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Blind Truth

Jenna Guy

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PuBlished in 2010 By Book rePuBlic

Book republic, office 19, dunboyne Business Park, dunboyne, co. Meath, ireland.

http://www.bookrepublic.ieinfo@bookrepublic.ie

isBn: 978-1-907221-07-1

Text copyright © 2010 Jenna Guyinternal layout © 2010 Book republic

5 4 3 2 1

The paper used in this book comes from wood pulp of managed forests. For every tree felled, at least one tree is planted, thereby renewing natural resources.

The moral rights of the author have been asserted.

All rights reserved.

no part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means without written permission from the publisher, except by a reviewer who wishes to quote brief passages in connection with a review written for insertion in a newspaper, magazine or broadcast.

A ciP catalogue record for this book is available from theBritish library.

ediTor’s noTe

This is a work of fiction. Any resemblance between anyone living or dead is coincidental.

dedicationDedicated to the loving memory of my mother, Jean Guy, who continues to be the inspiration for everything I do.

7

The butterflies in my stomach were doing somersaults as I walked up the driveway. I couldn’t explain the nervous feeling I had, it’s not like I was going on a first date—more like the five hundredth! I rang the doorbell and Rob answered before I could lower myself off the porch step. As always, he looked gorgeous. His sandy hair was neatly trimmed, and his face was freshly shaven. He took my hand and kissed me on my lips with such enthusiasm I nearly fell over. I was used to the normal half-a-second greeting kiss most couples settle for after their first year together. My suspicions were confirmed; Rob had been acting strange all week. Something exciting was about to happen, and I couldn’t wait to find out what it was.

“You look stunning, and you’re late—as always—so I can’t invite you in,” he said as he led me to the car. I knew I was on time, I had been ready for three hours, but I left him to it. I hadn’t even questioned him when he insisted that I meet him at his parents’ house. Why are men so obvious when they are planning something? I knew he would accidentally disclose his plans under scrutiny, so I contently gave in to his request. I sat into his coupe, flattening my silk dress as I did so it wouldn’t crease. There was a little box on the dashboard with a pink ribbon tied in a bow and a card with Kristin neatly written on it. Rob’s handwriting was like a four-year-old’s, but he had tried his

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best to make it look fancy. I couldn’t hide the smile on my face.

“Are you going to open it?” he asked, looking quite pleased with himself. It was not what I was hoping for. Rob and I had been together for two years, and it was common knowledge that we were made for each other. However, a proposal in the driveway of his parents’ house was not exactly what I had in mind. I slowly undid the bow and opened the box to find a pink lace blindfold. My face fell.

“That’s lovely, Rob. What exactly is it for?” I asked him, concerned as to what his answer might be. I began to wonder whether I had had the wrong idea entirely. He grinned and slowly pushed my hair back over my shoulders, placing the blindfold over my head and eyes.

“Don’t say a word. It’s my night, and you do what I say,” he whispered. I could tell he enjoyed taking charge for once. It was usually me who called the shots.

“Okay, okay, not a word, but we better not be going far,” I replied, folding my arms. I wanted to give the impression that I had no idea he was up to something. I couldn’t tell him that I had had my make up done professionally for the night, and I was picturing glitter and eyeliner smeared over my face when I took the blindfold off. I had told the girl in the beauticians that I was going to a ball, so it was way over the top—I just wanted to look perfect.

The car revved as Rob drove it out of the gate and around the corner. I tried to map the route out in my head as he drove, but I couldn’t help fantasising about what was about to happen. Simone had been right. She told me Rob was acting strange last Saturday when she bumped into him shopping in the city. Somehow, she had convinced herself he was buying an engagement ring. Either that or he was out with another girl. I was confident it was the former. I knew him well enough at this stage to trust him completely. Rob’s friends weren’t great believers in fidelity

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and, because of them, I had feared the worst when we first started dating, even though he was everything you could hope for in a boyfriend. now, however, I knew he only had eyes for me. He had told me enough times that I was the one, and I certainly felt that way about him.

The car gently came to a halt. I listened intriguingly as he helped me out of the car and led me into a building. I tried my best not to stumble in my four-inch stilettos as he guided me in a straight line. I quickly adjusted my hair as he undid the blindfold, and I opened my eyes slowly to uncover the most beautiful sight I had ever seen. I was standing on a wooden deck surrounded by what looked like a million fairy lights; either that or he had somehow whizzed me off to Mars to give me a private viewing of the Milky Way! There was an array of exotic flowers around us, which softly cushioned my fall back down to earth. The petals swayed gently in the soft breeze, enveloping us in their sweet aroma. There was also a table in the middle of the deck with two glasses and a bottle of champagne on ice. If it were not for the fact that we had only been in the car for about ten minutes, I would have sworn we were in the Caribbean, not dreary Dublin.

I couldn’t speak. It took me a second to realise that we were back at Rob’s parents’ house. He had texted me earlier that day to tell me he would be over there watching the football with his dad. Even though I thought it was a bit strange that he wasn’t going to come home for a bit beforehand, like he normally would have, I didn’t want to let loose my suspicions by questioning him. It all suddenly made sense. I figured Rob’s parents were away for the weekend, and there was no way he could have organised something like this in our apartment. I would have known something was going on immediately and, besides, we didn’t even have a garden. Rob had pretended we were

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going out for a meal when, all along, he must have been just driving around the neighbourhood.

