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“Counsel.”
I heard some ruffling on the other side of the line before I heard a door close.
“You are still in love with him, Jade. Take it from someone who tried to deny their feelings for the man she loved.”
“I can’t be in love with him, Tash. Too much time has passed. I think it’s something else. Maybe it’s the past and all the unresolved issues we have and the resentment he carries towards me.”
I couldn’t be in love with Grayson. He hated me and I was not in the market for anything from anyone, least of all him.
“Love doesn’t have a time stamp. Distance stops touch, not love.”
“I’m not in love with Grayson. Our time came and went, and I have made my peace with it.”
“Okay. I won’t say anything further on the matter, but what are you going to do about Grayson? Don’t you think he deserves to know the truth?”
“What’s the point? He already believes I killed her. What will telling him do?”
She sighed. “It will help him understand and maybe lessen his anger towards you. Talking to him about your decision could give him peace.”
“Or it could just make him angrier. I will just let sleeping dogs lie. The funeral has been moved up anyway, so I will be out of here directly afterward and not a second later. Then I can go back to my life, and he can go back to his.”
“Okay.” She didn’t sound convinced, but she didn’t push me which I appreciated. She never pushed me farther than I was willing to go and never forced me to speak.
“I love you.”
“Love you, too, Tash. I will call you later.”
I ended the call and stared at the practice. Grayson would be back at any moment now, and I didn’t feel like getting into it with him again. My mind and heart could only take so much in one day. I grabbed my bag and exited the car.
Grey clouds had rolled in, and the temperature had dropped quite drastically. I could smell the scent of rain in the air. I may not have liked Riverroad all that much, but there was something about its weather that calmed me.
I would never admit this out loud, but it was one of the reasons I had chosen New York as my new home. I got to enjoy roughly the same weather, as New York was quite wet all year, but I also had longer periods of sunshine.
I walked to the door with the closed sign. When I stepped into the reception area, I admired how far it had come. I had only ever seen this place in pictures. I never got closer than Shacklewood when visiting Washington.
Ethan had really poured his blood and sweat into this place. My heart swelled with pride to see all that he had accomplished. It amazed me that he was able to complete his undergrad and med school all within six years. He had always been insanely smart and gifted.
I walked past the desk of the reception and followed the voices that were in the back room. As I drew closer to Ethan and Grayson, their conversation became more audible to me.
“I know what I’m doing. I just can’t do it right now.” It was Ethan who said this.
“And why the hell not? She deserves to know. If I were her, I would want to know the truth,” Grayson replied, sounding upset.
“I just can’t do it.”
“You promised that you would do it today. If you wait longer, you know she will probably bolt and never look back. Look, you can’t handle this all on your own. I know you are putting on a brave front, but you are hurting, and I can see that. You are carrying the weight of the world on your shoulders right now with your mom and the lawsuits. It’s a lot.”
Lawsuits? Was Ethan in some kind of legal trouble?
“I just got her home, Gray. I don’t want to run her off.”
“You know she is going to be out of here the moment Monica is in the dirt. Tell her before she gets on a plane and never looks back and you lose the courage. She deserves to know.”
I decided that this was the perfect moment to announce myself. I rounded the corner I had been hiding behind and made sure my heels clicked loudly against the marble tiles.
Both of their necks snapped in my direction. Ethan’s eyes went wide. and Grayson’s face remained passive.
“What do I deserve to know?” I turned to Ethan and waited.
Whatever it was, I just knew that it couldn’t have been good simply from the way he was looking at me. I had thought this whole day couldn’t have gotten worse. I had been wrong.
