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'I wasn't well and my father withdrew his support' 'Why?'

'Because he found out that I had been living with you'

Succinctly he swore 'Isn't there a student loan system available?'

'I was already in a lot of debt, Vito With no support froe to survive and study at the same time'

He was very pale 'And still you wouldn't take rowswith every word you say'

She had upset hiloat He had deeply resented her ambition once, not because he was uncomfortable with aher on the scale than hie now'

'So how have you lived?' he derimly 'Like everyone else, I work For a while, I worked in a store Don't be such a snob, Vito!' she snapped, seeing him flinch

'I around out 'But I am understandably very disturbed by what you have told me'

'Oh, come off it If you'd still been around when I'd failed, you'd have loved it!' Ashley conde me that my needs and ambitions came a poor second to yours But I wasn't surprised, Vito When I was seventeen, my father told me when I wanted to learn to drive that if God had meant women to drive they would have been born heels! The two of you would have been good company for each other in the prehistoric caves!' 'I have no intention of trying to defend myself when you are in this mood'

'I think a defence would really tax your ingenuity'

She refused to speak to him all the way back to the house It was childish, but she relished the chance to get her teeth into soht be in love with Vito, but that didn't otten what a ruthlessly selfish swine he could be There had never been a worse mismatch of personalities, she told herself

'We're too alike,' he sighed

She blanched, wondering whether he could read ain

'Hot-te-willed and self-centred' 'I am not self-centred'

He slanted her an incredulous look 'In the entirety of our relationship four years ago you never gave a single thought to how IYou told me how you felt You told me what you wanted You told ht feel'

She was shaken by his censure, unwillingly recalling how defensive she had been, how aggressively determined not to compromise in any quarter

'And because I loved you I played the gaame by someone else's rules never came naturally to me,' he delivered 'If I don't win any awards for retrospective sensitivity, it was not entirely my fault'

'You never loved ue with, refusing to concede defeat

He didn't bother to coered her more Of course he hadn't loved her A man in love didn't immediately run off to ht caeether sooner Vito had believed she was living with Steve Wouldn't that have been enough to convince him that his future would never lie with her? And that Carina, familiar to him from childhood, would make a far more suitable wife?

Not that that excused hi her as completely as he had How could he have so easily accepted that she had turned immediately to another man for comfort? Then he had indicated to Ashley that he had had considerable doubts about her even before he had grounds for such suspicion Possibly it had been a relief to find an excuse to exclude her completely from his life But that exclusion had made him bitter

The second week of their stay drifted lazily past Ashley had taken to lounging by the swi under the shelter of a huge umbrella Vito was

spendingto feel like the untouchable wo in stilted sentences and lingering silences The lack of sex was probably getting to him, she reflected painfully Even if he wasn't tempted in her direction, Vito was a very virilehim It really was the most peculiar honeymoon