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Her real proble and distorted logic She had told Angel that she was leaving hi and decisive rather than betray the reality that she was broken up and confused and horribly hurt

The thwack-thwack of a helicopter coulped down ed nerves She heard the sla up as the dining-rooel’s tall, powerful form She could not have been more appalled had he surprised her naked because she knew she looked like hell Her eyes and nose were red, her hair was tangled

‘Will you corimly ‘There’s someone here to see you’

‘I’ to hide her face as she stuht, desperate to aze

‘You’ll do fine,’ Angel told her callously, dark eyes cold and treacherous as black ice

‘I can’t see anyone looking like this,’ Merry argued vehe to leave the roo him, but she found him as immoveable in the doorway as a rock

‘You’ll be in very good coel infor her elboith a fir her into the room next door

Merry’s feet froze to the floor when she saw the wo less than her usually sophisticated and stylish self Her ashen complexion only emphasised her swollen eyes and pink nose and she was convulsively shredding a tissue between her restive fingers

‘I’ Merry ‘I lied to you’

Angel shot soroaned and snapped so back, and then the door closed behind Merry and when she turned her head again, Angel was gone, leaving them alone

‘You lied to me?’ Merry prompted in astonishment

‘I was trying to frighten you off I thought if you left hiht finally turn to me,’ Roula framed shakily, her voice hoarse with embarrassment and misery

‘Oh,’ Merry mumbled rather blankly ‘You’re not his mistress, then?’

‘No, that was nonsense,’ Roula frael’s never been interested in ht if you broke up with hito happen He said the idea of , incestuous I wish I’d worked out that that’s how he saw o I’d have saved myself a lot of heartache’

Merry experienced a very strong desire to pat the blonde’s shoulder to co off She could see that the other woel force you to come here and tell me this?’

‘Well, it wasn’t ht Fro you I was so jealous of you!’ Roula confessed with a sudden wrenching sob, cla herself back under control again before continuing, ‘Why you? I asked myself Why not me? You worked for him and he never ever sleeps with his eure and you’re very pretty but you’re not exactly super a baby and yet somehow he’s now crazy about the baby as well!’

‘Have you always been in love with hi that, by Roula’s reckoning, Angel deciding to marry her qualified as an unbelievable and quite undeserved miracle

‘When I was a teenager it was just a crush He was elina has ever done to him and it broke my heart I learned how to handle her to keep her out of his hair, to try and help him cope with her That’s why she likes me, that’s why she decided that he should marry me if he ever married anyone I’ve had other relationships, of course,’ Roula told her wryly ‘But every time one broke down, I told el He was ed ht!’