Second Chances Read Online Free Page A

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dress. “It’s not a good idea to go see him.”
    Sabrina slipped the dress over her head. Of
course she was still in love with Renaldo. He hadn’t been the one to break
their vows. “I have to, Jewel.” She turned her back so her cousin could zip her
up.
    “Why do you have to?”
    “Because he asked, and I have to see what he
wants.”
    “He tossed you out of your home and for weeks
he refused to speak to you personally. And why are you still wearing your
rings?” 
    Sabrina remained silent. She had no intention
of answering Jewel, and she had no intention of taking off her rings. They gave
her a sense of comfort; besides, she was still married up until the divorce
papers were signed.
    “Fine, I’ll drop it,” Jewel grumbled. “But what
could he possibly want now?”
    “I don’t know, but I’m going to find out.” Sabrina
applied lipstick in the mirror.
    “I don’t want to see you get hurt anymore. You
don’t deserve it. You’ve always been too hard on yourself. You made a mistake,
which means you’re human like the rest of us.”
     “That’s a pretty terrible mistake, Jewel.”
Sabrina went over to the closet to get her shoes. It was difficult to talk about
her infidelity. She still didn’t understand what had happened that night. She’d
done some bad things in her life that she was ashamed of, but she’d never
thought of herself as a cheater. And how could she have cheated on the one man
she’d ever loved—loved with all her heart and soul? It didn’t make sense. “I
cheated, and I have to accept the consequences of my actions.”
    After a couple of weeks on
the sleeper sofa in Jewel’s one-bedroom apartment, Sabrina had found a place of
her own to sublet. Her attorney had advised her not to move back to the States
until the divorce was final, which shouldn’t be much longer.
    In the meantime, she’d
managed to find a part-time consulting position with a U.S. company setting up
shop in Sao Paulo. The rest of the time she kept herself busy researching
companies and sending off her resume. She hoped to have a job lined up by the
time she returned to Chicago, although she’d consider options elsewhere.
    She thought about the snarky “Thank You”
card she’d sent to her old bosses at Global Investments, Inc. to express her
appreciation at how poorly they’d treated her. Even with good grades and graduating from a top business
school, she hadn’t received any respect from the firm’s higher-ups. It had been
a blessing in disguise. If
it hadn’t been for their lack of trust and sexist attitudes toward her, she might
never have taken the steps to marry Renaldo and invest her career in a future
with him. She’d been living the good life for over a year, but times had
changed. She’d
take a job just about anywhere at this point.
    “I shouldn’t have let you drink that night,”
Jewel said.
    “There was nothing different about that night than
any other night,” Sabrina said. “You and I always hung out together when he was
out of town.”
    “I just feel so terrible.” Jewel sagged against
the dresser.
    Sabrina laid a comforting hand on her cousin’s
shoulder and looked into eyes that were the same light brown tint as hers. “Do not feel guilty. I know that if you’d seen me leaving with him you would have
stopped me.”
    Jewel nodded, her eyes downcast. “Whatever
Renaldo wants, I hope it works out for the best for you.”  
    “Me, too.”
    Sabrina felt a nervous twinge in her stomach at
the thought of seeing Renaldo again after so long, but she knew before she met
him, she’d have to bolster her nerves. He was a hard negotiator, and she needed
to be strong when she met him. 
    “How’s the job going?” she asked Jewel.
    Sabrina paid the rent at Jewel’s apartment.
Renaldo had offered to place her in one of his complexes, but Sabrina had
insisted she wanted to cover the costs. In exchange for paying the rent and
utilities, they had an agreement that Jewel would