A Bridge to Love Read Online Free Page A

we were married.”
    “Stop
it. But you've put your finger on something important. David was used to being
the center of attention. He loved working with clients because they admired him
and listened to him.”
    Georgia
paused a moment, then continued, “David expected you to be the adoring and
supportive wife, so he tried to eliminate anything that competed with him. He
made you shut down your very successful consulting business the moment he could
afford to.”
    Kate
couldn't believe Georgia's implication. “ I shut it down because I couldn't keep up with the work while I had small
children.”
    “That's
because David focused entirely on his own career and left you to bring up the
children, run the house, entertain clients and draw plans for C/R/G. He forced
you into a situation where you had to give up your profession for your family.”
    “And
I've never regretted it.” Then she remembered her financial difficulties and
amended that, “Until now.”
    Georgia
looked at her speculatively, but she was on a roll and didn't want to change
the subject. She brought forth the clincher. “David could force you to dump the
job but ultimately he couldn't compete with the children.”
    Kate
felt completely dazed. Georgia was painting a picture of a manipulative
self-centered man whom Kate didn't recognize as her husband. “David was crazy
about the boys!”
    “Of
course he was. They were his sons. Men love having sons. But he missed the
focus on him and on C/R/G. David leaned on you all through your marriage.”
    “We
leaned on each other...” Kate faltered in her defense. Her nighttime agonies
came back to support her friend's comments. She had asked Georgia to tell her
why David had betrayed her, and Georgia was building a formidable case against
him.
    Georgia
ignored Kate's comment. “I think he found this woman who stroked his ego with
her undivided attention, and he indulged himself in an affair with her.”
    Kate
could not refute Georgia's logic, so she changed the subject. “We're getting
rid of this right now,” she said, taking the letter to the fireplace. She
picked up a long fireplace match from the mantel and lit three corners of the
letter, letting it fall on the grate as it flamed. She torched every remaining
fragment until only a pile of ash was left. She looked up at Georgia. “We are
the only two people who will ever know about this letter.”
    Georgia
crossed her heart with one finger. “My discretion is absolute. Now, what are
you going to do about this?”
    “What
do you mean do about it?” Kate asked, stirring the ashes around with a poker.
    “You
can't just burn the letter and forget about it. You have to do something to
help you get over David's betrayal.”
    Kate
looked at Georgia and realized that she was serious. “What would you suggest?
Painting a scarlet A on David's
gravestone?”
    “You
could find Sylvia and throw rotten eggs at her house. Or slash all the tires on
that old Porsche that David was always working on.”
    That
reminded Kate of her other problem. “I need that Porsche in mint condition. I'm
selling it.”
    “I
thought that you were keeping it for the boys when they got old enough to
drive.”
    Kate
slumped into her chair and let her head fall back on its cushion. New tears
welled up and she angrily wiped them away with the back of her hand. “I forgot
to mention my other problem. Oliver and Ted want to sell David's share of C/R/G
to a new guy, which means that I have no income.”
    “Can't
you invest the proceeds and live on the interest?”
    “Not
if I want to keep the house.”
    Georgia
looked murderous. “If David were standing here now, I would give that bastard a
piece of my mind.”
    “I
thought that his share was worth more than Oliver says it is.”
    “Do
you trust Oliver?”
    “Completely.
He would never cheat me.” Kate took a sip of her wine before the irony of her
statement struck her. “Of course, that's what I thought about David, too.”