a perfect match!’
Sam swallowed hard, unable to voice the lie and say that she cared for Leno. She did, however, raise her chin and stare him out. ‘I can marry who I like, and for whatever reason I like.’
Ransom laughed coldly. ‘And he has several million reasons for you to like him.’
‘I’m not marrying him for his money,’ she put in swiftly, though in a roundabout way she was. She just hadn’t known quite how wealthy Leno was.
‘Pardon me if I don’t believe you. I think I was lucky not being rich enough for your taste. I wonder how long it would have taken me to realise it wasn’t me you loved, but my money?’ Ransom shot back with withering scorn. ‘Perhaps I ought to put him straight on a few things.’
The suggestion had her heart leaping into her throat. The last thing she wanted was for Leno to meet Ransom. ‘That won’t be necessary,’ she countered in a strangled voice. ‘Leno and I have an understanding.’
Ransom’s beautiful eyes were full of dislike as he looked at her. ‘I get it. He has his trophy wife and you get to spend his money. How did I ever think I could love you? You two deserve each other!’
Every word he uttered struck home with devastating accuracy and drew blood. If he hadn’t hated her enough before, he certainly did now. She had no defence except not to let him see how he had hurt her.
‘Have you finished?’ she asked him with deceptive calm.
Ransom looked her up and down as if he had never seen her before. ‘My God, you’re a cool customer. Nothing reaches you, does it? It’s OK, darling, I’m done. I wish you joy of your fortune. May it keep you warm at night.’
With those parting words Ransom got up and walked away. Sam knew he never looked back, because she kept her eyes on him till he was out of sight. This time she didn’t cry, for the hurt went too deep. She stared unseeingly at the beauty around her and laid the first stones of the wall of ice that would eventually surround her heart and keep it safe. After all, it held her most precious possession: her love for him.
When she finally began to retrace her steps, she did so with her feelings securely encased in ice and a determination to never look back. Whatever happened from this moment, nothing would touch her, neither hurt nor joy, for those were things of the past and that was gone for ever.
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