Page 55 of When Love Changes Everything

"I don't know what else to tell you, except the truth," he says, his voice pleading. "I never saw Marian."

"She called me," I say, my eyes burning with unshed tears. "Yeah, Marian called me and said she spent the week with you. How did she put it? Oh, right—she said, ‘I'm in his house. In his bed, wrapped in his silk sheets.’”

"Hermosa, I—"

"She also said that when she calls, you always come running."

"I never saw her," he says, his eyes searching mine, hoping to see a hint of trust.

"How did she know you were going to be there?" I ask.

"I don’t know," he replies, his tone deflated. "Lily and Noah knew. Maybe Davey told her.Hermosa, she might be in Merida, but she'snotin my house, and I never saw her."

The words "I don't believe you" are on the tip of my tongue, but I resist the urge to say them, knowing that once I do, I can never take them back.

"I think you should leave," I say instead.

"You don't mean that,hermosa," he replies, anguish in his eyes.

The expression on my face must speak volumes, because he doesn't argue. Instead, he quickly adds, "I'll leave. But believe me when I say, I never saw Marian."

"Convince me then," I plead. "Convince me that what you're telling me is the truth."

"I love you, Lisa," he whispers. "I love you, and when I told you I would never hurt you, I meant it. I never saw her."

He leans down and kisses me gently on the cheek before turning on his heels and walking out the door.

***

"Serve me another," I say, thrusting my empty bowl into Laila’s hands.

"Don’t you think you've had enough?" she asks, her green eyes soft with sympathy.

"You can never have enough rocky road," I counter, the words slipping out bitterly. "Especially when you’re heartbroken."

Laila sighs, setting the cup down and looking at me carefully. "He’s been calling every hour, Lisa," she says. "I really think you should talk to him."

"You’re only torturing yourself by avoiding him," Loren says, offering me a slight smile.

"Lisa," Katherine presses, her tone insistent. "Sweetie, you can’t avoid him forever."

I reach for a tissue and try to wipe away the tears threatening to spill.

"You need to let him explain," Laila says, taking a step closer. "Marian is a liar, and you know it."

"How did she know he was going to be in Mérida?" I snap, defensively. "How?"

"She’s been spending a lot of time with Davey," Katherine says, grasping for a plausible explanation. "It wouldn’t be hard for her to figure out what Mateo’s up to. Davey might be young, but he picks up on everything happening in his house."

"Are you sure you don't want us to call Lily?" Loren asks gently. "She might be able to shed some light on this."

I let out a shaky breath, the tears finally flowing freely. "She warned me about Mateo, and I didn’t listen," I say. "I don’t want to upset her. She has enough to worry about—taking care of herself and the baby."

"She's your best friend," Loren says. "She’d want to be here for you."

"I don’t want to drag her into this mess," I say, my voice cracking. "I don’t want her to feel like she has to take sides."

"It’s not about taking sides," Katherine interjects. "It’s about exposing Marian for the liar she is."

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