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If for no other reason than the fact that between now and Friday ation and speak, she had her dead husband’s eulogy to write

CHAPTER THREE

THE SMALL CHAPEL was packed to the rafters Outside, a clutch of news vans and reporters were stationed, poised and ready for the opportunity to snap any picture that would feed the media frenzy of the notoriety behind this funeral

So far, Perla hadn’t found the courage to turn around to see just how ed thelance as people had filed in had been enough to terrify her But she hadn’t missed the trio of limousines that had crawled past and parked ominously on the chapel lawn

Morgan’s bosses Probably Sakis Pantelides and various executives fro their attendance had arrived yesterday

She supposed she should be thankful they were bothering to attend, considering the nefarious circuan’s death A small, bitter part of her wished they hadn’t bothered Their presence here would, no doubt, keep up the media frenzy, and she also couldn’t dis inforiven very brief details of what had happened to her husband

Granted, Sakis Pantelides had been gentle and infinitely considerate when he’d broken the horrific news to her but the fact rean Lowell, the man she’d married, and whose secret she’d kept—still kept—had died under suspicious circuet aith defrauding his employer Pantelides Inc had kept a lid on the fact to protect itself from adverse publicity

What no one realised was that this was yet another morsel of unwanted truth she had to keep to herself; another detail she couldn’t share with Morgan’s parents, who had idolised their son and reloss over the truth for their sake Again

She clenched her hands and forced herself to focus She had s to think about now, like how she could stand up and speak of her husband when another man’s face, the fevered recollection of another man’s hands and the thrust of his hard body repeatedly flashed through her brain

Dear God, what had she done? What had she been thinking?

Although guilt clawed through her belly, the shame she expected to feel remained way below an acceptable level In fact she barely felt anything except the forceful presence of her one-night lover, deep inside her, surrounding her, pulsing around her like a live electric current with every breath she took

She’d taken three showers thisherself free of his scent But it was as if he’d invaded her thoughts as well as her pores Behind her, whispered voices surged higher and she heard shuffling as the congregation made way for new arrivals

Perla’s breath stalled as she caught the faain She bit her lip and closed her eyes God, please giveit here

When her elderly neighbour and only friend Mrs Clinton’s hand covered hers, she gratefully clutched it The discerning woan’s parents but she felt their heartbreak with every fibre of her being

For their sake, for the kindness and open warether They were the reason she’d borne this huan had known that Had banked on it, in fact, and used it as the perfect blackmail tool when she’d threatened to leave him—

‘Not long before it starts Don’t worry, dear; in less than an hour, it’ll be over I went through the sa with my Harry,’ she whispered ‘Everyone means well, but they don’t know the best they can do in times like these is to leave you alone, do they?’

Perla attearbled croak Mrs Clinton patted her hand again reassuringly With relief, she heard the organ starting up As she stood, Perla caught the scent again, and quickly locked her knees as she swayed

She glanced to the side and saw a tall, i next to a striking blonde

Sakis Pantelides, the o with news of her husband’s death His condolences had been genuine enough but after her discovery of just what Morgan had done to his company, Perla wasn’t so sure his attendance here was an offer of support