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'You don't understand' Beth lifted her face but she could hardly see hih a haze of tears

'No, I don't I won't pretend I do I haven't been married before, committed my life to someone only to be let down in the worst possible way But I have loved soht me about that'

'I 1 lostcompletely different'

He stared at her and now she saw anger colouring the clear grey It was in his voice when he spoke, the tone grim 'Yes it's different but it's about ti the world only revolves around you'

Beth was shocked to the core Never, in all the tiether, had he spoken or looked like this

'People go through worse than you have,' he continued when she didn't answer hi what you suffered either But you ca on by your fingertips, but you survived Do youto let this cretin have the last laugh? Where's the backbone that got you through the divorce?'

'How dare you speak to er dispelled the nu 'How dare you?'

'Because I love you, that's why Maybe it would have been better if we'dto come to terms with it all, I know that, but we didn't That's life Neat packages are an illusion'

'I want you to leave'

'Tough I want a lot of things but it doesn't look as if I'rimly

Beth fought for composure as she stood up and faced him 'This is my home, albeit temporarily, and you're not welco and leaving her terrified She couldn't weaken—she mustn't He said he loved her, and perhaps he did, but it didn't alter the fact that Travis was theon to a man like him? She didn't have what it took, she knew that She was ordinary, nothing special All over the country other woed to es work but hers had failed ah for Keith, how could she ever hope to be enough for Travis?

'You don't believe I love you?' Travis's face was rigid, slashes of colour across the hard cheekbones

'You perhaps think you do' Her voice was unsteady, an¬guished 'In fact I'm sure you believe you do'

'But you're not sure' His features had softened 'So we go on as before until you are sure Do you think you could ever love me?' he added quietly 'I shouldn't ask, but'

Beth averted her face The night she had walked out on Keith was so of a blur in her mind, so ht But one thing was crystal clear A by Keith and the pain and bewilder, she had asked hi to her Why, when he had said he loved her, married her, had he continued to see Anna and the other women?

He had looked at her and said as possibly the only honest stateht 'Because I could Because you let ed me when I was late or went away on business trips You took everything at face value from e met'

And when she had cried that was because she had loved hi, he had stared at her for aEven then, she knew, he had been confident of his power over her, had been con¬vinced he would be able to talk her round And she had given hi hi in hi her eyes and her reason to any questiontheir twelve e It had al in frightened, panicked beats This time when she lied he had to believe her

'No,' she said very steadily 'I couldn't love you'

She saw the blood drain fro herself on hi she loved hi she'd ever wanted in afear stopped her The same emotion enabled her to stand as still as stone when he nodded slowly There was an unnerving silence, vibrating with terrifying intensity, before he said tonelessly, 'Then there really is nothing more to be said, after all Goodbye, Beth' She watched in nuo across to the front door, opening it without looking ck Harvey had bounded in and then, as Travis closed the behind hi