Page 11 of Mercy Lake

Dad pulled me into his side, whispering into my hair, “You, my girl, arenotbroken. You are strong and intelligent and made for bigger and better things. Your so-called friend, Everly, may be having this baby, but she will never find love from the father. She will go on knowing Owen will always belong to another. And your soon-to-be ex-husband will regret this for the rest of his life. He already does.”

Chapter 6

ALEXIS

Days turned into months as I officially filed for divorce.

I kept my mind busy, always on the move, ensuring I didn’t have a spare moment to linger on my past. Alicia and I found a two bedroom apartment in the same building as her previous one bedroom. She already had most of the furniture, which made the move easy and relatively simple. I refused to take anything from my previous life.

I soon found a nursing job in a medical centre a couple of streets over, able to walk to and from work without a care. My previous job had already heard about the news of my separation, our small gossip monger town knowing more about my relationship than I did. They gave me an easy dismissalwithout upholding the mandatory period of resignation usually required.

A sense of amusement was the only win I considered when I thought of Owen and Everly dealing with the aftermath of their sins. The town would punish them in their petty, underhanded ways, and I was in for all of it. The only downfall was that I didn’t get to see or hear about it firsthand since I stood firm on the no-contact rule.

I did miss others I left behind. It would have been remiss to think I wouldn’t. Friends and old colleagues tried to reach out before I deleted all my social media. Even then, I couldn’t bring myself to reply or be in the same orbit as them, not wanting to unintentionally hear about Owen or Everly.

My parents encouraged me to go to therapy, even stressing that it wasn’t healthy to cut offeveryone.Nonetheless, I couldn’t help it. Any mention of Acacia Falls had fear knocking on the protective walls I had so carefully constructed in my head.

The city was the perfect place to escape to and bury all my sorrows. If only that was a failsafe barrier in all ways.

Owen tried to contest the divorce, requesting mediation, wanting to have one last conversation before we settled things. His stalling took a toll on my mental health, anxiety surfacing every time I received contact from my lawyer.

It all came to a head when I arrived home early to overhear Alicia in her room, talking on the phone. That wouldn’t have been an issue in itself—except she said my name. I had no choice but to eavesdrop.

Alicia sighed. “I miss you too, but that doesn’t change anything. You were my brother once. Now, you are a stranger. I only answered you this one time to tell you tostop calling. I will not hurt Alexis, and you have no right to ask about her. She is trying to move on with her life, Owen. It’s time you moved on with yours.”

I silently backed away, thinking over Alicia’s words.

Tryingto move on with my life?I was barely surviving. But I respected her take on things. Although I felt conflicted with her talking on the phone with him, I understood her stance. I wasn’t the only one to lose him.

My parents had lost a son, and my sister had lost a brother. I was so caught up in my own grief that I’d failed to see and acknowledge theirs.

So, when Alicia came into the lounge area, I pulled her into a hug. “Let’s go out tonight. Dinner and drinks. My shout?”

Alicia smiled. “There she is.”

Our night started off promising, then, it turned into a disaster.

We enjoyed a fancy dinner at some high-end restaurant. I should have ventured out earlier instead of wallowing in my room. A change of atmosphere was good for me, and being with my sister felt light and airy. There was no pressure to maintain a façade.

For the first time since the collapse of my marriage, I managed to laugh—genuinely laugh. Alicia and I shared old memories, teased each other and I even made her blush by pointing out the late-night booty calls she regularly slipped out for.

“You know we’re adults now, right? I know you’re having S-E-X.”

Alicia gaped. “We’re still related, so no. I will forever believe we’re both virgins and will be forever.”

I chuckled before turning serious. “I know I’ve been a handful these past couple months.” When Alicia went to interrupt, I cut her off. “I wanted to thank you and say that I appreciate everything you’ve done for me. But I’m alsoyour sistertoo. Iwant you to know I’m here for you as well. If you ever want to talk or need me for anything, I’m here.”

Her reaction shocked me as her features dropped. Alicia rolled her shoulders back as if gearing up to tell me something. “Actually, I am seeing someone. Our relationship is… complicated. We have to keep it a secret since—”

An abrupt crash had us pivoting to the side. A bartender had dropped a tray of glasses, jagged pieces splayed all over the floor. We soon made our exit, entering a dance club where music pulsed against the walls.

Alicia refused to give me any more information on her mystery man, her previous sharing mood dwindling with the alcohol, replaced by her attempts at playing matchmaker.

We were hit on by multiple men, a lot of them attractive. Alicia dodged the offers with city girl precision. I wish I could say the same for myself. Bolstered with fresh heartbreak and liquid courage, I managed to kiss one. Which didn’t go down well. I had only ever kissed Owen. He was my first and only… Not anymore.

I panicked, nausea roiling in my gut at the feel of another man’s lips on mine. And when the random pulled back, I immediately combusted into tears—drunk, messy tears.

How embarrassing.

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