the woman in the photo, he'd keep looking at it.
****
There was no greater impact than seeing a set of bags packed and on a doorstep to know a problem was erupting. Or at least Samantha hoped.
Blake had lied to her. Instead of coming to her with a problem they could have possibly found a solution for, he'd manipulated the situation to produce an outcome to suit his needs. Memories of her father's arrest, of the feelings Dan provoked with his deceit surfaced.
Blake knew her secrets, her insecurities, and played on them to get what he needed.
Yes, together they'd embarked on this deal with the devil. Marry to suit the needs of a dead man and both leave in the end richer. But that had changed as their attraction grew, as a child had been conceived.
Samantha grasped her belly that had just started to stretch beyond the limits of her jeans. She held in her hand a glass of wine she'd only sipped once. Stomaching more wasn't an option. For as much as she wanted to hurt Blake, she wanted nothing to do with harming her child.
Damn him. Damn him for making her love him, trust him, and then blowing that all to hell.
The key in the lock twisted and Samantha set her gaze on the bags sitting by the door and lifted the glass of wine in her hand. Perhaps she should have been an actress. Blake had certainly missed his calling.
Two steps into the room and out of the corner of her eye, she noted Blake's hesitation. "Samantha?"
She'd thought of what to say all afternoon. The image of her running, not saying a thing to his face and leaving him with the knowledge that she'd simply left held some merit. But in the end, she couldn't leave without a final word of disapproval.
"When were you going to tell me?" she said as he inched into the room as if walking around a minefield full of bombs ready to explode.
"Tell you what?"
"You spent time at your lawyer's today; surely you spoke of the will."
Blake held still.
Samantha slowly moved her head in his direction but she took a considerable amount of time before leveling her eyes to his. When she did, she noted how he glanced between the wine glass in her hand to her face. Even now, she thought, he considered their child before her. For effect, she brought the beverage to her lips, pretended to drink, and then lowered the glass.
"What's going on, Samantha?" His gaze shot to the bags she'd packed so she could make a somewhat graceful exit.
"I thought we were going to be honest with each other. What happened to that, Blake?"
"Sam, what are you talking about?"
Unable to sit, she stood and placed the wine on the table, nearly spilling it. To Blake, she probably looked as if she'd been drinking too much. Just as well, she thought. "Your father's will. What did it really say? Or did you think I'd never find out?"
Blake's eyes grew wide, his lips fell in a tight line.
His expression said all she needed to know.
Guilt... maybe a little remorse. But for what? Remorse over being caught in a lie?
"I didn't think it was important."
"You didn't think telling me your father mandated an heir was important for me to know?"
Blake shut his eyes, accepting her words.
And that said everything.
Killing the tears before they had a chance to fall, Samantha squared her shoulders and stormed toward her duke. "Honesty was what defined us. But you couldn't trust me with that, could you?"
Blake opened his eyes and watched her approach. "I didn't want to burden you with details."
Her jaw dropped in a sarcastic laugh. "Burden me? God, you actually believe yourself. You're no better than your father. You tell everyone around you how it's going to be, force your ways on others, and they fall into step."
He reached out, but Samantha sidestepped away from his hands. "Don't touch me. Those days are over."
"Samantha, please, I know this seems - "
"I know this is, Blake. You lied to me about your father's will."
"I found out about the second condition after we were married."
Her stomach twisted. This stress couldn't be good for the baby. She forced a big breath of air into her lungs and blew it out slowly. "That may be, but it didn't stop you from making sure you'd win in the end, did it?"
Blake shook his head. "What are you saying? We both knew the risks when we slept together."
"Don't you dare.