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Called.
“But…” I choke on something, unable to speak.
Oh, I know what it is.Regret.
My heart squeezes so hard in my chest, I could swear I’m having a heart attack. “I thought they’d broken up.”
“How do you know that?”
I startle, only now realizing I said it out loud. It takes all my strength to act unperturbed.
My shrug is stiff. “It’s Stoneview, Luke.” I fake a smile, hurting my cheeks. “Gossip works fast.”
He nods. “Yeah, well, you know how it is. He breaks up and then she calls crying on the phone about something, and our hero runs back to her because he can’t stand hurting anyone.”
He can’t stand hurting anyonebut me.
He’s everyone’s herobut mine.
Sweet Christopher Murray. The wise friend. The sensible boyfriend. Mr. Perfect.
The man who chooses to show his true, vile personality to only one person.
Me.
And I fall for it every time. I let him deceive me every. Single. Time.
Christopher Murray. My treacherous liar.
Luke leaves around one p.m., and that’s when I call my best friends Peach and Alex. We meet at Baker’s Café on Main Street, so I can tell them about the stupid thing I did last night.
They hug me when I cry, like they did in high school when he broke up with me. They tell me that I’m amazing and he’s an asshole who doesn’t deserve me. And I pretend to believe them.
They come with me to the pharmacy to get the morning after pill because I acted like a stupid, reckless girl last night. We spend the day at Alex’s lake house. I even laugh when Peach falls on her ass while ice-skating on Stoneview Lake.
But when I go home to an empty house, the dread is still there. My heart is still heavy. I sit down at my desk, intent on finishing the Christmas cards I have to go distribute for Dad.
I always wonder why he doesn’t want them to be mailed. Why doesn’t he want them to be tracked? No proof. And why do I have to be the one to deliver the cryptic messages to his friends?
I sigh, knowing there’s a long evening ahead of me when my eyes catch a card that is already open, hidden under a stack of others.
There’s a note on it.
To my love from another life,
I can explain. I promise.
I love you.
My heart drops, wondering if I’m dreaming. If maybe…it’s from someone else? I know that’s impossible, but why would Chris leave me such a strange note?
I fold the card, noticing he filled in the front too.
Merry Christmas
From Daddy
To Little one.
To be continued…
