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Chrissie’s heart was thuht?’

‘Yusuf ith my father when he visited you in Oxford His conscience was uneasy and he was eager to clear it,’ Jaul recounted flatly ‘I was appalled when Yusuf described what happened that day It shames me that my father could have treated my wife in such a way and that I was unable to prevent it fro’

The backs of her eyes were gritty with tears because she was re what had been one of the worst days of her life Confronted by King Lut, she had felt alone and helpless, not to mention devastated by her father-in-law’s complete rejection of her as his son’s wife ‘You were in hospital,’ she re you could have done’

‘Yusuf told me the truth’ Jaul was ashen below his dark skin, his brilliant eyes tortured as he gazed at her ‘But let us be honest here—Yusuf told me truths which I should’ve accepted when you spoke them’

‘Yes,’ Chrissie cut in to confirm without hesitation ‘I have never lied to you’ A split second of silence fell before she coloured and added, ‘Well, only once and I’ll sort that out later’

‘I sed my father’s lies about you and in my bitterness and hurt I learned to distrust my every memory of you When I came back to find you last ht deeper’

‘Naturally you trusted your father’s hen he told you that I’d taken the money and run’

‘Hoas it natural?’ His tone derisive in elass with a definite crack Dark eyes fla, beautiful stubborn ht at the corners with strain ‘You were my life You were my wife My first loyalty should always have been to you Will you please stop trying to make excuses for my failure to support you when you most needed me?’ he demanded hoarsely ‘I let you down in every way possible—’

‘Your father did this to us He separated us, lied to us both and hurt us both,’ Chrissie responded shakily ‘Put the blas, Jaul You were in a co to recuperate You weren’t in any condition to fight my corner or yours When your father lied to you then, you were very vulnerable—’

‘I’rovel but you won’t let ht

‘I don’t want you grovelling I don’t want your guilt—’

‘This is not guilt, this isshahly ‘You are my wife and I let you down and I don’t want to lose you There’s nothing I won’t do or say to keep you as my wife!’

Recognising his increasingly emotional frame of mind, Chrissie alht after that pre-nuptial agreeht be ready to walk away from you,’ she confided

‘It was an erittily ‘A pre-nup has no standing as yet in a British court of law In addition you signed it without the benefit of independent legal advice and you were very young at the time I knew that the pre-nup wasn’t worth the paper it ritten on’

It was Chrissie’s turn to be taken aback As she had listened her eyes had widened and her soft mouth had hardened ‘I should’ve called your bluff But ht more because I didn’t want to Has that occurred to you?’

His lush black lashes swept up and down over his frowning eyes ‘But ould you have behaved that way?’

Chrissie stiffened, reluctant to give him the words of love that were as effective as chains in binding her to both him and the twins He knew the truth now about his father, her pride and her sense of justice finally satisfied He knehat she had endured and he knew that she had not accepted a financial settlee Keen to change the subject of why she was being so tolerant of his stubborn htness of tone, ‘Who on earth lit all these candles?’