”Sugar, why didn't you call me like we agreed?” George asked somewhat reprehensibly as he got out of his car and met her in front of the gate, reaching to take her bag from her. “You got me worried sick and I was heading to the airport to look for you.”

She looked at George, the love and concern in his eyes for her, and her heart begun cracking. She was going to lose it all soon, his love. The only thing keeping the susceptible organ in her chest from shattering was the hope that George, being his good self, would decide to forgive her flaws.

“I'm sorry, I just needed to do something very important.” She held his hand as they walked back into the house. “Have you eaten?”

She sudden felt him withdraw again like he was doing before she left for Carlifornia. “Maggie was about serving something, but I realized you were keeping too long and your phone was switched off.”

Dinner was an awkward affair, with George seeming unnerved and she filled with fear, and they ate in perpetual silence, her aunt gazing between them speculatively. Eva had picked up Amy hours ago. Seemingly trying to break the tension, the older woman asked, “How do you feel after forgiving your father?” It was obvious George had informed her already.

Emma shrugged as a happy smile stole the edges of her lips and curved them up. “I can't explain precisely, aunt. But it feels. . . wonderful.” She turned to look at George and met his eyes. “You were right, coconut. It does feel nice to live without the burden of an anger for someone deep in your heart.”

George smiled, and Emma went on to talk about Martha and Jake and Jack and the coffee event they'd attended. When dinner was over, it suddenly dawned on Emma that it was time—time to tell George the truth and risk losing him.

George silently led her upstairs. Once they were in the room he led her to the bed, and she sat beside him. “Sugar, there's something I need to tell you.”

“No George. What I have to tell you is more important.” She felt her lips tremble. She didn't want George to share good news only for her to crush his happiness with her confession.

Feeling a well of emotion, she kissed him passionately, fearing that it was going to be their last. Pulling back, she fought and thrashed and trampled the fears that were trying to weigh down her resolve, and before exhaustion took her from struggling against the strong force, she let it out.

“I've cheated on you.”

Waiting for a reaction, she looked into his eyes, her heart pounding wildly against her chest, each pulse of the vital organ trampling her hopes and feeding her apprehension.

His eyes crinkled uncertainly, and a confused smile touched his lips. “I don't understand. What do you mean by you've cheated on me?” He asked as if the answer wasn't the most obvious thing.

Realizing how much damage her choice of words could do, she hastened to make it better. “I don't mean I actually cheated on you as in I and... It's just. I lied to you. I've been lying to you for weeks now.”

“Just what could you lie about?” He looked at her quizzically, his smile slowly morphing into a frown.

“About Zain.” She had to force the words past her furious heart. “I lied when I told you that the two of us were merely friends back in university. He's that Zain, the man I'd been in love with. The one who's cancer separated us.”

Shock and denial blazed in his eyes as he smiled shakily, like he wasn't quite ready to believe her. “What are you saying, sugar? You couldn't have lied to me. You wouldn't. Tell me this is just some kind of joke.” She nearly flinched when he held her hand and looked into her eyes, green eyes intense and analytic and yet pleading.

This was her chance to eat back her words, and yet she couldn't continue lying to him. Despite the fear that gripped her, she whispered. “No George, it's true.”

Slowly he let go of her hand as he slowly got up to his feet, taking some steps forward so she couldn't see his face. “Why?” His voice came out breathlessly as if the honesty in her confession was suddenly crashing down on him, betraying the fact that he'd been holding his breath.

“I was scared.”

“Scared of what?” He spun around to face her, his sharp tone making every fibre in her body freeze.

Swallowing hard as she felt tears sting her eyes, she said, “When Zain returned he told me he wanted me back, not caring that I'm married. And then you brought him here to the house as your business partner and I panicked.”

“That was no damn reason to lie!” He suddenly lashed out, and she could feel his incredulity transforming to anger.

“I know it wasn't.” She let out desperately as she stood to stand behind him. “I seriously don't know what got over me. I feared he would destroy the happiness we had. Then Zain told me that he'd decided to respect my marriage and get over me, and I didn't feel threatened any longer. So I decided to just keep quiet about it because I didn't want your business relations with him to be awkward.”

“Of course you did.” George said lowly, yet the sarcasm and the scorn that laced it had her pulse quickening erratically, her heart squeezing so tight she feared it would just crumble under the effect.

“Yes I did.” She held his shoulder, hoping she could touch him through that, and yet feeling the last bits of her hope slip through her fingers.“I know now that it was stupid of me. But I'd never expected that Zain was merely playing a game and that he only wanted to manipulate me and make me realize that I still loved him.”

George turned sharply, almost so abruptly that she couldn't hold the gasp that erupted from her throat. “What?... You. . . you still love him?”

“No!” The fear that almost tangibly streaked through him was too hard to bear. “I don't love him. I swear that I don't. I swear that I love you. It's just. . . it's just. . . Zain did his best to confuse me. I told him I loved you with all my heart but he wouldn't budge, and he made me believe that I still had feelings for him.”  She realized she was blabbing anything to justify herself.

