his priorities. Perhaps even the ultimate.
So why did she need other assurances that didn’t...shouldn’t matter to their agreement? Because her child would one day look up to his father and find him wanting, just as she’d found her father wanting.
Even before she fed herself that answer, Suki knew it wasn’t the complete truth. She wanted to know for herself.
‘I’m one hundred per cent sure that dress is out of commission for ever. Glaring at it quite so intensely isn’t really necessary.’
She whirled around. He stood in the doorway to their—his—suite, the fists he’d thrust into stone-coloured chinos making his well-developed biceps, left visible by his short-sleeved V-necked shirt, bunch in eye-catching glory. A trace of tension stiffened his shoulders, and lingered in his eyes. Clearly, some of last night’s subjects bothered him too.
She dragged her gaze from the spectacular sight he made to the torn dress in her hand. ‘Yes... I was about to dispose of it.’
‘After delivering its last rites?’ he teased.
She shook her head, the alarming direction her thoughts seemed intent on taking preventing any humour from filtering through. ‘No.’
His face turned serious. Striding forward, he caught her chin in his hand and tilted her face up to his. ‘What’s wrong?’
She started to shake her head, unsure of where this conversation would go if she started it.
He stopped her. ‘Tell me, Suki.’ The even tone of his voice didn’t diminish the implacable demand.
‘Why did you lie to me about your engagement being over the night of my birthday?’ she blurted.
His whole body froze, his jaw tightening as his teeth clenched. ‘I didn’t lie to you,’ he bit out after several tense seconds.
Her heart squeezed with disappointment far too acute for her to fool herself into thinking this conversation didn’t have rippling repercussions for her emotional state. ‘What does that mean? Things weren’t over with her though, were they? You didn’t deny that you were photographed together after you and I were...’
‘Together? No, I don’t deny it. And yes, she was still in my life, but we were not engaged.’
Pain she had no right to feel lanced her. But she fought to keep it from showing. ‘That’s just semantics, Ramon. Whether you were engaged or not, you were with her when you were with me. You weren’t just a cheater, you also made me a cheater!’
His head went back at the hot accusation. His hand dropped, leaving her cold, far colder than common sense warranted she should be.
And yet the shiver that went through her was so strong, she rubbed frantic hands up and down her arms as she watched him walk away. When he reached the French doors, he turned around to face her. The look on his face was chillingly forbidding.
‘That day, your birthday... I found out that she was cheating on me.’
Her gasp fell into the wide chasm that had sprung up between them. Whether he heard her or not, she wasn’t sure as he continued.
‘When I confronted her, she swore that it wasn’t true. I didn’t believe her so I ended it.’
‘That’s why you were in such a foul mood that night?’
He scowled at the carpet for a moment. ‘That’s why I jumped to conclusions about you that I shouldn’t have.’
The admission salved a little, but there were gaps she needed filled. ‘Right. Okay...’
‘A few weeks after you, she begged me to give her the benefit of the doubt. I refused. But she had a debut movie coming up and she pleaded with me to maintain appearances until the premiere. Her morals turned out to be questionable but I didn’t see the benefit in ruining her so I agreed. Besides, it also got the press off my back for a while.’
‘So you maintained a relationship just for appearances’ sake?’ Suki wasn’t sure how she felt about that.
He shrugged. ‘We’d been together a year but we both led busy lives and hadn’t seen each other more than a handful of times those last two months. Turning up for a three-hour premiere in exchange for a quiet exit to the relationship seemed like a good bargain.’
She frowned in remembrance. ‘But that wasn’t the end, was it? There were more pictures of the two of you. Even Luis believed you were still together.’ She was aware she was coming across like a rabid stalker who had tracked his every move. But she couldn’t stop the questions that spilled out. Or the need to understand.
‘She tried to get me back after that. She refused to take off the engagement ring and turned up at a few places she knew I would be.’