I gazed adoringly at him. “What do you think?” he asked, evidently proud of

himself. “It’s beautiful, Rob. I don’t know what to say,” I

replied, suddenly feeling nervous. He gently took my hand and lowered himself on to his right knee. My heart nearly stopped. I bit my lip tightly and tried to fight back my tears.

He coughed to clear his throat. “Kristin, you are the most beautiful, intelligent and sexy woman put on this earth. I cannot believe how lucky I am to have you. You complete my life in every way, and I can’t wait any longer to call you my wife. Will you marry me?” His tone was so smooth and confident; he must have practiced this a thousand times over. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a tiny pink box and opened it up to reveal a beautiful diamond ring. It was a single diamond on a platinum band and, judging by the sparkle, it was easily two carats.

I helped him up from the ground. “nothing would make me happier, Rob,” I announced proudly. Then the tears came. I wrapped my arms around his neck and dug my face into his shoulder.

“Don’t worry, I’ve booked us a suite in the Shelbourne for tonight,” he whispered into my ear. I hugged him tight, relieved at the fact that we wouldn’t have to spend our first night as an engaged couple in his old bedroom. Pictures of half-naked models wouldn’t exactly have set the mood for toasting our future. He had thought of everything, and it was the most perfect evening I could ever have imagined.

“I love you so much. I am the luckiest girl alive,” I whispered in response.

11

My mother’s face fell dramatically when I told her of my plans to propose to Kristin. We were sitting in the living room of my parents’ house, having afternoon tea. “Are you sure that’s what you want, Robert?” she asked me, nearly choking on the French fancy she was attempting to swallow.

“Yes, Mother; you know it is, and there is no need to be so obvious that you’re against it,” I said in as angry a tone as I was permitted to use in front of her. I thought back to the day I first brought Kristin home to meet my parents. They couldn’t have been more thrilled with her. I watched my mother’s eyes light up when Kristin walked in the door. She was wearing a purple knit dress and Ralph lauren knee-high boots; my mother had recognised the designer labels instantly. There was no denying how beautiful she was, and the delight in my parents’ eyes confirmed that they knew I had found the perfect match. I had never before introduced a girl to my family, because I knew no one would ever be good enough in their eyes. Therefore, the fact that I so readily invited Kristin over to meet them let them know clearly that, as far as I was concerned, she was the one for me.

“Don’t get me wrong, Robert, Kristin is to die for. It’s her family I’m thinking of,” she continued, attaching a filter to the bottom of her cigarette before lighting up. I couldn’t hide the shame on my face as she spoke the

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words. My father is a very successful property developer, and my mother’s father was a wealthy landowner. My mother wouldn’t know what a one euro coin was if you bounced it off her head. I will never forget the look of horror on her face when Kristin told them she went to a public school. It was as though they were convinced her good looks meant she was the product of a royal lineage or something. The shine my mother had first taken to her faded instantly when Kristin disclosed her family history under the embarrassing scrutiny that was second nature to my parents. When she told them her father was a public servant, I thought my mother would have heart failure at the table. Kristin, however, was unaware of their feelings, and I tried my best to keep it that way.

“Mother, there is nothing I can do about her parents. They’re harmless. You are such a snob,” I scolded her. Her snobbery was unbearable at times.

“Well, if being a snob means wanting your youngest son to marry as best he can, then yes, I am a snob,” she replied, relishing the thought. I knew there was no point in arguing with her. She was set in her ways, and there was nothing I could do to change it.

I can’t deny the fact that Kristin’s mother drove me crazy, however. Ever since the first day I met her, she did all she could to ensure Kristin and I would get engaged. The icing on the cake was when she called me up to offer me her mother’s wedding ring, just in case I ever thought of popping the question. I wanted to tell her that I earned a six figure salary and a second-hand ring wouldn’t cut it for Kristin, but I had no option but to tell her I would consider it if I ever got the urge to propose. Her father, on the other hand, was a gentleman. I knew he wouldn’t be able to contribute to the cost of the wedding, however, and I felt sorry for him. He only ever wished to give Kristin everything she wanted, and I think he found it hard that

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I was taking his place as the one who would provide for her.

“Mother, after the wedding we will most likely move to the uK, or even new York,” I told her in an effort to reassure her that she wouldn’t be forced to spend each Saturday or Sunday “enjoying brunch with a middle class family”, as she put it. I knew Kristin would hate the thought of moving abroad, but she also loved me enough to follow me wherever I wanted to go. I hadn’t told her I’d already filled out a transfer request at work and was guaranteed the next post abroad that came up in the company, which would probably be in the next few months. I couldn’t wait for the two of us to start our new life together, away from both of our families.

“I’m just saying, Rob, that if she wasn’t so beautiful you wouldn’t think twice about marrying a girl like her,” my mother said, thinking she knew me inside out. I was livid that she’d think that way about me, her own son. Kristin was the most gorgeous girl I had ever seen, but she was more than just a trophy wife. It was true that her looks were what drew me to her in the first place, but it took more than that to keep me. I hadn’t even thought about anyone else since we got together, which was a first in itself. I was known for having more than one girl at a time and, up until I met Kristin, I didn’t think I would ever be any other way.

“Well, Mother, she is the most beautiful girl in the world to me, and I can’t wait to call her my wife,” I replied angrily before storming out the door. I decided that if I needed to cut myself away from my family just to be with Kristin, I would do it—happily.