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Glancing at the screen, he discovered the text was from Dallas and not Lia. With the bleak landscape of his future stretched before him, he cued up his messaging app and read his cousin’s text.
I did something terrible and now Lia’s gone.
Before he could reach out to Dallas about her ominous message, a call from Ethan lit up his smartphone.
“I just talked to Lia,” Ethan said, sounding grim.
“She called you?” The words tasted like sawdust. Could he blame her for choosing the brother who’d had her back the night before? “Is she okay? I just got a text from Dallas saying that Lia is gone. Did she say where?”
The night before, he and Ethan had discussed how to handle the revelation that Lia wasn’t Ava’s daughter and decided to stick to their original story about the testing service getting things wrong instead of telling Grady the truth. She’d been a reluctant coconspirator and shouldn’t have to face Grady’s anger.
“She’s at her camper,” Ethan said.
“What’s she doing there?”
“I don’t think she felt comfortable staying at the estate any longer,” Ethan said. “She told Grady the whole story last night.”
Paul cursed, remembering how she’d pushed for the truth to come out. “How did he take it? Is he okay?”
“She said he was shocked, but okay when she left. I’m heading over there now.”
“Why did she do that?” Paul mused. “We had it handled.”
“Maybe because she has more integrity than both of us put together.”
Ethan’s ironic tone recalled all the accusations Paul had lobbed at her. He knew his brother was right. While they’d all lied, Lia had been the only one who’d done so without selfish motives. She’d declared time and again that she only wanted to help. And that’s what she’d done.
Whereas he’d been inspired to sacrifice his own integrity by the desperate need to keep his grandfather alive and the return of Grady’s approval. When had guilt stopped eating at him? Somewhere around the first time he’d kissed Lia. After that, he’d been less conflicted about lying to his grandfather and more disturbed by how she affected him.
“Here’s the other thing,” Ethan continued. “The reason she’s at her camper is because she’s preparing to leave Charleston.”
“Leave?” Paul’s chest tightened, robbing him of breath. “When?”
Ethan’s tone was hoarse with sympathy as he answered. “She might already be gone.”
Blind panic rose at the thought, and after arranging to meet Ethan at the estate in an hour, Paul hung up on his brother. With clumsy fingers he immediately dialed Lia’s number, praying that this time she’d answer.
“Ethan says you’re leaving,” he declared the instant she engaged the call.
“Yes.” She sounded shaken, but determined. “I have to.”
“No, you don’t.”
“Grady knows I’m not Ava’s daughter.”
“I’ll make him understand that none of this was your fault.”
“But it was my fault. I never should’ve pretended to be something I’m not.” The catch in her voice tore at Paul’s heart. “It’ll be better once I’m gone. Your family can put it behind you,” she finished.
“Don’t worry about my family,” he said, feeling ragged and unsteady. “Ethan and I will sort everything out. Please don’t go. I know Grady won’t want you to leave town. He loves you.”
Even as he spoke the words, Paul winced. Why hadn’t he told her how miserable he would be if she left? Using Grady as an excuse was cowardly.
“Not me. He loves his granddaughter.” Her bleak tones told him any attempt to convince her was wasted breath. “I’m really sorry if I created trouble for you and Ethan by telling Grady the truth,” Lia said, a somber warble in her voice.
“Don’t worry about Ethan and me. We can take a punch.” He stripped all humor out of his voice before saying, “I’m heading to the estate now. Afterward I think you and I need to talk.”
“There’s nothing more to say.”
