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I can just imagine the pride on Zane’s face when he sees it on a woman he loves, one that doesn’t make him look as conflicted as I do. When Zane looks into my eyes, there’s always a hint of dismay, like he hates that he has any feelings for me at all. There’s too much baggage, too much pain.
“This is for you, too,” she says as she hands me a box of her freshly made cookies. I stare at it in surprise, countless memories replaying through my mind. I don’t like cookies, but I grew to like these purely because they meant so much to Sierra. I pull the box to my chest and hold on to it tightly, remorse washing over me. More than anything, I wish we were still friends, and I hadn’t lost her too.
“You don’t see it,” Grandma Anne says, “but Zane is much happier now than he has been in years. That’s all his siblings want for him, you know? They just want him to be happy. If you can make that happen, they’ll forgive you for anything.”
I look at her, unsure whether I should believe her. Even if it’s true, I remember how happy Zane and I used to be, and we’re far from it now. I don’t think we can ever regain that kind of happiness, not with everything that’s standing in the way. I’ll never forgive him for what he’s done, and he won’t ever forgive me for the way I retaliated either.
“One more thing,” Grandma Anne says as she takes off her apron, revealing her black pantsuit. “No more missing family dinner. I’ve made more exceptions for you than you could possibly realize, but I won’t make any more. You’ll be there every week from now on.”
I part my lips to object, but she throws me a look that tells me it’ll be futile. Ever since the first family dinner I attended, I’ve avoided her house entirely, unwilling to hurt anyone more than I already have.
Grandma Anne glances at her watch and steps back, not even giving me a chance to make my case as she leads me out of the house. “I’ll see you on Sunday,” she says as her driver pulls up in front of us.
I nod and watch her drive away, my mood somber as I walk to my own car. My gaze keeps dropping to the box of cookies, and I end up placing them in my passenger seat, guilt eating at me as I get behind the wheel.
Before I even realize what I’m doing, I’m driving up the windy road that leads to Sierra’s house, my heart pounding wildly. I park in front of her door and just stare at the box for a few minutes, undecided. When we were younger, I’d once promised her I’d give her the first box of cookies I ever received from Grandma Anne, but it seems silly to be here now. She likely wouldn’t even take them, purely because I’ve touched the box.
I get out of the car with the cookies in hand, my nerves sky-high as I walk up to her porch. I stare at her red front door, unsure what to do, only to take the coward’s way out. I bend down and place the cookies right in front of her door before stepping back, my heart heavy.
I draw a shaky breath and turn around, only for the door to open before I’ve taken three steps. I glance back and find Sierra standing in her doorway, a long, silk black robe wrapped around her. Her gaze moves from me to the box of cookies, and she sighs as she crosses her arms.
“What is this?”
I turn to face her, unease running down my spine. “Your grandmother just gave me a box of freshly baked cookies,” I say carefully. “I haven’t touched them. They should still be warm.” She raises a brow, and I bite down on my lip, but that doesn’t stifle the words I tried to swallow down. “You once told me I could have your cookies right until I started receiving my own, and at that point, you’d start fighting me for them. You might not remember it, but I do. We were in Zane’s kitchen, and I’d felt so alone in that moment because we weren’t getting anywhere with either of our grandparents, but there you were, taking away my discouragement with a sweet smile.” The words tumble out in a way that betrays my nerves. I take a steadying breath and look up at her earnestly. “I’m here to tell you that you won’t ever have to fight me for them. For the next two and a half years, I’ll give you all of them.”
Sierra bends down to pick up the box, her gaze conflicted. “Two and a half years,” she repeats.
I tense and nod at her. “Don’t worry,” I murmur. “I won’t intrude in your life any longer than necessary. I’ll just… I’ll drop these off for you like I did today. You won’t even have to see me.”
“You’ll leave Zane when the contractual term is up?”
I hesitate, and then I nod.
“So you’ll abandon all of us again, like you did back then?”
I take a hesitant step forward and shake my head. “No,” I tell her. “Zane… he wants a clean break once our time is up. He doesn’t… he doesn’t want me as his wife, Sierra, and with everything that’s standing between us, I’m not sure it could work even if he did. I’m not abandoning anyone. I’m just setting him free.”
It hurts to say it, but it hurts even more to know it’s true.
ChapterSixty-Three
Zane
I pause in my bedroom’s doorway, the soft sound of muted sobs making me freeze in place. I take a hesitant step forward, unable to ignore Celeste’s distress. She’s so lost in her grief that she doesn’t even hear me approach.
I slip into bed, and she tenses before burying her face in her pillow, trying her best to hide the evidence of her tears yet unable to keep her shoulders from shaking. My wife chokes back a sob, and her inability to keep from crying only results in further sounds of helpless agony.
My arms wrap around her, and I pull her against me wordlessly, her back flush against my bare chest. Celeste turns around and wraps her arms around my neck, seeking solace, and I hold on to her with all I’ve got.
“What happened, Celestial?” I whisper as I wrap my hand into her hair, my heart heavy. I’ve never seen her cry like this. In the days after Lily, she hid away from me, not wanting me anywhere near her. Perhaps that should’ve been a sign, but when it comes to her, I’ve always ignored every red flag. I still do.
Celeste clings to me desperately, her leg wrapping over my hip, and I tighten my grip on her. “I’m so s-sorry,” she stammers through her tears, and I gently caress her hair, wrapping her curls around my finger over and over again.
“What are you sorry for, my love?” What could’ve possibly happened to distress her this much?
Celeste’s breathing is choppy as she tries her best to chase away her sobs, and I just lie there with her, wishing I could take away her pain. I’d take it all from her if I could. “S-Sierra,” she tells me.
I tense at the sound of my sister’s name, protectiveness washing over me. I may not want Sierra to hurt Celeste, but similarly, I don’t want her hurting my sister any further either. “What happened?”
