Read Listed: Volume III for Free Online Page B

marriage between you and your husband?”
    “I
did.”
    “Why
did you ask Mr. Marino to marry you?”
    “I
had three months to live. I wanted to get married before I died.”
    “Why
do you believe he agreed?”
    “Because
he’s a good man, and he felt sorry for me.”
    “Do
you trust your husband, Mrs. Marino?”
    “Yes.
Absolutely.”
    “Have
you known him to lie to you?”
    “Never.”
    “Has
he ever taken advantage of you in any way?”
    “No,”
Emily said, looking over at Paul, who was sitting in his seat again, watching
her steadily with an expression she was too far away to read.
    Feeling
an outpouring of affection, she continued, “He’s never taken advantage of me.
He’s never been anything but caring, considerate, generous, and good to me.
He’s given me more than I could ever dream of—and not asked for anything in
return. He has selflessly sat by my bed when I was sick for hours to take care
of me. Except for my father, no man has ever treated me better than he has. He
wants justice for his father, not vengeance. He’s the best man I’ve ever
known.”
    Something
twisted on Paul’s face. He put a hand over his mouth, like he was rubbing his
chin, and glanced away from her.
    Emily’s
eyes returned to Hathaway, who concluded, “That’s all, your honor.”
    The
judge dismissed her and announced that the trial would resume the next morning.
    As
Emily walked shakily past the defense table, she couldn’t help but finally glance
over at Vincent Marino.
    He
arched his eyebrows and smiled at her—mockingly, tauntingly—as if he couldn’t
believe she’d just said what she’d said.
    But
she had meant it. She’d meant all of it.
    *
* *
    That evening, Emily
took a long bath and pulled on her pajamas. Then, feeling restless and at loose
ends, she’d wandered around looking for Paul.
    He
hadn’t said anything about her redirect testimony, but she hadn’t expected him
to. He was a private man, and he wouldn’t know how to respond to her earnest
declaration.
    Emily
didn’t want to make him uncomfortable, so she wasn’t about to bring it up
herself.
    He
wasn’t in his office, and he wasn’t in the kitchen or main living area. She
eventually found him in the media room, stretched out on the sofa and working
on his laptop. He was wearing jeans and a white t-shirt, and his feet were
bare.
    He
usually worked in his office, so she was surprised to see him in this room. She
was actually glad, though, since it meant she had an excuse to join him.
    She
walked over to the couch and lifted up his feet to make room for herself to sit
down. Then she replaced his feet in her lap.
    He
cocked an eyebrow at her questioningly.
    “Well,
I wanted to watch TV, and you were taking all the room,” she explained.
    “How
are you feeling?” he asked, closing his laptop and putting it on the side
table.
    “I’m
fine. Tired, but fine. What about you?”
    “I’m
fine too.” He clicked on the television and started to flip the channels.
    She
wasn't sure he was telling her the whole truth. Tomorrow, he would have to take
the witness stand and be ripped to shreds by Barton in front of his father.
Since his feet were in her lap, she took one of them with both hands and
started to massage it.
    Paul
jerked in surprise.
    “I
give good foot rubs,” she said, although she wasn’t entirely sure if her foot
rubs were good or not.
    But
who would turn down even a mediocre foot rub?
    He
looked dubious, but he didn’t pull his foot away, so she massaged it as
skillfully as she could. Paul kept flipping the channels, but she could hear
his breathing slow down as she kneaded his foot. Then it felt like his body was
relaxing.
    After
several minutes, she switched to the other foot. Eventually, Paul landed on a
cable news channel and left it there. When she looked over again, his eyes were
closed.
    He
wasn’t asleep though. Occasionally his breathing would thicken to almost a
groan.
    His
feet were like everyone else’s