Page 46 of David's Chase

7

DAVID

I lookout of the kitchen window and take her in as if to ensure she hasn’t disappeared into the night mist.

The lights glow in the backyard like giant fireflies while she studies everything with awe in her eyes.

It’s a pleasure to see her enraptured by what she sees, forgetting how fascinating she is.

I suspected she would like it, but I didn’t expect this.

Her being so enthralled, her eyes brighter than the stars.

I pour two glasses of wine and walk to the patio.

I bought the house after the divorce on a whim.

I wish I could say it was a planned move, but I closed the deal without thinking about how much it would gain in value in time.

The thing was, I had little money when Samantha and I tied the knot. I had just come home from my last deployment before things started to unravel.

One thing led to another, and I ended up meeting this woman. The heir of a business empire, she thought her money and my ambition would be a good match.

She was also of the belief that money was the greatest motivator. I happened to agree, but I could never solely be motivated by money.

She knew nothing about my past, and I had no desire to share much with her. She belonged to a different world, and I was as messed up as they come.

I wanted to pull away from the broken man I was.

That version of myself who had believed in things that had ultimately proved flitting and unreliable at best and despicable and damaging at worst.

I’d had my heart broken and swore off deep feelings.

Strangely enough, Samantha had never been interested in the backstory, or curious to know more about my broken heart.

She never needed that part of me.

She was just a different kind of woman.

Had that stopped her from being jealous?

Not at all.

She regarded me like herproperty and thought I owed her everything.

She was half right.

While running her family company, I got a taste of doing business on a large scale, but everything happening after that had nothing to do with her or her connections.

She knew that too.

That’s what had fueled her resentment before she hired the best lawyers and took me to the cleaners.

I paid more for Rain Morgan than I actually paid her when I had her on a retainer.

Samantha proved to be the harsh, calculated woman I’d always thought she’d be.

She tried to ruin my confidence in my ability to make money, so when the cash started to flow and accumulate in my bank accounts, I bought things.

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