Second Chances

Second
Chances

by Delaney
Diamond

Copyright © October 2012,
Delaney Diamond

Cover art by MTheresa Arts
© October 2012

Delaney Diamond

Atlanta, Georgia

ISBN: 978-0-9852838-4-1

This book is a work of
fiction. All names, characters, locations, and incidents are products of the
author's imagination, or have been used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual
persons living or dead, locales, or events is entirely coincidental.
No part of this e-book may be
reproduced or shared by any electronic or mechanical means, including but not
limited to printing, file sharing, and e-mail, without prior written permission
from Delaney Diamond.

Prologue

“Stop fretting.”

Sabrina Porter ignored her
cousin and nervously patted her upswept hair as she gazed at her reflection in
the mirror at the seaside hotel where she was to be married. She twisted an
errant curl around her finger to make it fall just right.

Jewel Porter slapped her
hand away.

“Ow. Bitch.” Sabrina smiled
to soften the blow of her words and dropped her hands from her hair. “I just
want everything to be perfect.”

“Everything
is
perfect. You look beautiful.” Jewel placed her hands on her hips. “Your fiancé
owns the hotel, for crying out loud. Do you really think anything could
possibly go wrong today? Heads would roll.”

“Well, he may have the
personnel part down, but
I
want to be perfect for
him
.”

She still couldn’t believe a
man like Renaldo da Silva had asked her to marry him. They came from such different
worlds, but not once had he ever made her feel beneath him because of his
wealth. She kept expecting to wake up and find out that she’d been dreaming the
entire time.

She took another look at her
reflection, pleased at how the V-neck dress in white chiffon complemented her
hourglass figure. The spaghetti straps crossed over her bare back and made the
dress hang just right on her straight shoulders. Jewel was right; everything
was perfect. She couldn’t wait for her future husband to see her.

When she’d told Renaldo she
wanted a small ceremony because she didn’t have any family to invite, he’d
shown her photos of this place and she’d instantly fallen in love with it. The
boutique hotel was made up of stand-alone bungalows and located in Corumbau, a
little known town in the southern part of the state of Bahia in Brazil. It was
one of the first purchases he’d made once he’d achieved modest success and had
become his getaway from the hustle and bustle of city life.

The bungalow they were
staying in featured all the typical amenities of a normal hotel, but it had the
added beauty of large, floor-to-ceiling glass doors that led out onto a patio
overlooking the blue-green ocean and white sand shaded by tall palm trees. When
the doors were open, it gave the illusion of being outside, at one with nature
and its offering of sun and balmy seaside breezes.

“That man is in love with
you. I don’t think he’d care if you showed up in tin foil.”

Sabrina smiled, appreciating
her cousin’s encouraging words. “I’m so glad you’re here.”

“Don’t you dare start
getting all sentimental on me.” Jewel fanned her face. “You know I cry at the
drop of a hat, and if I cry, you’ll cry, and that’ll ruin your makeup.”

 “Then don’t cry.” Sabrina
fell silent. The sound of the ocean came to them from just outside the open
doors. “We’ve come a long way, haven’t we?”

Jewel looked around at their
elegant surroundings. “Yeah. I can’t believe it. Two girls from the South Side
of Chicago are living the good life in Brazil. I was just thinking the other
day about how hard life used to be for us.”

Sabrina nodded. She thought
often about those times, too. During those rough years she never imagined that
at twenty-seven years old she’d be standing in such a beautiful place about to
get married to such a wonderful man. They’d stolen clothes, food, and money,
and told so many lies. But they’d both been young. Without parents or anyone to
take care of them, they’d done what they had to for survival. “Remember how we
used to go down to the supermarket on Saturdays to eat all the freebies when we
didn’t have food?”

“How could I forget? I still
remember when Mrs. Sampson figured out what we were doing, and she put aside
extra samples for us.”

“She was a nice woman. I
wonder what happened to her.”

Jewel shrugged. “We’re not
thinking about those times today. You have a wedding to attend, and you’re the
star. Even the weather’s cooperating.”

“I know.” Sabrina opened her
arms. “I want a hug.”

“No hugs. You’ll make me
cry.”

“Please?”

Jewel sighed heavily and
lumbered into Sabrina’s arms. They held onto each other for a long time. Jewel
was the only link to the family and past Sabrina had left behind. They were as
close as sisters, and words couldn’t express how grateful she was to have her
cousin share this day with her.

Jewel was the maid of honor,
but all the other guests were Renaldo’s friends and family. She would walk down
the aisle alone since she had no one to give her away. The son of Beatrisa,
Renaldo’s younger sister, was the ring bearer, and her daughter was the flower
girl.

 “I love you and I’m proud
of you,” Sabrina said.

