Page 95 of Forgot to Tell You Something

I wave my hand, stopping him mid-sentence. I’m finished with this conversation. And him. “No more. I’ve heard enough.”

There’s that flash of desperation in his face again. “I told Charlotte about you. About us. Here,” he grabs his phone, “call her and ask her.”

I laugh at the ridiculousness of his statement. “Wow, you never cease and desist, do you? Put your phone down, Owen. I have no intention of calling the woman who not thirty minutes ago claimed she was your fiancée. Not your ex-fiancée. Your fiancée. But Charlotte doesn’t have to worry her beautiful little head about us. There is no us. Not anymore.”

“Tally—”

My fury unleashes on him, every cell spewing rage in his direction. “You promised me you wouldn’t lie anymore. Youpromised. Owen, I’m not an unreasonable person. You’re thirty-eight years old, I know you had a life before me. I don’t hold that—or Charlotte—against you. I understand if you two have unfinished business. But you don’t tell meanythingabout her, or your past. You want me to trust you, but you withhold vital information. You can’t play both sides of the coin! I don’t know how life operates in your ivory tower, but that’s not how the real world works.”

His eyes fill with panic as he steps toward me, beseeching me to understand his predicament. Not happening. Not anymore. “I’m not lying, Tally.”

“You failed to tell me the whole truth, Owen. That’s the same thing.” I pull open the door to his condo, my tears making an encore appearance. “You’re a fucking bastard for doing this to me, after I was willing to give you another chance.”

“Please don’t leave, Tally. Let’s talk about this. I’m begging you.”

“You don’t have that right any longer. It’s over.”

* * *

Ifeel sorry for the cop if I get pulled over. He’ll be stuck listening to my story, as I sob in the driver’s seat, my shoulders hunched from the weight of another betrayal.

Stefani’s house isn’t far from Owen’s condo, which is a good thing because I’m not safe on the roads at the moment. I pull into the driveway and pound on my friend’s door. I’m not sure how many more rescue missions she’ll abide within a twenty-four-hour period.

“Lu? What in the world happened?” Stefani pulls me into a hug, rubbing a soothing hand along my back. “Is it your Dad?”

I shake my head and open my mouth to speak. Trouble is, every time I do, sobs fall out instead of words. I never realized how many tears one human could hold.

“Shh,” she whispers, leading me to the couch. “Sit down. You want some tea?”

I shake my head. It’s the only communication I seem capable of, beyond the ever-present crying.

She sits next to me; her face lined with worry. “I thought you’d be at Owen’s by now for that big romantic dinner.”

Nothing like turning the faucet on full blast. My sobs turn into wails, and I’m thankful her neighbors aren’t home. I sound like a damn banshee.

“What did the bastard do? I’m going to kill him.” See? That’s a ride or die. She doesn’t ask questions, just shows up with a shovel to bury the body. She grabs her phone, shaking it in my direction. “Do I need have a chat with Owen? Because I will. That son of a bitch. Did he tell you to get rid of the baby? Don’t you listen to him, Lu. That sorry sack of—”

“He doesn’t know about the baby.”

Her worry lines deepen into confusion. “Wait, what am I missing?”

“I stopped by Owen’s condo earlier. I couldn’t wait. I wanted to tell him,” I snuffle, wiping my nose with the back of my hand. “You can imagine my surprise when his fiancée answered the door.”

My best friend blanches white under her golden spray tan. “His what?” she shrieks.

“His fiancée. She’s gorgeous and horribly wealthy and important. Her father financed Owen’s robotics cath lab. Single-handedly.”

Stefani claps her hand over her mouth, her entire body trembling with anger.

Have I mentioned how much I love this woman?

“Holy shit, Lu. Where the fuck has she been?”

I shrug, because I’ve no idea. Does it even matterwhereshe’s been? That she exists is what threw me for a loop. “San Francisco, I suppose.”

“I’d love to know how that piece of crap tried to weasel out of this one.”

“Owen told me he broke it off when he left San Francisco. But she informed me they were only on a break.”

---