Chained Reaction Read Free Page B

changed back out of, ignoring Michael’s
pleas for her to wear it and that he loved her in it.
    Opening the bathroom door, she stepped out
at the precise moment that Michael was ripping the red dress apart
with his hands. He threw the two pieces of fabric at her feet.
    “I’ll buy you another dress, one that won’t
have the smell and touch of him all over it. Did he tell you what
he plans to do? I’ll give him two months and he’ll be back inside.
He even had the blasted nerve to ask father if he wants to purchase
the boathouse from him. That property should have been mine.”
    “He’s selling the boathouse.” She muttered,
a sick hollow feeling rising up within.
    “Yes, darling. Obviously he isn’t as
sentimental as you over your former little love nest. Father has of
course agreed, seeing the damn property was originally part of the
estate and should never have been segregated.”
    Lucy started dressing not caring that
Michael was watching her every move. “Why do you resent and hate
him so much? I know it’s not all because of me, you’ve never
accepted him. Is it because he was your grandmother’s
favourite?”
    Michael’s expression darkened and she knew
then whatever the reason was for his hatred of Jamie; she had only
played a small part of it in the beginning. Now it had escalated
into something else and she doubted even Michael knew why and how
it had all started.
    She wasn’t blameless, and in a way fuelled
it by being here. At the time she had justified it by blaming Jamie
for abandoning her and leaving her no choice. Finally she has woken
up to the fact that the mistakes were all hers and moving in with
Michael was the biggest one of all.
    “I don’t hate him, in fact if anything it’s
total indifference I feel. What does madden me though is the way my
grandmother felt duty bound to take the little bastard in. His
father was a drunken gambler who never amounted to anything whilst
my father worked hard to bring the family business back from
bankruptcy, yet she always favoured the black sheep of the
family.”
    “He was still her son and your father’s
brother and Jamie’s part of that family,” she said.
    “Never, and the sooner he’s gone from here,
the better. There’s nothing here for him now. And by the way,
father is handing over my grandmother’s estate which includes the
boathouse as a wedding present.”
    That statement caused her to drop her
hairbrush and turn from the mirror to face him.
    “Married, what an earth gave him that crazy
idea?”
    “I told him, next month, it’s all booked
up.” A small sneer appeared. “Come on, Lucy, it’s about time.
Father has been growing impatient. He wants to hand everything over
to me but needs to know I’m responsible enough.”
    “You’re crazy. Married, that was never part
of the deal. In fact I have already allowed this charade to go too
far. I think it’s time I moved out.” Lucy went over to her wardrobe
and took down a medium-sized suitcase from the shelving area above
the hangers. She placed it on the bed and opened it up.
    Michael started pacing the room, a muscle
twitching in his cheek indicating his pent-up frustration. Lucy
glanced nervously at the door, afraid now of the scene that was
unfolding and especially the unpredictability of Michael’s
temper.
    “I wanted to take care of you, love you. But
you never gave us a chance, always obsessing about Jamie. He was
going to leave you, did he tell you that? He thinks I owe him. Well
he did me no great favour.” He moved towards her.
    Lucy backed away until she was up against
the bedside cabinet. Her hand shot behind her and shaky fingers
enfolded the ornate gold lamp stand. The fear must have been so
transparent because Michael immediately stepped away from her and
raised his hands as if defending himself.
    “Lucy, I’m not going to hurt you, I could
never. You must know that.” He sat down on the edge of the bed, his
torso leaning forward, elbows on his knees and