Billionaire's Revenge(49)

“You have a child?” The question took Sara aback as she stared back at him aghast, “NO!” Her head shook as her hand shakily pushed back a strand of hair which had loosened over her cheek. “I...I mean not exactly...yes” Darius’s brow knitted together in confusion. “What does ‘not exactly, yes’ mean?”, his dark eyes boring into hers as hers flicked over him, so full of indecision. “I think the time for secrets is over don’t you Sara...and I take it that Carly was the secret you were keeping from me...or do you have more?”

With a soft groan she stared back at him, her expression a mixture of pain and desperation, as tears sat on the sill of her eyes, her head shaking as the tears slid down her cheeks. “It’s such a mess Darius. I have tried juggling everything, fixing everything myself and it is all just tumbling down around me”, her eyes searching his. “I am failing Carly...I am failing everybody” Darius took her hand, his voice soothing - comforting but firm. “Tell me what is going on Sara” Pulling her hand from his, she gave a long heart-rending sigh, her eyes falling to look so intently at her hands clenched so tightly on her lap.

“Do you remember Tara?” The vague memory of the one person he had often seen her spend her lunch breaks with six years ago saw him nod his head, “Sure...nice girl” Sara gave a brief smile and nodded. “We were friends our whole life. From school right through too ...” her voice trailing off as she paused.

“When I left Nigel my mother was furious. She told me to go back to my husband. That I should learn better how to please my husband, not anger him” She heard the hiss of anger from him, Darius furious that any mother would ever allow - never mind insist - that her child return to such a dangerous environment.

“I couldn’t handle staying with Angela and Nick”, her look flicking to him briefly, “Nick came onto me a few times...Angela seemed to think I was flirting with him...I had no intention of staying there” A small shudder ran through her as Darius sat so silent and still, the small nerve on his jaw throbbing as he gritted his teeth so hard.

“Tara insisted that I come and stay with her and her little girl Carly. She had a rental and it meant that I could help her pay the bills” Her voice softened at the memory of her friend’s kindness. “Was Tara divorced?” he asked gently as Sara shook her head softly. “No. Tara never told me who the father was. Only that he was married and had moved back to Sweden...she had no contact with him. She was bringing Carly up herself”

Pausing, she pulled at her fingers, “I was determined to fight Nigel...let others see what kind of a monster he was and he was desperate for me not to...he wanted me to come back, learn to love him, but I refused, so then he wanted the no-fault divorce”, her eyes flying once more to Darius. “I swear to you that I am no quitter Darius...I would have taken him all the way”, her voice faltered once more. “One morning Carly came into my room...she was laughing. Told me that mummy was being sleepy and pretending not to wake. That was not like Tara...so I went in ...and ...” her voice broke as more tears fell down her cheek, her voice trembling with emotion.

“They told me that it was a brain aneurism...that she died in her sleep”, a sob leaving her as Darius rose, pulling her into his arms as she cried gently against him. Finally her hands pushed him from her, determined to finish her story as he once more sank into the chair. “Carly had nobody. I wanted to bring her up, be her mother but child services were against it. Then in her will Tara named me as her guardian if anything was ever to happen to her”, a small smile rising to her mouth.

“I fought them. Demanded that I be allowed to take guardianship of Carly...but they told me that I was not a suitable care-giver. That until I had my life in order and had a job and a place to stay then they would not allow me to adopt her” Her eyes flicked once more back to him as she gave another long sigh. “So I agreed to the quickie divorce from Nigel, the last thing I needed at that moment was proof of an unstable environment for her to be going into...I needed to show that my life was settled. Then I spent most of what was left of my savings applying to the court for a period of time to prove that I would be able to provide a secure home for Carly. They finally agreed to give me three months. Three months to ‘turn my life around’. Three months in which they would not place her for adoption to a family”, she gave a small hurt laugh as her lips twisted bitterly. “That was seven weeks ago. I never expected her to be there for two weeks never mind seven...and I feel so helpless. ” Her eyes finally holding his, “Her appendix almost ruptured...and I should have been there for her”