Of Love and Deception (24 page)

“Well. If you’d answer your cell phone, I wouldn’t be calling the house, now would I? Why haven’t you answered my calls today?” Meg seethed.

“I can’t find my cell phone. Can’t you figure that one out on your own?”

“You can’t find it?” Her voice rose a couple of notches. “You can’t find it?”

“Stop it. It’s around. It was in my car, last I remember. It could have fallen out. I’ll get another one.” Cruz heaved a sigh. “What’s so urgent that you needed to talk to me at this hour? Do you have information?”

Daniella heard the swing and the snap of the French doors open and close as Cruz went out back. Probably to guarantee his privacy.

“The hotel. Damn, Cruz, I hate to say… I’m feeling the love… not just the sex—”

In a low, drawn out breath, Cruz said, “That night… you think…” He paused and then whispered, “The baby?”

 ~~~

Daniella’s chest throbbed. Every word out of Meg’s mouth, every word out of Cruz’s mouth, ripped through her heart. Her cheeks heated at the sound of their voices.

“She’s pregnant. How could I leave her at a time like this?” Cruz let out a heavy sigh.

“And so am I.” Meg’s voice caught in her throat.

“Come again?”

“It’s yours.”

Cruz laughed. “Why would you say such a thing, Meg?” He paused, probably deciphering the information. “Wait… are you… are you telling me—” He laughed harder.

There was a brief silence.

In a harsh and uneven tone, Meg finally said, “Hello, retard. It’s not a joke. I’m dead serious.”

Daniella went numb—dizzy and deafened by the words she attempted to absorb. The phone slipped out of her hand as her brain unscrambled the knowledge of her life, which was about to take a downward spiral into the fiery pits of hell.

She’s pregnant. And… it’s… his? No!
All of her suspicions confirmed by just those few words.

Cruz’s escalated tone brought Daniella back to reality, into the flames now licking at her heart, tempting to smolder each breath of air she drew in. She picked up the phone and pressed it to her ear.

“How can you be so cruel and think you’re amusing me? I’m not finding your joke funny any longer, so stop with it,” Cruz snapped.

“You think it all over, Cruz. When you get a clue, call me.” Meg must have ended the call. The last sounds coming across the receiver were heavy sighs mixed with static.

Daniella walked across the hall, anesthetized by the words spoken between Meg and Cruz, she dropped the phone in its cradle. The affair blindsided any last bit of hope and left her with a head buzz and a rapid heartbeat. But the worst part? The question that could shatter everything she’d worked so hard for. The baby. Was it…
Oh, God, NO!

Cruz’s footfall was evident. He made his way up the steps and Daniella struggled to figure out a way of keeping him from touching her, but she didn’t have enough time. She rolled herself into the sheets and buried her head into the pillow.

The sound of his belt clanked. He was undressing. Daniella trembled when he climbed into bed and tugged on the sheets. Cruz leaned over and brushed the hairs away from her face. She held her eyes shut, willing them not to squirm.

Please don’t let him touch me. Please don’t let him touch me. Please don’t let him touch me.

He finally lay back and rolled away from her.

Daniella’s eyes flew open. There would be no sleep tonight. Her mind raced. She plotted out several ways to handle this. The first was obvious. Approach Cruz in the morning, inform him she’d heard the entire conversation. It would be ugly. He’d lie and tell her she was crazy, dreaming, emotionally charged. Pregnant. Then he’d turn the tables on her and accuse her of sleeping with? She knew the answer. Meg played the game to her own advantage. Cruz would believe Meg’s lie. He always believed her. Many ideas played out, but images of Cruz’s naked bum flexing as he thrust into that whore with her legs spread wide, begging and moaning for more, was like twisting a knife into her heart. Meg, who called herself a friend, a sister even, clouded Daniella’s thoughts, and she wept in silence.

Morning rolled around and the alarm sounded. Startled, Daniella reached out and pounded the snooze button with her fist. She closed her eyes. Less than five minutes had passed since the alarm went off, and last night’s phone conversation instantly roused Daniella. After shutting off the alarm, she got up, grabbed her purse and went into the bathroom. She made sure to lock the door. Cruz might rummage through her purse and find his phone in it.

19 - Deception

Daniella made her way toward the kitchen and stopped in the entryway. Cruz leaned against the counter, head raised, arms crossed, eyes staring at the tiled floor, brows drawn together—sounds of the coffee pot percolating behind him as he waited for his coffee to finish brewing. His beautiful eyes shifted and clicked with hers once he noticed her entrance. He gave a half-smile, but his eyes were cold, withdrawn.

Reaching for a glass, she hadn’t expected he’d step behind her and brush her hair seductively off her back and over her left shoulder. The warmth of his breath hit the back of her ear as he whispered, “Good morning.”

Frustrated, she tried to turn and push past him, but he wrapped his arms around her waist.

“What’s wrong, Daniella?” He kissed her neck. “Does this bother you?” His remark oozed with sarcasm and cut to her core. She wasn’t the guilty one, but he treated her as if she were.

“Stop it, Cruz. Just leave me alone.”

“Why, Daniella? Why should I leave you alone?”

“Things are different now. You—”

“Yes. Things are most definitely different, aren’t they?” With a slight turn of her head, she could tell his eyes were on her, probably looking for any signs of guilt she didn’t possess, making her feel unsettled. “Anything you want to tell me?”

She slammed her glass on the counter and ripped his hands away from her hips. Grabbing her purse and keys, she rushed toward the garage, hoping to keep her tears at bay. Too late, they were already cascading down her cheeks.

“I’m… I’m moving out,” she screamed. “I want a divorce.” Just saying the words made her stomach twist.

“Why? Why do you want a divorce? Is it because your guilt has caught up to you? Come on. You can tell me. Who are you sleeping with?” He sipped his coffee, watching her over the brim of his cup.

Did he really just ask me that?

“W-what?” she squeaked.

He set his mug down. “Did you really think I wouldn’t find out? Really, though. I must commend you for playing it off so well.”

“Stop! You’re turning the tables, you asshole!” She stormed toward him and pushed her finger into his chest. “You lying piece of… you… I heard your conversation last night. You… you pig!” She sucked up the juices in her mouth and spat on him, stormed out to the garage, slipped into her car and fumbled with her keys in a rush to get away from him.

“Oh, we’re not done yet! We’ll talk about this when I get back, Daniella!” He dashed toward her car, but she was faster and burned rubber as she backed out of the garage.

He’ll be gone for a week, again. Probably with… ewe. What will I do? Why me?

