She heard as he shifted to lie on his side, his head resting on the palm of his hand as he looked down at her, flicking her eyes to him seeing the way he frowned, his eyes narrowed. “So you divorced him because he was a lousy lover?” Groaning loudly, she tried to move to the side of the bed, her intention to leave as his arm flashed out, holding her down, his hand angling her head to him so that he could watch her face. “Please Darius...I really do not want to talk about my marriage”, her voice holding a pleading note as he shook his head. “No...Unless this is the one secret you wish to keep...then tell me” He saw as her eyes closed softly in defeat before she began talking.
“Nigel and I were friends...when he started to try and date me I was flattered...but not interested. My father had just been diagnosed with cancer and he knew he didn’t have much time. He begged me to marry Nigel” Pausing, she seemed to pull herself together. “I had been at university for four years, not been there to help the company when my father needed it... and well, I owed him. He called in the favour and eventually I agreed. Nigel was over the moon - told me that he was OK with knowing that I didn’t love him...that he knew I would grow to love him...so we got married” Growing silent she hoped that he would leave it at that, however his soft voice dashed that hope.
“That is all good and well, not exactly romantic Sara...but still does not answer why you divorced” He saw the way her tongue ran nervously along her mouth, surprised at the tug of desire which pulled on his groin from this simple action so soon after the earth shattering climax he had just experienced. “We had been married two weeks, and I had not long come back from my mother’s, when he asked me to accompany him to a dinner which he had been invited to at the last minute. I had a previous engagement and said no...and ...he became furious. He grabbed me and threw me against the wall”
His sharp intake of breath made something shrivel up inside her as she continued, “Instantly he was all full of apologies. Told me that he loved me so much that it was tearing him apart that I didn’t feel the same way...he made me feel like it was somehow my fault” Her eyes met his, seeing the anger within them, an anger she knew not aimed at her. “I forgave him” She gave a humourless half-laugh, her expression becoming contemptuous of herself. “I never understood why women would allow themselves to stay in an abusive relationship...but there I was forgiving him” She grew silent as the memories flooded her mind, his soft voice prompting her to continue.
“Then what happened?” Swallowing once more, she shuddered slightly “a couple of weeks later I accidentally dropped one of his trophies, gave it a small dent. He was livid. I promised to take it and have it repaired but he was like an animal. He hit me...hard, and I fell against the table knocking myself out” This time she heard the loud hiss of air sucked in. “When I woke up my head was bleeding and Nigel was in a state of panic. I think he thought he had killed me. He kept telling me over and over again that he was sorry...that he hadn’t meant it. I needed a doctor, but he wouldn’t let me get to the phone. He just kept telling me I must have tripped, he was solely concerned that nobody know what he had done and only agreed to call the ambulance when I promised not to tell anybody how it happened”
Taking another long breath she finished, “After the hospital I never went back. I told him that I wanted a divorce and moved in with my friend Tara. He tried to get me to come back, but when it became obvious that I would not he told me that if I told anybody what had happened that he would drag me into court, would hold up the divorce for as long as possible. At first I didn’t care - I was going to take him all the way but life has a way of changing priorities” Darius heard the sadness creep into her tone as she gave herself a shake. “So I agreed and we divorced quietly with a no-fault settlement” She could feel the disbelief from the man at her side.
“Why the hell would you let a creep like that away with what he did...do you have any idea of the rumours he is spreading about you? He accuses you of having affairs, making it impossible for him to continue with the marriage”, his eyes narrowing even further. With a soft nod, she looked back at him, the sadness still so evident. “I know what he is saying Darius...but like I said sometimes life has a way of changing your priorities. I do not care what he says...I don’t care what any of them say. But the last thing I needed was a public show of the breakup of my marriage. I wanted out as quietly as possible”#p#分页标题#e#