got up and walked to the window, unable to sit still. How did you find the words that you knew were going to destroy your dearest friend’s life? She had agonized for a week after Jeffrey had brought her the pictures. Finally she faced the fact that it had to be Jessica’s decision whether or not to believe the evidence so here she was. She took several deep breaths and walked back over to the sofa. She sat down, reaching for her bag and pulled out a large envelope. She laid it in Jessica’s lap and took her hands in hers, squeezing them.
Her eyes were filled with tears as she looked up. “I’m sorry, Jessica. Please understand that I found this out purely by accident.”
Jessica’s hands were shaking as she pulled away and picked up the envelope. Please don’t let this be what she thought it was, she prayed. Please let it be pictures of an employee stealing her blind. Please let it be pictures of her neighbors using drugs. Anything but what she feared the most. She slowly pulled out the sheath of papers and had barely cleared the brown envelope when she dropped them and ran for the bathroom, the sound of her retching filling the room. Alicia ran after her, holding her as she vomited over and over. Tears flowed freely down her face as she whispered over and over.
“I’m so sorry, Jessica, I’m so sorry.”
Jessica shoved her away, pulling herself to her feet using the edge of the sink. She wiped her face with her arm, snarling at the woman who had been her friend for as long as she could remember.
“You bitch!” she screamed. “You just couldn’t stand it, could you?! You can’t get a man like Blake, so you have to destroy what I have!”
Alicia looked at her in horror. “No, Jessica!” she cried. “That’s not true! I told you I found out by accident and I couldn’t just pretend that I didn’t know! I love you too much to keep something like that away from you!”
Jessica swept the crystal soap dish from the sink, enraged.
“Love?” she said, her face twisted with anger.
Alicia backed away in fear. She had never seen Jessica like this. Jessica followed her, her voice vibrating with hatred.
“Get out! I never want to see you again! Never, do you hear me?! I don’t need your kind of love!!”
By the time Alicia reached the study door, Jessica was screaming. She had just crossed the threshold when the soap dish hit the wall beside her head with a thud. She ran for the front door, afraid to stop long enough to get her bag and it flew through the open passenger window of her car just as she managed to shut the driver’s door. Jessica stood in the driveway, still screaming profanities as she accelerated, slinging gravel up. Jessica didn’t feel the sting as the small rocks hit her legs, some cutting deep enough to draw blood. She watched until Alicia had gone through the gates and then turned, running back up the stairs and into the study, slamming the door behind her with enough force to rattle the pictures on the wall. She stopped abruptly in front of the couch and fell to her knees, slowly picking up the scattered photographs. If she had ever doubted it could be true, these damning photos erased any hope. Tears rolled down her cheeks as she looked at them. Listlessly, she turned them one by one, her anger now turned to despair. It was Blake all right; there was no mistaking his face, harsh in the sunlight as he held the woman. No mistaking what the two were doing.
She was almost halfway through them before she finally realized who the woman was. Her eyes widened with disbelief and she snatched the photo from the pile, bringing it up for a closer look. Dear God, it was Emma! She flipped frantically through the rest of them, scattering photos everywhere. Alicia had obviously placed the ones of them having sex on the top for shock value, not realizing that Jessica wouldn’t be able to immediately identify the woman he was with. It was only in the photos of the two of them getting out of the car that she could clearly see her face. And there were many more of them, taken before that day, engaged in innocent activities that would not have been as damning if the ones in the boat hadn’t been taken. Walking together down the sidewalk, eating ice cream. Riding together in Blake’s beloved jaguar convertible. Getting off Blake’s motorcycle, laughing together. Jessica began to sob as she felt her world begin to crumble around her. She had truly loved Blake. She had known the odds were against her when she married someone so much younger but he had seemed so different. He hadn’t wanted her money; he had taken a job in one of her companies and earned his own, quickly improving things and moving on to the next, doing the same over and over until she was even richer than she had been before. True, their love life had been infrequent but Blake was often out of town. She had heard rumors in the past but had been able to dismiss them as just that, turning a blind eye to what she now realized she hadn’t wanted to see. But Emma was the ultimate betrayal. She had taken the young woman under her wing, giving her career her blessing, making her a star in the design world. It didn’t matter that she would have eventually reached the pinnacle on her own. Jessica had made sure of it. The older woman collapsed, falling forward onto the floor and the pictures laying there, her body wracked with grief.
Emma rushed through her makeup, watching the clock with one eye and the mirror with the other. Blake hated to be late and he had promised her a whole weekend alone, just the two of them. She wondered where they would be going this time. Her mother was once again safely tucked in at her sister’s house. She was so happy when Emma had finally told her that she was seeing someone, she had actually offered to move in with her permanently to give Emma more privacy. Emma had laughed at that, reassuring her mother that it wouldn’t be an issue because Blake preferred to stay out of town when they went out. Her mother had looked at her sideways when she said that, asking if she didn’t consider that just a bit strange. Emma had explained that Blake was a prize target for the gossip columnists of Houston and they both liked to stay well under the radar. Nothing like wealth and connections to get you on the front page. She hadn’t given it a second thought as she kissed her mother goodbye and helped her into the car but now it was back, scratching at the edge of her mind. Come to think of it, it was a bit strange. Maybe she would ask him about it, tonight. She had just grabbed her overnight bag when Blake pulled up the driveway. She skipped down the stairs, excited at the thought of so much time alone with him. He grabbed her bag out of midair, grinning as she threw it and had time to drop it into the back seat before he grabbed her, twirling her around and kissing her soundly.
“Do we really get the whole weekend?” she asked teasingly.
He slapped her on the rear as she got into the car, and then leaned in to kiss her again, tilting his head to reach her as he slid his hand up her thigh and under her skirt. She gasped as he molded his hand to her, loving the feel of her heat and moisture. He released her slowly, drawing both his hand and his mouth away with obvious reluctance.
“Just wait until I get you on that plane,” he promised against her lips.
He shut her door and vaulted across the hood of the small sports car, laughing at her look of surprise. He pressed the button to let the top down and as soon as it slid into its compartment, he shifted into reverse, intending to back down the driveway, eager to get the trip started. Emma reached into the back to get her purse and suddenly screamed loudly for Blake to stop. He slammed on the brake, skidding on the loose gravel. He barely stopped in time to miss the woman standing in the middle of the drive. They both stared in disbelief at Jessica, almost not recognizing her. She was disheveled, her hair matted, her makeup smeared across her face. He reached for the door handled then stopped abruptly when Emma screamed again, this time with pure terror.
“Blake, she’s got a gun!!”
He watched Jessica warily as she walked toward them, holding a gun firmly with both hands. She moved until she was even with them then stopped. He could see her eyes were swollen from crying. He held up his hand, reaching toward her.
“Jessica,