~~~

Good thing she’d spent the week packing personal belongings and unpacking them in her new apartment. She was most certainly leaving now.

Today would be the last she’d spend in this house. Cruz would be back tomorrow and she had no intentions of sticking around.

Tears trickled down her cheeks as she walked through the house, knowing it would be the last time she’d see it. Once morning came, she’d get ready for work, leave a letter of explanation on the counter along with copies of the cell phone logs. Maybe he’d read all of it, maybe not, but she wouldn’t be there or anywhere within reach.

Wedding pictures in crystal frames reminded Daniella of the happy times they’d spent together. She reached out and touched Cruz, traced his smiling lips that once spoke happy thoughts. Suddenly, she felt like a wet rag, twisting in two different directions. A sob escaped from her constricted chest and she ran upstairs, two steps at a time. She collapsed on the bed.

Music played in the background. She must have forgotten to shut the stereo off. Sarah McLachlan’s ‘I Will Remember You’ turned Daniella into shuddering wreck. She sat up and screamed, “I freaking hate you. I hate you, Cruz.” Her voice softened. “Why, God? Why did this happen to me? Why did I have to meet him, whyyyyy…”

She threw a pillow. It felt good. She threw a few more. She tore the bed apart, ran into the closet, ripped his clothes off the hangers, pounded the walls with her fists, and finally collapsed. She crawled back to the bed and climbed into it. Glancing at the clock on her nightstand, a picture of her and Cruz taken at Arbor Lodge, at the Whispering Bench, stared back at her. Memories of Cruz asking her to marry him came flooding back.

Something about that picture bothered Daniella. She sat up, snatched it off the stand, and pulled it from the frame. After several minutes of staring at it, she tucked it under her pillow and went to sleep.

Daniella briefly woke, thinking she’d heard the garage door, but never fully awakened.

“Goddd… dddammit! FUUUCK.” Cruz’s shouting and a pounding noise instantly woke and startled Daniella.

Crap! He came back early!

Sliding out of bed, she tiptoed down the steps. Cruz was sitting on the couch, his back to her, and she wondered what preoccupied and pissed him off. She nearly tumbled down the steps when he jumped up. He had a yellow mailing sleeve in one hand and pictures in the other. The way he shook his head told her something in those pictures set him off.

