Page 81 of Surviving Love
I gritted my teeth. “Sherry told me and Harold about your wife and kid. You can stop pretending to be some innocent victim now, okay?”
He closed his eyes briefly, and when he opened them, his eyes were filled with pain. “You don’t know what you think you do.”
“Right.” I curled my lip. “What I do know is I’m not the kind of person who messes around with married men, but you turned me into that. I thought you were this smart, honorable guy, when in truth, you’re nothing but a lying, cheating jerk who will doanythingto win a TV show.”
He let out a tired breath. “You’re wrong. I… I see why you’d think that because you’re completely misinformed. But you’re making your assumptions without any facts.”
“Sherry doesn’t strike me as someone who makes stuff up, Jack.” I held his gaze, my stomach churning. “Did you or did you not tell her that photo you keep in your shaving kit was your wife and daughter?”
He was pale as he watched me. “I did tell her that.”
I looked to the sky, scowling. “Then why are you saying I don’t know the whole story?”
His face flinched, and the pain returned to his golden eyes. “Because I didn’t lie toyou, Mason.” He sounded breathless. “I… I lied to Sherry.”
Chapter Seventeen
“What?” I squinted at him, completely confused.
He swallowed, and his throat moved as if he was having trouble speaking. “The photo I keep in my shaving kit isn’t of my wife. I don’t have a wife.”
Apprehension ate at me as I watched him struggle to find the words.
“That photo,” he said softly. “That photo is of my sister, Abby, and her daughter, Molly.”
“You have a sister?”
He winced. “Yes.”
I blinked at him, feeling muddled. “I don’t understand. Why would you lie to Sherry about that? Why would you say you’re married if you’re not?”
“Because the truth is worse than the lie.”
“I don’tunderstand, Jack.” Even I could hear the frustration in my voice. “You’re not making any sense.”
He flicked a wary glance at the camera. “I came out here prepared to fight my way to the million dollars.”
“Okay, so then, why lie to Sherry? Why say your sister is your wife?”
“Because she saw the photo. I had to say something.”
“Right. Here’s an idea: why not just tell the truth?” I said, feeling exasperated.
Through clenched teeth, he growled, “Because I don’t want pity votes.”
“And why in the heck would that haveanythingto do with the lie you told about your sister?”
Again, he shot an uneasy glance toward the camera. “Because my sister died,” he whispered. “Abby killed herself last year.”
Horror washed through me, and my mouth fell open. “What?”
He kept his gaze pinned on the sand. “It was never my intention to even mention what happened with my sister. But when Sherry saw the photo, that lie about having a wife just fell out of my mouth. I was just trying to avoid telling her the truth.”
“My god,” I whispered. “Your sister took her own life?”
He nodded slowly. “Yes.”
“I’m so sorry. That… that’s terrible.”
