Page 54 of An Unexpected Love

Home.

The word echoed in her mind. Although the penthouse was so distinctly marked with Jordan’s personality, it did feel like home. She’d only lived there a short while, but in the lonely weeks following her honeymoon with Jordan, she’d become intimately acquainted with every room. She was going to miss the solace she gained from looking out over Puget Sound and the jagged peaks of the Olympics. And Mrs. Murphy had become a special friend, almost like a second mother, who fretted over her and worried about the long hours Jordan worked. Jill would miss her, too. Although Jill hadn’t mentioned it to the cook, she guessed that Mrs. Murphy wouldn’t be surprised.

“You’re sure this is what you want?” Shelly asked regretfully.

Leaving Jordan was the last thing Jill wanted. Yet it had to be done—and soon, before it was too late, before she found it impossible to go.

“Don’t answer that,” Shelly whispered. “The pain in your eyes says everything I need to know.”

Jill stood and searched in her purse for a tissue. The tears were rolling freely down her cheeks now. She had to compose herself before she encountered Jordan. Had to draw on every bit of inner strength she possessed.

Shelly hugged her, and once again Jill was grateful for their friendship. They were as close as sisters, and Jill had never needed family more than she did right then.

The penthouse echoed with emptiness when she arrived home. Jill stood in the middle of the living room,then slowly moved around, skimming her hand over each piece of furniture. Her gaze gravitated toward the view, and she walked over to the window, staring into the night. Far below, lights flashed and glowed, but she was far removed from the brilliance. Far removed from the light…

Finally she entered the bedroom she shared with Jordan. Her breath came in shallow, painful gasps as she dragged out her suitcases and set them on the bed. Carefully, she folded her clothes and deposited them inside.

Several times she had to stop, clutching an article of clothing, crushing the fabric, until she composed herself enough to continue. Tears stung her eyes, but she refused to succumb to them.

“Jill?”

She froze. She hadn’t expected Jordan to come home for several hours yet. They’d barely seen one another all week.

“Where are you going?” he asked.

Pulling herself together, Jill turned to face him. Jordan stood on the other side of the room, his expression confused.

“My mother’s,” she eventually said.

“Is she ill?”

“No…” Drawing a deep breath, hoping it would calm her frantic heart, she forged ahead. “I’m leaving for a while. I—I need to sort out my feelings…make some important decisions.”

The fire that leapt into his eyes was filled with anger. “You plan to divorce me?” he demanded incredulously.

“No. For now, I’m just moving in with my mother.”

“Why?”

Jill could feel her own anger mounting. “That youeven have to ask should be answer enough! Can’t you see what’s happening? Don’t you care? At this rate our marriage isn’t going to last another month.” She paused to gulp in a much-needed breath. “My instincts told me this would happen, but I was so much in love with you that I chose to ignore what was obvious from the first. You don’t need a wife. You never have. I don’t understand why you wanted to marry me because—”

“When did all this come on?”

“It’s been coming on, as you say, from the minute we got home from our honeymoon. Our marriage has to be one of the shortest on record. One week. That’s all the time you allotted to it. I need more than five minutes at the end of the day when you’re so exhausted you can hardly speak. I wish I was stronger, but I’m not. I need more from you than you can give me.”

“You might have said something to me earlier.”

“I did. A hundred times.”

“When?” he barked.

“I’m not going to get involved in a shouting match with you, Jordan. I won’t sit by and watch you work yourself to death over some stupid project. You’d said ages ago that it’d be finished in a week. I was foolish enough to believe you. If this project is so important to you that you’re willing to risk everything to keep it from folding, then fine, it’s all yours.”

“When did you tell me?” he asked a second time.

“Do you remember our conversation last night?” she asked starkly.

Jordan frowned, then shook his head.

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