Page 32 of The Bride's Secret

Carisa didn’t know what to say to that. What was marriage, if not commitment?

“And so I thought that I could, you know, get it out of my system at the beginning and then I’d be ready to be your one and only.”

“Wait, what exactly are talking about when you say get it out of your system?”

“Babe, don’t make this harder than it needs to be. I’m being bare here.”

“Not as bare as you need to be apparently.”

His face turned red and a flash of anger passed across his eyes. Carisa was shocked to see it, thinking Heath so mild. Then his expression cleared and he sat back in his seat. “Okay, I’ll lay it all out. I cheated. All the time. As much as I could, thinking that if I could get it all out of my system, when we married, I’d be ready.” He shrugged.

“And were you?”

“Well, then I decided I could just keep playing during the first part of our marriage but when we had kids, when we really settled down, then I’d be able to give up the side flings.”

A swirl of emotion rose up into her throat. She choked it back. “So, this whole time, you’ve been seeing women, lots of other women?”

He nodded. “They don’t mean anything to me. But do you know how hard it is to have a luscious piece offer herself to you? It’s hard to resist. I’m only human.”

Carisa couldn’t even begin to understand. “Heath. You make me ill.”

“Babe, how can you say that? Hear me out. I’m saying I’m sorry. I’m saying—” He coughed. Swallowed, then continued. “I’m saying I’m done now. Losing you showed me I’d rather have you than all the girls in the world.” He lifted her hand and brought it to his lips. “You’re the real deal and I want that in my life.”

The feel of his lips made her cringe. She ripped her hand away. “Before I even knew any of this, I’d already decided we could never be.”

His face went white.

“It should be obvious. I mean. I left . Iranon the very day we would get married.”

“But we can’t try again? Take it slow? I flew all the way out here.”

“I appreciate that. I wanted to talk. I told you earlier how sorry I am.”

“Sorry. Sorry was okay when I thought we were going to be together. You can’t just say you’re sorry and then not marry a guy. We have gifts, Carisa. Do you know how embarrassing this is?”

“Is that your largest worry about not being together?”

“Well, no, yes. I don’t know. It’s a pretty big one. But it’s not all of it.”

“I know that was low of me. And I am sorry. Again, I’m sorry. But I just can’t see us together.”

Heath stood up.

“What? Where are you going?”

“Getting off this bus.”

“Uh.”

He called out. “I need to get off the bus.” Pushing past her and moving forward up the aisle, he started an animated conversation with the driver. After about three minutes, the bus put on its blinker and pulled over on the side of the road.

Heath climbed out the front door without a backward look in her direction. And that was it.

She fell back against her seat, exhausted.

The woman across the aisle leaned forward. “Everything alright, my dear?”

People all around tuned in. She could almost see them trying to hear her next words. But the woman who asked, her face was so kind, her expression so earnest that Carisa suddenly felt all her emotion rise within her, tears fill her eyes and her lower lip actually quivered.

---