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He stopped less than a foot away, bearing down on her with his overwhelanant act? According to you, we had only a sexual liaison, and you ended it Now that it would be feasible and pleasurable for both of us to resurrect it, why are you behaving as if I once betrayed you? As if I’e of you?”

“Because you did And you are”

He stared at her as if she’d grown a third eye

And everything she’d spent years holding back ca honest about how you’ll take what you want and give nothing in return doesn’t make you honorable And it sure as hell doesn’t ed party here It onlywhat you want, ould use anyone in the most horrible way for your own purposes, even the trivial one of telling someone ‘I told you so’”

Every word fell on hiej’jahee about?”

And she shouted, “I’ slack with shock, reactions rioting across his eyes

Then he finally rasped, “You know”

It was a state her relief It didn’t

Feeling hers eyes tearing, she tore her gaze away, looked feverishly around for her sandals

She shoved her feet into theain her shaky balance “Thank you for not insultingabout”

“You heard ht”

The same conclusion Jalal had come to She hadn’t refined his deduction

She did Haidar’s “That was only how I made sure”

He blocked her path as she tried to head for the door “How did you find out in the first place?”

“I don’t owe you anything, least of all an explanation And if you want soames with, I can recommend dozens for you to pick fro list”

He spread his arripped in urgency and frustration “B’Ellahi, Roxanne, just tell me!”

Her chest heaved with the re-dried tears “How do you think?”

Realization detonated in his eyes Certainty He dropped his arered away “My mother”

She let the entrenched fury in her eyes confired “She said she knows everything about you and Jalal But especially you”

Agitation receded in his eyes, deter she said”

“I’ll tell you whatitation in his eyes “Your words were cool but your eyes were incendiary I could think of nothing but erasing your reluctance,you admit that your desire was as instant and as powerful as mine”

She backed away as if from the memories “The jury will remain out on that similarity But my mother saw you for what you are She also saw that you hadfor your seduction, she had to tell me a secret”