Read Online His Diamond Like No Other (Mills & Boon Medical) by Lucy Clark - Free Book Online Page B

captivating him more and more with each passing second he spent in her company was an understatement.
    ‘You’re always so good with remembering his birthday,’ Sean said. ‘Never once have you forgotten.’
    ‘It’s a bit hard to forget Spencer’s birthday.’
    ‘Why?’
    ‘Because it’s the same day as mine. We share a birthday.’ Jane delivered the line as though she was telling him the weather.
    ‘You—? Wait. Spencer was born on your birthday?’
    ‘He was.’ Jane smiled up at him. ‘That’s why I’ve always felt such a strong connection with him. He’s my birthday buddy. He’ll turn seven and I’ll turn thirty.’
    Sean shook his head in astonishment. ‘I had no idea. Daina...she never—’ He stopped, both of them still strolling along. Jane looked up at him.
    ‘She never talked about me, right?’
    ‘Not really.’
    ‘And I’ll bet when she did it was usually derogatory in some way.’
    ‘In the beginning, well, I guess I took everything she said as gospel.’
    ‘But after that?’
    ‘Do you mean when I realised my wife had serious mental health issues?’ They stopped at a set of traffic lights and Sean pressed the button, both of them waiting for the lights to change. Jane turned to face him.
    ‘How long did it take for you to realise?’
    ‘About twelve months, I’m sorry to say. You’d think as a doctor I’d have picked up the signs and symptoms sooner.’
    ‘You were no doubt very busy at the hospital, working all hours, and, believe me, Daina could be quite convincing when it suited her.’
    Sean nodded. ‘You sound as though you know exactly how I felt.’
    ‘Let me guess. Whenever you tried to question her about things, she’d tell you that you were overreacting or that you’d grasped the wrong end of the stick. She’d give you just enough attention, indicating she understood what was happening, then she’d expertly turn the tables so that you were the one in the wrong, making you feel guilty and filled with remorse.’
    ‘Yes.’ Sean was astounded at just how well Jane articulated what he’d experienced, living with Daina.
    ‘It’s very difficult when you’re emotionally involved with someone, when you love them, to realise they’re manipulating you.’
    ‘Yes.’ He nodded slowly and exhaled. ‘It wasn’t until Daina started trying to turn me against my parents and siblings that I began to realise there wasn’t something wrong with me , it was her. ’ He spread his hands wide. ‘I knew what she’d said about my sisters couldn’t possibly be true. I know them so well, we’re a very close-knit family and when I discussed things openly with my sisters...well, it was then the blinkers finally came off.’
    ‘But you were still married to her for almost six years, Sean.’
    ‘She was my wife, Jane. She was mentally ill. I couldn’t just abandon her.’
    ‘I doubt she felt the same way about you.’ The words were out of Jane’s mouth before she could stop them and as the pedestrian light finally turned green she set off across the road. ‘I’m sorry if that sounds harsh,’ she continued as they started walking down the other side of the street, ‘but I know Daina. I know the way she could manipulate and twist the situation and I know that even if you loved her, even if you tried to get her help, she would have done little to actually help herself.’
    Jane glanced across at him, hoping she hadn’t overstepped the mark of this new level of friendship they seemed to be building. ‘I’m sorry if what I’ve said offends you but—’
    ‘No. You’re absolutely right,’ he interjected. ‘But I’ve been raised to appreciate the value of family and, as my wife, Daina was my family. I wouldn’t have been able to live with myself if I hadn’t done everything I could to help her.’
    ‘What did you try?’ Jane asked as they neared the toy store.
    ‘I organised appointments for her with mental health specialists. The first few times she refused