She squeezed her cousin
tighter. There had been a time when she’d thought she would lose Jewel to drugs.
Not only did she worry about losing her, she also had to deal with Jewel
stealing money and valuables from her to feed her habit, all of which strained
their relationship over the years. But Sabrina never gave up on her, and she
was glad she hadn’t. She’d seen such a transformation in Jewel since they
arrived in Brazil. The new environment had done what Sabrina’s begging over the
years hadn’t been able to.

“Love you, too, Brina. You
deserve to be happy.”

“Hey.” Sabrina cupped her
cousin’s face in her hands. “You do, too. We’ve both come a long way. Things
are only going to get better for us.”

Jewel nodded, tears in her
eyes.

Renaldo’s youngest sister,
Carolina, knocked on the door but didn’t wait before she walked in. “Are you
ready?” Her thickly accented English had taken a while for Sabrina to
understand.

Sabrina took a deep breath.
She was ready. Ready to begin this next phase of her life—the best phase.
“Yes.”

Minutes later, she walked
barefoot on the beach toward Renaldo. He made a striking image dressed in a
white shirt and white slacks. The breeze fluttered the skirt of her dress
around her ankles as she approached him, clutching a bouquet of white roses.
When he smiled at her, her insecurities flittered away.  

She glowed when he slipped
the ring on her finger and whispered the special vows he’d written. “Sabrina
Porter, today I make you my wife. I love everything about you—your strength,
your mind, your body,” he added with a grin, which resulted in a few chuckles.
“The luckiest day of my life was the day I met you. I promise to always love
you, protect you, and do everything in my power to make you as happy as you
make me.”

Her eyes never left his
face. “Renaldo da Silva, today I accept you as my husband. Thank you for
accepting
me
with all my flaws. You’re not just my lover; you’re my
confidante, and my biggest cheerleader. Your support gives me strength. I love
you more than words can express, and I vow to be the best possible wife to you.
I will do everything in my power to make you happy for the rest of our days
together.”

At the end of the ceremony,
they ate a traditional Brazilian meal, including the wedding dessert,
bem
casado
—two small cakes that looked like cookies with a gooey layer of dulce
de leche between them. A band pounded out a heady samba beat. Performers,
dressed in colorful garb, danced before the guests and dragged them into the
merriment. Everyone was barefoot, kicking up loose sand as they partied well
into the night.

Later, high off the strong
rum cocktail
c
aipirinha
and wedding bliss, they stumbled to their
room, where Renaldo carried
her over the threshold, entering with his right foot first for good luck.

Much later, satisfied after
a lengthy session of lovemaking, Sabrina watched her husband sleep as she lay
in his arms. This was the best day of her life. She’d never known love like
this, but their relationship had moved so fast. What if one day he woke up and felt
he’d made a mistake?

The thought of losing him
filled her with a terrible fear.

I won’t lose him
, she vowed.

She would support him and be
the best wife and business partner he could ever hope for. She would exceed his
expectations and do whatever it took to ensure Renaldo never regretted his
decision to marry her.

With that thought, she rested
her head on his shoulder. He shifted in his sleep and pulled her closer.

“Happy,
m
eu
coração
?” he murmured.
My
love
.

“Yes.” She kissed his cheek.

She’d never been happier.

Chapter
One

Over a year later…

Liar. Cheat
. Those were the words that
came to mind when Renaldo da Silva thought about his wife. His soon-to-be
ex
-wife.

Silently berating himself,
he stared out of the giant windows of the luxurious penthouse apartment in the
building his company owned. They’d shared it since she moved to Sao Paulo with
him right before their marriage.

He should have known better.
After all, he’d been warned, hadn’t he? She’d told him about her background.
She told him how she came from a family of drug addicts and criminals. She’d
explained how she’d lied and stolen to make ends meet. He’d known what kind of
woman she was, and he’d chosen to ignore everything she’d shared because he’d
been such a besotted fool and assumed she’d done those things out of necessity.

He’d barely known her when
they married. His impulsive behavior had simply been an act to whisk her away
and make her his. According to her, he’d given her the kind of life she’d only
dreamed of, but apparently it hadn’t been enough.

Why?

He looked at the three
photos in his hands, though he didn’t really need to. The images of her and
another man were seared into his brain. To think, he wouldn’t have known if he
hadn’t been searching for a document in her home office. He wouldn’t have found
the pictures, and he wouldn’t have known of her deceit.

He’d been a fool to welcome
her into his life. The beautiful façade of independence and intelligence had
blinded him to her true character. Her infidelity cut deep. He would never
forgive her.

__________

Sabrina stepped
off the private elevator, glad to be home. The five-bedroom apartment took up
the entire top floor of the building Renaldo owned. The recessed lighting shone
down on the spacious entryway, while the rest of the house remained wrapped in
darkness. In her hand she held her high heels so her feet wouldn’t make a sound
on the black walnut floors because he was probably asleep after his long trip.