Page 24 of The Rancher's Rejected Bride
And the more she read, the number she became until she felt dead inside.
Oh, dear God.
She should have known things were too good to be true, should have known there was no possible way for a man like Nicholas Sutherland to actually want to be her husband. Everything just made more painful sense now. The way Nicholas had looked at her the first time they met, and it was as if he had a strange creature suddenly dropped on his lap. The way he had chosen to go along with the deception, just to ensure that his son wouldn't be sued for forgery or fraud.
It all sounded more plausible, she thought dully,than insisting that this was all a mistake, and Nicholas really did want her as his wife.
Her phone rang, and a hysterical laugh escaped her when she saw it was Nicholas calling.
How ironic was this, she thought helplessly. She hadn't heard from him when she wanted to, and now he was calling her, when even the mere thought of hearing his voice was no longer bearable.
NICHOLAS EXHALED HISbreath in relief when he finally heard his wife pick up the phone. "Tabitha?"
Silence.
Tension seeped into him, and he involuntarily tightened his grip on his phone. "I know you have every reason to be mad," he said quietly. "But I promise you, I can and will explain everything as soon as I get back. I have Daniel with me now and—-"
"Nicholas."
He stiffened.
"I...know."
Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.
"Tabitha—-"
"There was some kind of miscommunication. Your lawyer had documents for you, and they ended up addressing it to me. So that's how I know—-"
"Whatever it made you think," he said fiercely, "it's wrong. Everything's changed—-"
Bee closed her eyes.Liar.She wanted to scream and sob the word out.Liar, liar, liar.But more than anything, she wished she could be stupid enough to still believe in him.
"Just wait for me to come home, and we'll fix this." He could feel her hurting, and his inability to do anything about it was driving him batshit. "I promise you, we'll—-"
"I really loved you, you know," she whispered.
Nicholas whitened.
"I'm just so ashamed that I was so stupid and foolish—-"
"Tabitha—-"
"That I left you no choice but to pretend you cared—-" Bee's voice broke. "I'm just so sorry."
The line went dead.
Daniel could feel his own face paling when he saw the way his father's hand went limp, his phone slipping from his fingers and falling to the carpet with a heavy thud.
"Dad?"
Nicholas' gaze was bleak as he turned to face his son. "She knows everything."
Daniel's blood went cold. "What do you mean—-"
"Just fucking that," Nicholas said tonelessly. "She knowseverything—-" Memories of Tabitha's last words lashed his mind, and he bit back an agonized groan.
I really loved you, you know.
