Rock Wedding(5)

And if the husband she adored thought she was nothing but a gold digger, useful only for spreading her legs and being an ornament, then she might as well live up to that expectation.

Swallowing down the new wave of raw tears that threatened, she carried the suitcase down the stairs and threw it into the dark green Jaguar parked outside. It wasn’t her car, but she could use it whenever she wanted. Trying not to think about how Abe had taught her to drive, how he’d just shaken his head and laughed when she accidentally reversed the Jaguar into his SUV, she checked that she had her purse, then put the Jag into gear and peeled away. She’d leave it somewhere safe after she found a place to stay, call the housekeeper and tell her where it was so one of Abe’s drivers could come pick it up.

Sarah might be trailer trash, but she was no thief.

Her mouth twisted as she thought of the credit cards.

Abe had given those to her, she reminded herself. I have every right to use them and not feel guilty about it. And she would. If she couldn’t reach his heart, she’d hurt his wallet.

Sobs wracked her. “Stop it,” she ordered herself. “No one cares if you cry.”

No one ever had.

Sarah didn’t know where she was going, but when she found herself in front of a good but not A-list hotel, she stopped, parked, and stalked up to the counter. They stared at her when she asked them to pre-charge the room for a week, but since her card was black and clearly had her name on it and she had her ID, they did it. Now, even if Abe canceled the cards, she’d have a place to stay for a week.

She was rolling her own bag to the elevator when the doors to that elevator opened and a well-dressed man in what she recognized as an expensive suit walked out. Patrician-faced and golden skinned with blue eyes and dark hair threaded with fine glints of silver, he immediately made her feel grubby and small. He had wealthy and cultured written all over him.

Then his features creased with concern. “My dear, you look distressed. What’s the matter?”

Sarah just shook her head, unable to speak in the face of his unexpected kindness.

“Shh, it’s all right. Let’s get this bag and you up to your room.” He carried her bag up for her, and when she fumbled the key card, he took it and opened her door.

That was when she belatedly realized she’d been stupid to so easily trust a stranger. But before she could panic, he put her case inside, placed her key card on the nearest flat surface, then stepped back out into the hallway.

“This hotel has apartment levels,” he told her. “I live in the penthouse.” Reaching into his pocket, he took out a business card. “Here. Take this. Call me if you need anything.”

Sarah’s fingers closed over the black gloss of the card. “Why are you being so kind?” Her voice was hoarse.

“Because you’re a beautiful woman in distress, and I want to play knight in shining armor.” His smile was disarming, his teeth Hollywood perfect against tanned skin that didn’t look fake but as if he’d caught exactly the right amount of sun. “And because I hope someone would help my sister if she was ever in the same position.”

Tears threatened again, this time in relief. He was just a nice man, not someone who wanted her to “spread her legs.” Abe’s ugly words, they still hurt so bad, still made her feel so dirty and used. “Thank you.”

“It’s my pleasure.” His smile faded. “Now go have a bath, order room service, and remember, you can call me anytime.”

Nodding, Sarah shut the door.

Then, though she didn’t consciously realize it, she waited. Because if Abe had been drunk or high when he said what he had, Sarah would give him the chance to make things right. And, even as she made it clear that he had to get sober, this time for good, she’d try to forgive him for the wounds he’d placed on her heart. Maybe it wasn’t the most sensible choice, but Sarah loved Abe too much to simply walk away without a backward look.

So she made sure her phone was charged, that it was always with her, that she was never in an area without a signal. And she waited.

For hours. Then days, then two long weeks.

The cards still worked, but instead of staying on at the hotel, she moved to a much more ordinary apartment where the rent was such that her neighbors were all hardworking, blue-collar people who smiled at her and made her feel normal for the first time in two years. She couldn’t embarrass herself here, could be just Sarah who had only a partial high school education but who could work hard too, who’d done blue-collar work herself before she met Abe.

And she continued to wait.

It was on the thirtieth day after she’d walked out of the house that she accepted Abe wasn’t going to call her, wasn’t going to apologize for the horrible, hurtful things he’d said. The man she loved with every beat of her heart didn’t care that she was all alone in this huge city, didn’t care about her tears or her broken heart or the fact that she missed him so much she couldn’t breathe, couldn’t sleep.