Page 69 of Chance of Romance
She was glad she hadn’t brought a lot of stuff with her. It made this all easier. As if saying goodbye to Logan could ever be easy. She went straight to his bedroom, where she’d expected to have more time in his arms, and now she just wanted to get away as quickly as possible. She pulled on socks and shoes, too worked up to bother changing out of her pajamas. She’d just throw her winter coat over it.
Logan walked in. “Sabrina, I know this is a shock. I’m still half in shock too, but it doesn’t mean you have to go.”
She struggled to get a deep breath. “I can’t. I’m sorry, it’s just too much.” She put up a hand, trying to keep some distance between them. “It’s not you, it’s not us, it’s just…the situation.”
She wheeled her suitcase out of the closet and set it on the end of the bed.
“So does this mean the fake marriage is done or we’re done?” he asked quietly.
Her lower lip wobbled and she bit it. “I think we need some time apart.”
“I don’t want that.”
“I do.” She quickly emptied her one drawer and tossed it all in the suitcase.
“Maybe you could move with me, if it comes down to it. Open a practice out in San Francisco.”
She yanked the zipper on the suitcase, her vision blurring with tears. The zipper jammed, and she struggled with it, swearing up a storm.
His big hand closed over hers, pulling it away from the zipper, and pulling her into his arms.
She shoved at his chest. “I need to go.”
“I don’t want you to leave when you’re so upset.”
She lifted her chin, trying to be strong. “I’m fine.”
“You’re not fine.”
A tear escaped and she wiped it away. “Okay, you want to know the truth? Before you told me your big news, I was working up the nerve to tell you I love you. There, I said it. I love you. And then you tell me you’re moving to be a dad with a woman who never deserved you, and ithurts. Okay? I’m hurting, and I need to go so I can stop hurting.”
“Okay.” He released her and zipped up her suitcase for her, setting it by her feet.
She grabbed the suitcase handle and walked out on shaky legs, nausea rising in her throat. Not just because of Olivia and Logan, which was bad enough. Because he didn’t say he loved her back.
~ ~ ~
Sabrina wasn’t surprised to see the gossipy news sites breaking the news the next day about her fake marriage. Claire had spun it like Sabrina and Logan hadn’t filed the paperwork, so it turned out the marriage wasn’t valid, but fake marriage headlines were way more juicy. None of it mattered now in light of the Olivia bombshell.
Last night she’d made it all the way home without breaking down, took one step into her apartment, and bawled her eyes out. Then she texted all of her friends, telling them she and Logan were through and why. It wasn’t just a break; it was a breakup. Her life had become the circus of her childhood, with messy relationships, children out of wedlock, and way too much drama.
She just couldnotgo there again.
The next day, Friday, she turned off her Google alerts after a gossip site wrote a truly awful article about the love triangle between the Hollywood Love Guru (her), her fake husband, and his pregnant ex. Only Olivia could’ve spilled the pregnancy news. Sabrina’s friends would never have added fuel to the fire. Neither would Logan. But why would Olivia want the world to know she was pregnant from a man who was linked to someone else? It had to be pure venomous spite for Sabrina.
She dragged herself through work, not daring to cancel any of her remaining client appointments, no matter how bitter she felt about anything ever working out for anybody in a committed relationship. It shouldn’t be so hard for couples. Love should smooth the way. But if there was no love, or unrequited love, then there was nothing.
She drove home from work on Friday relieved she hadn’t run into Logan in their office building. She’d rushed in and out of the building and stayed in her office the whole day to make sure she didn’t. He’d probably be flying out to California soon, getting that paternity test.
What if it wasn’t his?
What if Olivia wasn’t even pregnant at all? What if she’d lied to get back at Logan for dumping her? Or to get back at Sabrina for telling Logan about Olivia’s cheating?
There was a way to find out. Why hadn’t she thought of this sooner? As soon as she got home, she dug into her purse for the business card she’d tossed in there. Good thing she hadn’t cleaned out her purse or she would’ve thrown away her connection to the one man who could help her, who specialized in taking sneaky pictures, who owed her for the big payday she’d given him with an exclusive picture—her dad.
~ ~ ~
Two days later, Sunday night, Sabrina had some photographic evidence. Her dad, still out in California thankfully, had sent her pictures of Olivia with Anil, the same man she’d been with for bathroom sex. And guess what they were doing? Shopping for baby clothes. She was definitely pregnant if she was shopping for baby stuff, and it looked like Anil was a real possibility for the father. In the picture, Anil was holding up a baby sleeper and Olivia was beaming.
