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“If you have even the slightest inclination to return to search and rescue, I’m here to answer any questions. And I know that might place me in the crosshairs of my son, but this isn’t personal. It’s professional. I was the one who called you in for that Colorado mission.” His face blanched. “I feel responsible for everything that happened.”

Ruby shrugged. “You shouldn’t feel that way. Life happens. And with regard to my career, I’m just going to have to wait and see. It’s too soon to know anything.”

“I can appreciate that. You’ve been through a lot, Ruby. I’m really happy that you and Liam got past all of your marital problems.”

Her heart constricted. She frowned at him. “Problems? What are you talking about?”

Gareth’s face fell. His mouth opened then quickly closed.

“What problems?” she persisted. The pounding inside her chest was getting louder by the second.

He held up his hands as if to ward her off. “Ruby, please. I didn’t come here to make trouble.”

“Tell me, Gareth.” She wasn’t taking no for an answer.

He let out a sigh and shook his head. “You were struggling with a few marriage issues. It would have blown over. I know it.”

Marriage issues? Hadn’t everyone said that she had enjoyed a perfect marriage? If something had been wrong in their marriage, Liam would have told her. He was a straight shooter, not the type to harbor secrets.

“I’ve said enough!” Gareth said in a fierce voice. “It’s all in the past. Liam will never forgive me for opening this can of worms.” With a tortured groan, Gareth rose jerkily from the table and pushed his chair in. “I really did come here today to make inroads.” He strode from the room, quickly making his way to the front door.

“Gareth!” she called after him. Without turning back to her, he wrenched open the front door and disappeared from view.

Once she opened the front door Gareth was already in his car, taking off down the road. She closed the door and sagged against it, filled with confusion about Gareth’s revelation. She didn’t necessarily take Gareth at face value, but she was of the mind that his comment had been truthful. The immediate look of regret on his face once he had realized his mistake had been authentic.

She began to tremble. Gareth had been telling her the truth. She knew it instinctively. This was the thing she had been so afraid to discover. This was the monster hiding under the bed. And she had been so afraid to remember it because on some level she knew it might change everything between her and Liam.

Ruby began to knead her head with her fingers. Her head ached. She sat on the couch and wrapped her arms around her middle. She began rocking slightly bac

k and forth.

Suddenly she had a flash of the fight with Liam. His face had been a cold mask of anger. She had been crying and speaking in a raised voice. As if she was watching a movie, she heard herself ask for a separation. She saw the hurt look etched on Liam’s face followed by his blistering anger.

It had been about her job! The words “dangerous” and “Aidan” and “mission” had been flowing in the conversation. She had wrenched her rings off and placed them in a red-velvet box in his dresser drawer. There had been tears and raised voices between her and Liam. Then resignation as she calmly began packing her duffel bag.

It made sense. For so long she had wondered about where her wedding rings were and what had happened to them. She had never asked Liam about it, nor had he given her the rings back. That in itself was a red flag. Wouldn’t Liam have mentioned her wedding rings? Unless, of course, he hadn’t wanted to bring them up, knowing she had made the decision not to wear the rings shortly before the accident.

Dear Lord. Please let this be a false memory. Please don’t let this be real. I want so badly to believe in Liam...to believe in us and our marriage. I don’t know how I can do that if Liam hasn’t been honest with me.

* * *

Filled with determination, Ruby took a deep breath and headed down the hall to the master bedroom. She slowly turned the knob and stepped inside. Goose bumps popped up on her arms. This was the scene she remembered from her flash. She looked toward the twin dressers standing side by side. It wasn’t right to go through Liam’s private belongings, but she had to know if what she remembered had really happened.

She pulled open the top dresser drawer. There were a few items inside...mainly socks. In the corner sat a crimson box. Taking it out, she lifted it open with shaking fingers. Inside were two rings—a solitaire diamond and a wedding band with a row of smaller diamond stones.

Ruby let out a small cry. She felt as if someone had just placed a twenty-pound weight on her chest. It was difficult to breathe. All she wanted to do at the moment was to curl up on the floor and sob.

Footsteps sounded behind her on the hardwood floor. Startled, she whirled around. Liam was standing there, a look of unease stamped on his face.

“I couldn’t bear to tell you. I tried several times, but I never could do it.” His voice sounded ragged.

“You didn’t try hard enough,” she cried. “All of this time you could have said something to me. You had plenty of moments.”

He took a step toward her. She held up her hands to ward him off. She needed to keep him at a distance.

“You were trying to get your life back and bond with our son. Flashes of memory were returning to you. Maybe it was selfish, but I didn’t want to run the risk of everything falling apart if you found out.”

“I took off my wedding rings. We were breaking up. That’s huge.” She felt numb. How she had prayed this one memory wasn’t true. But it was true, and now she had to figure out what it meant for her marriage to Liam.

Source: www.allfreenovel.com
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