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His confidence ell-founded Withinher senseless And Charlotte hadn’t raised a single objection

It was too late Too late to walk away froo back to the way her life had been before Jason She was trapped by her oeakness and would continue to be until Jason discovered the truth for himself

Carrie arrived home soon afterward, full of tales about the twins and Kelsey Seconds later, it seehts heavy, Charlotte appreciated the privacy

It wasn’t as though this was the first time Jason had kissed her The i or new Theawake the part of her she’d thought had died the day Tom asked for a divorce

She felt reborn, alive with hope And yet she waswas different with Jason In his arms she experienced an excitement she’d never even knoas possible His tenderness, the loving gentle way in which he touched her, had given her cause to wonder, for the first time, if what Tom had said was true

What if it wasn’t? Could that be possible? With Jason she felt none of the dread she’d felt when To had always been so hurried, so raw, as if he were in a rush to complete the act so he could turn away fro but cos Tom had said were true? Her heart sloith uneasiness Jason Manning was an attractive, sensual man A passionate man And he’d expect--no, he’d need--a passionate woly ies in her mind His taunts echoed like the constant sound of waves in a seashell, never stopping, never fading, always there to remind her of what a failure she was

At ten, Charlotte turned out the lights, made sure Carrie was off the phone and went to bed She should’ve guessed that sleep would escape her that night

You’re perfect, Jason had said

Only she wasn’t--Tom had made certain she knew asher throat

She had loved Tom She’d hated him

He had stripped her of her pride when he left

Her life had ended that day Yet, in other ways, her life had begun

She’d known for weeks, months, that To because she was afraid Because she feared life alone Because she illing to do whatever she could to save herthe truth So she’d chosen to believe his lies

When he’d forced her to face reality, he’d couilt…and hate She hadn’t cried Not a single tear, not even when the divorce was decreed final It wasn’t until years later that she gave herself pere, the fantasy she’d built in hershe’d been too numb with shock, too dazed by that last horrible scene, to experience any eain, a little at a ti off As the years went by, as the nu, savage pain

Her grief caht-have-beens; one fantasy led to another By now they would’ve had more children, she’d told herself To the life she’d been cheated of as a child

Anger followed regret How could she have given her heart to a ed her self-respect? How could she have loved him when he’d treated her so poorly? But love hi the life she’d dreamed they’d share

Butsense of guilt She kneas unreasonable After all, it was Tom who’d cheated on her, Tom who’d walked out on his family, abandoned his wife and child It was Tom who’d forsaken their vows Yet she was the one who accepted responsibility

So, Charlotte found it intolerable If she’d been a better wife, Toht another wo, , he wouldn’t have done it She was too thin, too flat, too cold The list was endless

After years of telling herself that Tom had used her inadequacies as an excuse for adultery, years of struggling to repair her self-esteeht it all The reassurances she tried to offer herself were e Tom had said was true She was a failure as a woman A failure as a wife NoToht as well accept that now and stop fighting the inevitable

The doorbell chi the latest issue of one of the veterinary periodicals he subscribed to

"Yeah?" he said, opening the door, half expecting one of his tenants

"Hi," Carrie said, striding purposefully into his apartot aroom and sat down Carrie started to pace in front of his television, hands behind her back Walking in his aparterous with the week’s worth of newspapers spread across the carpet

"Is it Higgins?" he proht away

She shook her head, eyes lighting up "Higgins is doing great He’s eating and everything I think he likes it with Mo with love and attention from the moment Jason had carried hiht the mutt was some kind of hero In a way he was, Jason decided If it hadn’t been for the dog, Jason didn’t kno long it would have taken him and Charlotte to connect

"What can I do for you?"