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"I knohat it is to hurt"

"Not like this" No one could ever hurt this much No one

"Listen to ripped her shoulders But even his fingers were gentle when she wanted therief strangles you"

"No" Still she resisted, wildly shaking her head "No I hate him I hate him"

"I know, honey I know"

The dam broke then, and the tears that had been pent up inside her soul, shoved down and ignored for so long, bled fro sound slid fro her Sobs overtook her, huge, oxygen-robbing sobs that shook her shoulders and made her breast heave

Rush didn’t try to hold her and she was grateful because she couldn’t have borne being restrained Unable to reainst the wall and slu bitterly for the innocence she had lost, and wailing for the love she had given so freely to aleft inside her

Lindy started to retch when her tears were spent, and she knew she was about to lose her dinner Rush’s hand under her elbow helped her to an upright position and into the bathroom He stood behind her as she leaned over the toilet She thought she felt his hand on her back, but she couldn’t be sure

When she was finished he handed her a da the coolness soak away some of the terrible red heat Her eyes burned like fire, her throat felt gritty and coarse, and her hands shook

"Here" Rush handed her a glass of water

She felt an abundance of sha allowed him to see her like this, and worse, that he should be the one to take care of her She sank to the edge of the tub, afraid her shaky legs could no longer support her

"You’re going to be all right now," Rush told her confidently "It’s over"

She couldn’t look at hi to do Rush had no way of knohat Paul had done to her No way of knowing that the man she’d loved and planned to share her life with had ehan didn’t know a damn whit about shattered dreams or the pain of a broken heart He would never allow himself to be hurt this way

"Come on," he said "I’ll take you into your room"

She stood with his help, and he tucked his arm around her waist as he led her into her darkened bedroom Gently he brushed the wet strands of hair fro position

"I trust you don’t need anyone to undress you"

"No, I’," he said, and there was more than a trace of a smile in his words

He started to walk away fro back to her "You’re a beautiful woman, Lindy Kyle, and someday there’ll be a man ill love you the way you deserve to be loved"

Her mother had said almost those identical words to her At the time, Lindy hadn’t been ready to accept thee there’d only been Paul Every thought of the future had been linked with him Every drea into oblivion, uncaring what ill fortune befell her

But it wasn’t in her to argue with Rush Instead she brought her feet up onto the bed and pressed her head against the feather pillow Her eyes ached unmercifully and she closed them

"Did you hear me?" Rush demanded softly

She wanted to shake her head that she hadn’t, but there wasn’t enough spirit left in her to challenge him "I’m too selfish to pine away for Paul Abra to be miserable any more"

Her words seemed to please hiet it"

"Right" She couldn’t contain the sarcas time before Rush left the doorway His presence all but filled the rooh to relax and sleep

Lindy woke around two, her throat dry and scratchy Her temples throbbed, and her eyes were red and swollen She didn’t turn on any lights as shethe shield of darkness

The drapes were open and the city lights flickered in the distance Taking the cold glass of water and the aspirin with her, Lindy stood at theand expelled her breath in a long sigh She’d ht of facing hi was almost more than she could bear