Chapter Fifty Five

Torn in two by the agony of his betrayal and the effort of holding on to her steadily collapsing emotind, she walked across the room and stared out the window. Then she trun, her voice little more than a whisper. "You bastard"

Something flickered across his face

He had the look of a man who knew he was under attack but so far hadn't managed to identify the enemy.

"Kelly...." he began, but she didn't let him finish.

"I thought you cared. I really thought you cared about me. And what sort of a fool does that make me? You lied to me"

He rose to his feet in a fluid movement, his hands on the table. "I didn't lie. Kelly, We need to...."

"All those things we did together. All that time we spent together" she lifted a hand to her forehead and rubbed. "All those things you said to me. And you didn't mean any of them"

"That's not true... You are being hysterical"

"Too right I'm hysterical. You made them withdraw them contract offer. We could have gotten it so you found a way to stop it. Just like you did with Edward" her voice cracked as she said the words. "All you have done since we met is find ways to ruin my life and I can't believe I let myself be so blind. You did all this so I would let down my guard... married me just so you could have the company. It was never about helping me. What sort of scumbag does a thing like that? Just to get what you want...the baby came at the right time, didn't it? So you grabbed the opportunity. It was never about wanting a family for your child"

He inhaled sharply and opened his mouth but she didn't give him a chance to speak.

"Are you sure you can stand me forever, Dimitri? I can't believe what a fool I have been. It all makes sense to me now. I thought getting married was you trying to do the right thing for your child but I realize how stupid I was to even think that a selfish person like you would put another person before yourself. What was all that romantic gesture during the honey moon for? To make sure that I couldn't see what you were up to. You are a ruthless, conscienceless rat and I can't believe that I actually married a scum bag like you.

Muttering something she didn't hear, he moved so swiftly that she didn't see it coming until his fingers gripped the top of her arms, until she had her back against the wall.

"That's enough! You have had your say, now it is your turn to listen!" he thundered.

"I don't want to listen. I have heard enough of your lies"

"You will listen to me..."

"Why? So that you can tell me more lies?" Kelly asked him.

His powerful body pressed against hers, but careful so he wouldn't press hard against her stomach and she felt the familiar curl of excitement low in her stomach. The instinctive response sickened her. Even now, knowing what she knew, her body failed to recognize the man he was.

"Face it, Dimitri, there is no way you can dig yourself out of this hole. You are in so deep that even a rope and a ladder wouldn't save you now" she said. She tried to push him away but he planted an arm either side of her head blocking her escape.

"I insist that you calm down and listen to me. Already I have allowed you more leeway than any other person"

"Oh fuck you, Dimitri. Is that supposed to flatter me? No other person had the company you wanted, did they, Dimitri? It's amazing what you can get away with when the stakes are high enough"

She could feel the tension pulsing through him and wondered with a flicker of alarm whether she had gone too far.

"Listen to me, Kelly" he growled "or so help me I will make you and you may not like my methods"

Eyes clashed, breath mingled and the atmosphere snapped tight around them. She had a feeling that his methods would include his mouth on hers and she wanted to avoid that at all costs.

Even after what had happened, she knew herself well enough to understand that If he kissed her she was lost.

"Speak, then. Make your excuses. Tell me you didn't do it. Tell me it's a lie"

"It isn't a lie" Dimitri said.

The flat, simple sentence sent a sharp pain through the center of her chest, killing off the final flicker of hope that it had all been a terrible misunderstanding on her part.

"Then I truly, truly hate you and there is no excuse for what you have done" she whispered. Her knees sagged and she would have slid into a heap on the floor if he hadn't caught her.

"I do not intend to make excuses" Dimitri said. "I wanted Darcy Enterprises and I knew that I wouldn't get what I wanted if you got the contract so I pulled a few strings and...."

"When did you do this?" Kelly asked, "Was it before or after I told you I was pregnant?"

"Before...." Dimitri replied.

"So that was when we were sleeping together. I thought that I was hanging out and having a good time... I thought I was bonding with you whereas, you were working behind my back to ruin my life... Even after your shitty apology. I was so stupid to believe that you were actually sorry about anything. And when you found out that I was pregnant, the only reasons why you insisted on getting married was because it was an easier way to get what you wanted"

He tensed, "You are making it look bad, but..."

"I fail to see how even someone as ruthless and machiavellian as you could put gloss on this situation" she said trying to stop her teeth from chattering, "And No matter how you try to rephrase it, it isn't going to look good.

"You too have gained from this marriage and you know that" he said in a raw tone.

"I got the company out of debt. You still have it.... And the opposite would have been the case if not for me"