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"Don’t mention it," he said sarcastically "I wanted it back in the apartain Next ti"

Their seats were in business class and they were quickly served glasses of chane that neither of them drank

As the plane taxied away from the jetway and toward the airstrip, he closed his eyes, heaved a et us out of this yet"

Charlotte nodded and lowered her gaze "I’ll do everything I can to stay out of your way"

"That would be appreciated"

The flight was five hours, but it seee one unnecessary ith Charlotte At this rate, she didn’t kno they’d be able to spend teeks in each other’s co "I’ll see what I can do about arranging a flight back to Seattle as soon as we land," he told her briskly, without a shred of e

Charlotte bit her lip "I…I didn’t pack …since the suitcase was just for show"

He didn’t respond By the tie, Charlotte was falling asleep on her feet Apparently Jason suspected asthe airlines froht But she wasn’t sure if this small kindness was for her benefit or his own, since he couldn’t have had much more sleep than she had

She barely noticed the scenery as the taxi carried theh town Their hotel was on Waikiki Beach, built on white sands and surrounded by swaying palms

When they went to check in at the front desk, Charlotte stepped back, letting Jason take care of the necessary paperwork He was obviously upset about soht?" she asked, as they et a double roo weary and defeated "My parents booked us into the bridal suite"

"Oh" Charlotte didn’t fully realize the implications of that until the bellman ushered them, with -size bed that looht out Jason’s as he paid the attendant and closed the door The fear she’d ed to bury for hours spilled over now, but before she could say a word, he turned to her

"Don’t look so shocked It isn’t as if I intend to hed, the sound abrupt "If you want to call down to the front desk and order a rollaway for the bridal suite, then by all h of a fool for one day, so I’ll leave that option to you"

With no real alternative, she showered, put on an old T-shirt and crawled between the crisp sheets of the bed,sure she was as far on her side as possible

She was drifting off to sleep when Jason finished his shower and returned to the bedroo down at her Her heart roared like a crazed animal as she wondered about his intentions He could force her To sick and abused afterward She’d curl up tightly while he shouted how inco She’d lie there silently as the ugly, de words rained down on her When he was done with his tirade he’d leave

The memories made her shiver with revulsion and fear

"Charlotte"

She didn’t answer, pretending to be asleep Jason was angry with her, angrier than she’d ever seen hi with dread

She heard Jason dressing, heard hiht and leave the room

Abruptly Charlotte sat up He’d left her, walked away just like Toh he couldn’t bear to be in the same room with her Like Tom, he couldn’t wait to be rid of her

He’d left without a word

Wasn’t that what she wanted? Then why did she feel so alone, so deserted and unloved, so empty inside?

The tears that had threatened most of the day broke free with a low, eerie wail She tucked her knees against her chest as the sobs overtook her

She wept for all she’d lost Jason’s love Any chance of sharing their lives The drea another child The faone now, crushed by her own hand

It was too late to try and get any of it back Jason hated her She could never recapture what she’d destroyed with her fear Never rebuild the trust she’d derief was eh She tore at the sheets, pulling the blankets fro to exhaust what little energy she had, and she fell across the bed sobbing, then fell into a deep, troubled sleep

Jason ca as silently as possible, not wanting to wake Charlotte He wished he could hate his wife, punish her for what she’d done She deserved to suffer, didn’t she?

But if that was really the case, then as he the one in pain? He saw her climb into bed and curl up, and it was all he could do not to dash across the room and take her in his arms This woman had betrayed him, and yet he wanted to coiveness for forcing her to endure this day She wasn’t entitled to his forgiveness, he reminded himself, which one for a walk on the beach, which wasn’t exactly how he’d expected to spend his wedding night Not that he was any great shakes as a husband A hundred tione over his own part in this fiasco He’d rushed Charlotte intoher a chance for second thoughts Looking back, he understood now that it was the urgency of hisNow he understood why