Cruz flipped around and she instantly stilled. His eyes blazed with fury. There were pictures in his hand and he threw them at her.

“What is th—” Daniella’s jaw dropped. The pictures. What they were. How it looked. “No. This isn’t right. I was with Meg,” she whispered.

There were pictures of a black SUV in front of the house, in the driveway, the same black SUV that sat in her driveway when Cruz was out of town.

Pictures of the black SUV parked near her mustang at the outlet mall. Pictures of…

“Oh my god.” She covered her mouth and shook her head. Pictures of Blake leaving the mall. Pictures of her leaving the mall. The date and time coincided with each picture, making it appear as if…

She glanced at Cruz.

The vile look in his eyes, the way he accused her without words caused her great panic.

“That’s impossible! Meg asked me to go to the mall those days. I swear!” She cried. She couldn’t believe this. This was her life? This insanity!

He shook papers at her. “Then explain why
your
phone log shows
his
number. Not once, but many, many times. And my favorite… these texts right here!” He threw several sheets of phone logs at her.

Anxiety built in her stomach as she read the logs.

Blake Sheldon:
Hey, babe. Your hotel key is taped on your front door… Just come on in. Tonight’s gonna be a good time. A really good time. You’re all mine. Damn. I’ve got a boner already! Haha.

Daniella Canton:
Really? Since when am I your ‘babe’? And I didn’t know you were capable of popping a boner! I think I’m afraid… really, REALLY afraid!

Blake Sheldon:
Tonight you’re my babe :}. And darlin’, I’m warnin ya, I’m a gonna be poking and probing you all night long. Ahhhhhh!

Daniella Canton:
I’ve never seen this side of you. Dang! You’re dirty!

Blake Sheldon:
You have no idea just how dirty! Love ya. Can’t wait. Gotta work now.

“It was her. Meg. She called and texted me from that number!”

“Right!” he spat. “And she just happens to be buddies with your ex, Blake? Meg doesn’t know anything more than you’ve ever told her about him, Daniella. And you did all of this sneaking around when I was out of town. To think I trusted you!”

 
This was so easy—so easy for him to pin it all on her. Hell, there was evidence, though false, but convincing nonetheless. What about his own infidelities?

“Lying. Me.” She shook her head. “No. That’s you. That’s Meg. This is all about you two. I know what you’re doing, you bastard. You two had this all set up. All planned and—”

“Bullshit! You’re twisted.”

“NO CRUZ, you are! You and Meg—”

“You’re such a great liar!” Cruz interjected. “Too bad there’s video footage to discredit you. Pinning this on Meg? Or me? Take a fucking look at the two of you and then lie to me again.” He grabbed the controller, flicked on the television and slipped a disc into the DVD player.

Soundless video footage showed…
Blake Sheldon?
… entering a room at the Hilton.

“I met Meg there, when you were out of town.” Her heart skipped frantically.
Why was
Blake there? What is happening!

“Then explain this.” Cruz’s tone was flat and he didn’t bother to look at Daniella.

The next clip showed her entering the same room! But it was the room Meg had rented.

In the dark room lay two bodies entwined together. And then she recognized him.
No! Not—
Blake Sheldon!
He was naked and a naked female lay under him. He glanced directly at the camera and smiled. It was a smile just for Daniella that said:
Remember? I told you you’d be sorry! And you’d regret it.
Mark my fucking words!
And then turned back to the female. She wrapped her legs around his waist, making it obvious as to what they were doing.

Why is he showing me this? He can’t possibly believe…

“So, what’s your point?”

“So? So what’s my fucking point? You’re screwing him and you have the nerve to say SO!” His face was beet red and veins popped along his temples.

“That. Is. Not. Me!” She grabbed his arm. “Do you hear me? That’s not me!”

Cruz reached up, pried her fingers off his bicep and roughly pushed her away. “Then why is that your wedding ring I see on that hand?” He stilled the screen, clenched Daniella’s arm, and dragged her in front of the television.

Her jaw went slack as she stared at the video. What could she say? It was clearly her wedding ring, but it wasn’t on her finger. Daniella knew it would be pointless to say it wasn’t her hand, or her naked body beneath Blake. Hell. It was pretty convincing, and if she were Cruz, she’d probably believe it was her too, but it was too dark to discern. The only thing clear, when pointed out, was Daniella’s wedding ring on fingers attached to a hand clenching a fistful of black hair belonging to the naked man, who was most certainly Blake Sheldon.