“My parents love you. They’re standing by us.” Daniel put his hands on her shoulders and peered into her eyes. “It doesn’t matter what anyone else thinks. You and I know the truth, and we love each other. We don’t need anything else.”

Yes, they loved each other, and she didn’t know how she could go on without feeling his love. But because she loved him, she had to make this decision, or one day he’d hate her for having ruined his life.

With a sad smile she shook her head. “It’s not enough. Don’t you understand? As long as this story is out there uncontested, nothing will ever be right.”

“They will retract it.”

“When?” she murmured, knowing that Daniel was stalling. By the look on his face he knew it too.

Daniel sighed. “I don’t know. Soon.”

“I’m sorry, Daniel. Soon isn’t enough. I think we made a mistake.”

“What kind of mistake?”

“We shouldn’t get married.” When the words were out, her heart clenched painfully, and she knew now what true pain felt like: as if somebody were slicing her heart into thin strips.

“Not get married?” Daniel stared at her in shock.

“This relationship was doomed from the start.”

“Doomed?” he repeated. “Don’t say that!”

“It started with a lie and spiraled downhill from there. It seems like no matter how hard we try, something or someone is always getting in our way.” She rose, her legs so shaky she was wondering if she would collapse if she took a step.

Daniel grabbed her arm, getting up at the same time. “Don’t do this!”

“Please let me go! Don’t make this any harder than it already is,” she demanded softly. “I can’t marry you. This scandal will eventually destroy your life, your reputation, your business. And I could never live with myself knowing that I’m responsible for it. I can’t carry that burden.”

Because it would be hard enough to care for their child on her own. To raise it without it ever finding out what her mother had done. To love it so much that it would never know of the father’s love she was depriving her child of.

“Sabrina, you’re overreacting. Your father upset you. In a day or two you’ll feel different. Please!” His gaze locked with hers. “Don’t do this!”

“I’m sorry.” Sabrina slid her engagement ring from her finger and held it out to him with shaking hands. The gold seemed to burn in her palm.

Daniel refused to take the ring. “We can work this out, Sabrina. We’ve done it before, and I know we can do it again.”

She shook her head, her mind spinning and her eyes welling up with tears she desperately tried to suppress. “I love you, Daniel, but I can’t stand by and watch your life get destroyed because of this. One day you’ll know I was right. You’ll thank me then.”

With her last ounce of strength, she put the ring on the table and drew in a shaky breath. If she didn’t get out of here right now, she would burst into tears, and Daniel would put his arms around her. And then, her resolve would crumble.

She turned on her heels and nearly collided with the waiter carrying a tray of drinks. She slid past him quickly, not wanting to give Daniel a chance to stop her. She couldn’t allow it.

“Excuse me, sir, your drinks,” she heard the waiter say, as she hurried away.

Keeping her head down so she wouldn’t meet the eye of any of the club’s guests, she rushed through the dining area, then entered the foyer.

She reached into her purse without stopping and felt for the spare key for Daniel’s car. Clutching it tightly in her palm, she ran outside and unlocked the car. When she turned the key, the engine howled. She put it in gear and backed out of the parking spot, turned and drove down the long driveway leading away from the country club. Her movements seemed mechanical as if somebody else were steering her body.

Her vision became blurred, and she brought her hand to her eyes, wiping away her tears. She had to get away from here and start a new life where nobody knew her. Away from the scandal. Away from the lies. Away from Daniel.

Her baby would never have to listen to the lies about her. It would never have to hear them call her a whore.

22

Daniel looked after Sabrina in disbelief. This couldn’t be happening!

“Sir, the drinks,” the waiter repeated.

“We’re not staying. Put the charge on my account.” Daniel tried to squeeze between the waiter and a potted plant, when the waiter moved in the same direction. “Excuse me,” Daniel ground out, watching as Sabrina disappeared inside the club building.