Heroes Never Die Read Online Free PDF

cheeks.
    “What kept you from telling the police the truth?”
    Stephanie could see the disappointment in her dad’s eyes.  She lowered her head to hide her shame.  “Duke and I were good friends.  I keep thinking I should have seen it coming, but I didn’t.  Maybe it was all my fault.”
    “Look at me, Stephanie,” he said firmly as he lifted her chin.  “Nothing makes me angrier than a man using his strength against a woman.  Duke got what he had coming, and I want you to stop blaming yourself.  Do you understand me?”
    Stephanie nodded, grateful that he understood.  “I tried to do the right thing, Dad, but all I did was mess everything up.  At the time, I thought I was protecting Kyle.”
    Robert let out a long sigh.  “Kyle is hurting, Stephanie.  He has no idea why you turned on him.  He needs to know what happened.”
    “There’s more, Dad.”  Stephanie’s stomach began to churn with pain as she relived that night in Kyle’s condo.  “I flew home so I could tell Kyle how sorry I was.  I called him from the airport so he could pick me up, but he didn’t answer, so I took a cab and went to his condo.  His car wasn’t in the parking lot, so I let myself in with my key.  Once I was inside, I heard noises coming from his bedroom.  I went to check it out, and there was Kyle – making love to another woman.  I was so…so stunned.  I ran outside before he knew I was there.  I wanted to come home and tell you what happened, but then I remembered that you were in Baltimore that week.  I went back to campus so I could pack my things.  And I cried for days.”  She folded her arms around her stomach and began to weep.
    Robert put his arms around Stephanie and rocked her in his arms to console her.  “You didn’t need to see that.  I’m so sorry, Stephanie.”
    “I loved him, Dad.  I want to get over him, but it still hurts.”
    “I know it hurts, sweetheart.  Broken hearts need time to mend.  But it will get better, I promise.  There is life after Kyle.”
    “That’s easy for you to say,” she sobbed.  “You never wanted me to marry him in the first place.”
    “That’s right, I didn’t.  But you wouldn’t listen.  Unfortunately, the greatest lessons in life have to be learned the hard way.  And I’m sorry you were hurt, but I’m not sorry you found out before it was too late.”
    “That’s what I keep trying to tell myself.  And I’m sorry I didn’t listen to you, Dad.  I’m sorry for a lot of things.  Right now, I just want to move on with my life.”
    “In that case,” he said to ease her pain, “I say we head over to the ocean tomorrow.  The time away will do us both good.  We’ll go scuba diving like we always do, or whatever else we feel like doing, and then we’ll stuff ourselves full of seafood.  What do you say?”
    Time away with her dad was just what Stephanie needed.  The corner of her mouth began to bend with a sheepish grin.  “I say we head out in time to see the sunrise.  I’ll pack a thermos of coffee and we can buy hot doughnuts on the way.  What do you say?”
    Robert rose to the challenge.  “Start packing.”
    Stephanie’s insides swelled with the hope of a brighter tomorrow.  “Last one in the car is a monkey’s uncle.”  She hurried toward the stairs to get a head start.  Her dad was right.  There was life after Kyle.
     
    Chapter Three:
    Saturday evening had finally come and Stephanie was ready for her dinner date with Brian.  Her stomach fluttered with nervousness as she thought about seeing him again.  Will our first date be fun?  Will he ask me out again?  Will I want to go out with him again?  She stood in front of the full length mirror in her bedroom and latched a slender string of pearls around her neck.  She smoothed her silky black dress with her hands and turned from side to side to admire her reflection.  Perfect, she thought.  Not too much – not too little.  Then she glided down the