Suddenly, George laughed. It was a bitter, mirthless laughter that made her heart squeeze further, and for every purposeful step he took forward, she took one back.

“So now Zain dictates to you your own feelings? He now tells you what to feel?” His voice quavered with a rage and a hurt she knew he had every right to feel.

She felt her back hit the wall, George glaring into her eyes as he stopped in front of her. “So tell me. What other lies have you told me, huh?” Stepping back, he cocked his head to the side, biting down on his lips in mock speculation.

“When you told me that the reason for you distancing yourself from me was because you didn't think you deserved me after considering the possibility that I could turn into someone like your father was 16 years ago, it was all a lie, wasn't it?”

He chuckled humorlessly, as if reality was finally unraveling with an acerbic clarity for him. “In Miami, when I found Zain in our hotel room, and you told me that he'd only wanted to put Amy to sleep it'd all been a lie? And that jerk Zain.” He snorted disgustedly. “The reason why he refused to become friends was because he was planning on stealing my wife!”

Letting out a rough breath through his mouth, George brushed his hands through his hair, and Emma would give anything to wipe away the self-derisive arch of his mouth.

“How could I have been so stupid? How could I have been so blind? Why did I refuse to read the signs? I noticed your lack of enthusiasm after meeting a 'very good friend' from your university days, and I chose to ignore it. Zain preferred to keep things strictly business between us and he wouldn't even let us talk about you, but I thought that's just him.”

“In Miami, I saw the looks the two of you exchanged, and I told myself I was being too paranoid. I even chastised myself for the nagging feeling that something was going on. The two of you must've laughed at me. God, I'm the stupidest man in the whole world.”

“George, no. Please don't say that.” Tears streaming down her face, she made to touch him but he jerked away before her hands could reach him.

Wrapping her arms around herself, she shivered as cold stole through her, petrified of the ominous possibility of George leaving her, leaving her to the bleakness she knew life without him would be.

“I wanted to tell you, but by the time Zain finally revealed his intentions, I'd kept that lie for so long and I feared how you would react. I didn't want to fall in your eyes, but one lie led to another until I felt I wouldn't be able to tell you without you hating me.”

George groaned loudly, like someone in pain, the guttural sound making her heart ache. Except she knew this had nothing to do with the physical. He teetered back and forth, his whole body cracking with his barely contained anger. Suddenly, he hit a wall far from where she stood, and Emma screamed, feeling his pain, shutting her eyes tightly.

Suddenly, rough hands grabbed her by the arm and pulled her away from the wall. Her eyes snapping open, she met the green fire in George's yes. It blazed with hurt, anger indignation, disgust. . . hatred.

God he hated her. George hated her.

“Did you sleep with him, huh?” He demanded, shaking her violently when Emma could only break into sobs. “Did you go to bed with him?”

George had never manhandled her before, and she'd never seen him like this before. With the painful observation, she realized that she'd hurt him more than anybody had ever done. Not even his father. And she was supposed to love and cherish him, the one woman he would've never expected it from.

“I would never do that to you George. You know me.” She whispered between her sobs. And she didn't want to cry because she didn't want to appear anymore manipulative and disgusting than she already was in his eyes. “I swear I never slept with him. We only kissed some times and...”

Oh God. She felt like she was caught in a cleft stick; nothing she said would be appeasing enough for the man who's feelings she'd hurt so much.

He suddenly let go of her, stepping away and yet not breaking eye contact. “You only kissed some times, huh?” His words basked in sarcasm, his tone low yet scathing. “And no, I thought I knew you well. Until tonight."

When he backed away and rushed outside after opening the door, Emma felt her worse nightmare come to life. Panic zinging through her veins, she followed him outside, hoping she could salvage everything with her pleas.

“Coconut. Please don't go. You don't know how sorry I am. Please  forgive me.” She felt her voice breaking as she followed him through the hallway, having to trot to keep up with his long, charged strides. “Where are you going?”

He didn't answer as they descended the stairs and headed for the door. Just when he held the doorknob, she threw herself at him desperately and clutched his biceps. “I love you, please. And I can't live without you. Please don't leave me. I'm so sorry. Please forgive me.”

George looked at her hand on his arm, then met her gaze, his filled with a disdain she knew couldn't be for any one else. “No, Emma, you forgive me. Forgive me for being so lovesick and so damn blind with trust that I never figured any of this out.”

He jerked his arm from her hold and stepped out. As the door banged shut behind him, Emma heard the distant voice of her aunt calling her name as she sank to the floor, the tears wrenching out of her as she muttered continuously, “Please forgive me. Don't leave me, Coconut, don't leave me...”

And yet despite her pleas, she knew the dice was cast and there was no longer any room for manoeuvering; she'd lost George forever.