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At that moment, I understood the true extent of Max’s betrayal. The man I had slowly let back into my heart had been plotting against my family legacy long before I came back to Marfa. What was worse was that he’d been wicked to Grandpa, who had been so kind to him.
If there had ever been an inkling of giving Max the benefit of the doubt, it wouldn’t be possible now. He had deliberately deceived me, right from that very first day when he’d wormed his way into my heart by fixing my car and giving me his battery as a gift. I wondered what else he’d done.
“You tried to ruin the ranch of an old man who was ill and had treated you like a son. How could you?”
The words tumbled out, a mix of a whisper and a sob.
“How could you do this to me, especially after knowing how much this ranch means to me?”
“I regret it, Anna. I wish I could undo it all. I didn’t think about the impact on you; that’s my biggest regret,” he said, face filled with remorse.
I scoffed.
“You didn’t think about the impact, yet you befriended me, showered me with sweet words, and prepared dinner all to keep me blind to your antics.”
He shook his head.
“The time we spent together was my way of trying to find a way back to the love we shared, not a ploy.”
But I couldn’t bring myself to believe. The sting of betrayal was too raw.
“So everything between us was just part of your plan to get my ranch. Were your supposed feelings for me ever real?”
Max stepped closer, his voice fervent.
“No, Anna. My feelings for you have always been real. The situation with the ranch complicated things, but my feelings were never part of any scheme.”
The words from his mouth only fueled my indignation. Crossing my arms, I marveled at the way he could effortlessly spew lies from his mouth.
“You probably thought I’d never find out, didn’t you?”
“I was hoping to resolve it and tell you before you discovered it like this. I never wanted my mistakes to hurt you. I’m sorry, Anna,” he said, voice thick with regret. “I never meant to hurt you.”
But the words couldn’t heal the deep wound his actions had caused
“If you truly didn’t want to hurt me, you wouldn’t have gone this far. How can I even trust anything you say now?”
He straightened, his eyes searching mine.
“I don’t expect you to trust me immediately. I’ll do whatever it takes for as long as it takes to earn your trust.”
He reached out and held my arm.
Instinctively, I recoiled.
“Don’t!” I choked out in a bitter voice. “Don’t. Touch. Me.”
His hands fell to his side, his eyes filled with defeat.
But it was too late. The damage had already been done. Max had already shattered the trust we’d started to rebuild.
I couldn’t bear to look at him any longer. Turning on my heels, I ran out of the study, each step feeling like a mile. I burst through the front door with tears streaming down my cheeks.
My heart raced as I stumbled to my truck. Fumbling with the keys, I managed to unlock the door and slide behind the wheel. I threw the incriminating document onto the passenger’s seat.
With shaky hands, I started the engine, wiped the tears with the back of my hands, and drove away from Max’s ranch.
The drive back to Harrington Ranch was a blur. The cool evening air seemed too cold, and the hum of the engine jarred through my senses. My hands shook as I tightly gripped the wheels.
