convalesce when I was discharged? Had she moved in with Tim? Was she sleeping in the bed we had shared? It mattered a great deal. And explained a whole lot more.
âI met her last summer,â Tim said.
âSo sheâs the reason you havenât been able to find the time to come and see me. And there was I believing you when you said you just couldnât fit me into your busy schedule. I suppose sheâs the reason you wanted me out of the flat, too.â
Tim said nothing, and I knew Iâd hit the nail on the head.
âWhat a fool Iâve been!â I said bitterly. âMaking excuses for you to everyone. Even to myself. I knew things werenât good between us, but I never imagined you were cheating on me . . . well, not to this extent . . . How could you do it, Tim? How could you just string me along? And donât say itâs because you felt sorry for me, please. Because that would just be adding insult to injury.â
From the way Timâs mouth opened and closed I knew heâd been on the point of saying exactly that.
âYou bastard,â I said softly. My hands were tightly clenched on my knees because what I really wanted to do was hit him.
âWe didnât get seriously involved until a couple of months ago,â he said lamely.
âAnd that makes it all right?â
âWell, no, but . . . Iâve said Iâm sorry, Sally, and I am.â
I shook my head, laughed without humour.
âYou know what is so funny about this? I was actually going to tell you that I wasnât sure that I wanted to be with you any more, and I was worried about doing it. Worried about hurting you. Well, more fool me.â
â
Youâve
met someone else?â Tim looked, and sounded, as shocked as I had felt a few minutes ago.
âHardly,â I said dryly. âBut if I had Iâd never have done this to you. Iâd never have crept about behind your back, lied to you, cheated on you . . .â
The look of relief on his face was so palpable I had to once again restrain the urge to hit him. The conceit of him! He couldnât bear the thought that I might have actually decided that I preferred to be with someone other than him â his ego simply couldnât stand it. What on earth had I ever seen in him?
âSo,â I said, getting my temper under control. âI suppose the reason youâre coming clean now is that you want to set up home with this . . . woman.â
Tim had the grace to look a bit shamefaced.
âWell . . . yes.â
âAnd you want me out of the flat. Permanently.â
âOh, good gracious, no! I wouldnât expect you to leave, Sally. The plan is for me to move in with Paula. She has a cottage in Winton â very convenient for the airport. But donât worry, Iâll pay my whack of the rent on the flat until you can find someone else to share with you, or are in a position to afford it yourself.â
âWell thanks, but I couldnât possibly accept it,â I said stiffly, my pride kicking in.
âI insist. I wouldnât leave you in the lurch while youâre incapacitated.â
âHopefully that wonât be for much longer. I mean it, Tim â I donât want your money.â
âWeâll see about that. But thanks for being so understanding, and taking it so well, Sally.â
I snorted. Actually, I hadnât taken it well at all. Given that Iâd been agonizing over how I was going to end things myself I should have been grateful that heâd handed it to me on a plate. Instead, I was surprised how hurt I was, knowing heâd been sneaking around with someone else â falling in love with her â while I was coping with the devastating consequences of my accident.
I had no intention of letting him know that, though. His ego was quite big enough already.
âRight,â I said, sounding far calmer than I felt. âI suggest we go and have a
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