THAT MAN 5 (The Wedding Story-Part 2) Read Online Free PDF Page B

urge to talk to someone. Anyone. Blake had never called or texted me. Shutting my eyes, I tried to fall back to sleep on the couch, but it was futile. My throat was raw from crying, and the ache in my heart was palpable.
    Light shortly filtered through the floor-to-ceiling windows. My burning eyes took in the dawn of another day in LA. Beautiful as usual, but not beautiful for me. In a few hours, I would be on a plane. Away from LA and the man I thought I loved with my body and soul. Except he’d betrayed me. I pulled the blanket over my head, and then forcing myself off the couch, I stumbled to the bedroom Blake and I shared. Or should I say once shared. My eyes stinging, I gazed at the king-sized bed where we had made beautiful, endless love countless times. There was no more “we.” Painfully, I retrieved a small suitcase from the walk-in closet and tossed it onto the duvet. I needed to pack. I was going back home. To be with my parents who needed me—but only a fraction of how much I needed them.
    Halfway done packing, I heard the door to the apartment unlock. And then I heard it slam shut. A shiver skittered though me. Blake! I continued tossing a week’s worth of clothing into my suitcase. While I hadn’t informed HR of my sudden leave of absence, I was positive I could convince them I could work from Boise, given my stellar job performance. MY SIN-TV ratings were though the roof. And right now, most of our telenovelas were in post-production, not immediately demanding my attention. I just wasn’t going to tell them that most of my time would be spent looking for a new job.
    I heard a shuffle of heavy footsteps approach. I ignored them. I was almost packed. And then he called out to me.
    “Jen.” His voice sounded worn and hoarse.
    I refused to acknowledge him and continued with my packing. Every muscle clenched. The pain was so great. Treacherous tears cascaded down my face.
    “Jen,” he murmured again, this time, his voice a desperate croak.
    I couldn’t help but face him as he staggered my way. I soaked him in with my watering eyes. He looked awful. His hair was a wild mess, and his complexion had a ghoulish green cast. His suit was wrinkled, his creased shirt opened, and his tie hung loosely and unevenly around his neck.
    “Where are you going?” he rasped, eyeing my suitcase.
    “Home.” I stabbed the word at him and impulsively tugged at my engagement ring. My finger swollen, the damn thing wouldn’t budge. I was going to have to mail it to him.
    He gazed at me imploringly, his bloodshot eyes blinking for an explanation.
    “I’m moving out, Blake.”
    “Why, tiger? Why?”
    I answered his question with another a question. A Jewish thing to do, so I’d learned. “Where were you last night?”
    He shook his head. “I don’t fucking know.”
    Bullshit. I tossed my cell phone at him. He caught it…barely. His reflexes were not what were they normally were. Of course. Kat had fucked his brains out.
    “Just click the first e-mail. And then any attachment. I’m sure they’ll trigger your memory.”
    My eyes stayed fixed on him as he did as asked. His glazed eyes grew round.
    Raking his hand though his disheveled hair, he groaned, “What the fuck?”
    “What do you mean?”
    “What I mean is I have no recollection of being with the bitch.”
    The angry way he said “bitch” struck a deep chord. His gaze met mine. I swiped at my tears.
    “Honestly, tiger, I have no memory of the last twenty-four hours. Everything’s a blank.”
    His sunken eyes bore into me like a puppy looking for love. I searched them, seeking the truth.
    “I swear to God, Jen. You have to believe me.”
    My inner conscience went into war-mode. There was the me who distrusted and the me who wanted to believe. My mind was a battlefield. But, one by one, the soldiers of distrust were being knocked down by the true believers. A mental massacre led by my courageous heart. I cupped Blake’s stubbled face in my hands and