Beloved by Diana Palmer

being harm. But then, I had a mad infatuation for you that I couldn't cure." She saw
his sudden stillness. "Don't pretend that you didn't read all about it in the paper, Simon. Yes, it's true, why
shouldn't I admit it? I was obsessed
with you, desperate to be with you, in any way that I could. It didn't even matter that you only tolerated me. I

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    Beloved
    Diana Palmer
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could have lived on crumbs for the
rest of my life—" Her voice broke. She shifted on trembling legs and
laughed with pure self- contempt. "What
a fool I was! What a silly fool. I'm twenty-eight years old and I've only just realized how stupid I
am!"
    He frowned. " Tira ..."
    She moved back a step, her green eyes blazing with
ruptured pride. "Jill told me what you
said, that you blame me for making you look
like a villain in public with my so-called suicide attempt, as well as for John's death. Well, go ahead, hate me! I
don't give a damn anymore!" she spat, out of
control and not caring. "I'm not even
surprised to see you with Jill, Simon. She's as opinion ated and narrow-minded as you are, and she knows how to
put the knife in, too. I daresay you're a match made
in heaven!"
    His face clenched visibly. "And you don't care that
I'm with another woman tonight, instead of with you?" he chided, hitting back as hard as he could, with a mocking smile on his
lips.
    Her face went absolutely white. But if it killed her, he'd
never hear from her how she did care. She smiled
deliberately. "No," she agreed softly. "Actually I don't. All
this notoriety accom plished one good thing. It made me see
how I'd wasted the past few miserable years
mooning over you! You did me a favor when you told me what you really thought of me. I'm free of you at last, Simon," she lied with deliberation.
"And I've never been quite so
happy in all my life!"
    And with that parting shot, she turned and walked slowly
to the driveway where Charles was pulling up in
front of the house, leaving Simon rigidly in place with
an expression of shock that delighted her
wounded pride.
    After what she'd said, she didn't expect Simon to follow
her,
    and he didn't. When Charles had installed her in the
passenger
    seat, she caught just a glimpse of Simon's straight back
rapidly
    returning to the house. She even knew the posture. He was
furious.
    Good! Let him be furious. She was not going to care. She
wasn't!
    "Take it easy," Charles said softly.
"You'll burst something."
    "I know how you felt earlier," she returned,
leaning her hot
    forehead against the glass of the window. "Damn him! And damn her, too!"
    "What did he say to you?"
    "He wanted to know what she said, and then he gave
me his opinion of my character again. But this time,
he didn't know he'd hit me where it hurt. I made sure of
it."
    Charles let out a long breath. "Why can't we love to
order?" he asked philosophically.
    "I don't know. If you ever find out, you can tell
me." She stared out the dark window at the flat
landscape passing by. Her heart felt as if it
might break all over again.
    "He's an idiot."
    "So is Jill. So is Gene. We're all idiots. Maybe
we're certifiable and we can become a circus act."
    They
drove in silence until they reached her house. He turned off the engine and stared at her worriedly. She
was pale and she looked so miserable
that he hurt for her.
    "Go inside and change your clothes and pack a
suitcase," he said suddenly.
    "What?"
    "We'll
fly down to Nassau for a long weekend. It's just Saturday. We'll take a
three-day vacation. I have a friend who owns a
villa there. He and his wife love company. We'll eat conch chowder and play at the casino and lay on the
beach. How about it?"
    She brightened. "Could we?"
    "We could. You need a break and so do I. Be a gambler."
    It sounded like fun. She hadn't been happy in such a long
time. "Okay," she said.
    "Okay." He grinned. "Maybe we'll cheer up
in foreign parts. Don't take too long. I'll run home and
change and make a few phone calls. I
should be back within an