Page 43 of Camera Stays On

“For the movie, have your hair down. That’s how you had it then. Same with makeup. I want you to look exactly like you did on our wedding day.”

He opened the door and started out, but I raised my hand and called to him. “Sawyer!” He spun around, hope in his gaze, and a flash of pity hit my belly, but I forced it away. I took a deep breath, steadying myself for words I felt were very necessary in this moment.

“Us not getting married was a good thing.”

The smile on his face didn’t match the deep crease in his brow.

“What?”

I swallowed and stood up taller. “I’ll do the movie, and I’ll wear the dress and do my hair how you want, but this doesn’t change things. Sometimes people just aren’t meant for each other, and…” I paused, my next words heavy on my tongue. “W-W-We have to be okay with that,” I finished.

He didn’t speak for a long moment but then slowly nodded. “And what if I’m not okay with that?”

My breath caught in my throat. His dark gaze made the simple question feel threatening. I closed my eyes and inhaled. I’d practiced standing up to him many times over the five years since I’d left, and now that he was feet away from me, I found my knees threatening to buckle, my palms sweating, and all those grand speeches gone from my memory.

“You have to be,” I said.

He snickered and turned back to the door.

“I don’t have to be shit.”

Chapter 19

Asher

Five Years Ago

“DO YOU LOVE her? Purdy?”

I swallowed. The guilt that came from asking that question was going to make me sick.

“Course I do. Wouldn’t be marrying her today if I didn’t. Why do you ask?” He cocked a suspicious eyebrow my way, looking me up and down. I knew I was acting weird, but I was too nervous to correct it. In fact, I was about to make things worse. Swallowing my nerves, I took a deep breath and met his eyes.

“Sawyer, I—I gotta show you something.”

“Hold on,” he muttered and turned down the dirt road that led to the church. In a flash, we were pulling into the parking lot. He parked the car and turned to me. “What’s up?”

I rubbed my stubble and stared out the window.

“Ash, come on, man. I gotta get in there. Ma wants all those candles set, and the florist is gonna be here soon. And you gotta shave.” He grew impatient, and I could feel the tick of the clock. I was going to lose my chance.

The sound of Sawyer opening his door and putting a foot on the ground caused me to swing my head. Tugging my phone out of my pocket, I flicked the screen on and thrust it in his direction.

“What’s this?” His brow furrowed as he took the phone from me.

“Just...watch.” I couldn’t look. He pushed play on my screen, and I turned away. “Turn it up.”

A familiar giggle burst from the phone, and I forced myself not to react. Purdy’s voice was clear, and each word was like a slice through the stomach. I didn’t have to see the screen to know what Sawyer was seeing.

In the video, two shadowy figures were tucked away in a dark corner, hiding their faces. It was too blurry to confirm who they were, but the audio was just as damning. We’d both grown up hearing her voice for most of our lives. That was Purdy’s laugh, and the man laughing with her was not Sawyer.

“What is this?” he demanded, pressing play again after the video ended with them walking into a dark room. He studied the video carefully, watching a third and then a fourth time.

“Someone texted it to me this morning,” I lied.

“Who?” he demanded. “What’s the number?”

“It was a burner. I tried calling it.”