Page 6 of Mercy Lake

“You sure you don’t want to take anything else?” Alicia asked, her voice laced with concern.

I shook my head. “I want a fresh break. I don’t want anything that can remind me of them—of him. They’ve already taken everything of worth.”

Alicia wanted to argue but restrained herself when I slammed the door shut, maybe a bit too hard.

I strolled to her car, meandering over the new future I was suddenly thrust into. We were leaving town without a word or goodbye.

Alicia said she’d send for her things, which was a minor travel bag anyway. We also resigned to the fact that our parents would want to kill us, but they would have to settle for a phone call instead.

I refused to be stuck in that small town, trying to survive each day knowing that one, if not both betrayers, were close by. And I’d have to see Owen since I was a nurse and he was a physiotherapist working in the same hospital—theonlyhospital in the general vicinity.

Nope.That sounded all sorts of horrible, to remain in a realm of torture that I did not want to venture into.

I told him he’d never see me again, and I intended on keeping my promise.

As I went to get into Alicia’s car, a flash of moonlight reflected off the jewellery still settled on my finger.

Sprinting to the water’s edge, I tugged off my wedding rings and threw them as far as I could. I gave the lake another one of my firsts, letting the dark water swallow any last semblance of my marriage, of anything that consisted of Owen Ivans and me.

Chapter 3

OWEN

What have I done?

It had been a month since that disastrous night with Everly, and I was no closer to getting my shit together and doing right by my wife.

Since then, I hadn’t been able to sleep, eat or even look Alexis in the face. My conscience writhed from the truth that would break both our hearts.

Alexis’ work conference had ignited a new passion for her job, and she immediately wanted to implement what she had learnt. When she returned, she invested all her time and energy into putting those ideas into practice.

I took advantage of that distraction and worked overtime every night, hoping and fucking praying that she’d be asleepwhen I got home. Just so I wouldn’t have to look into her loving face, that sincere smile, those expressive green eyes that read me so well.

I was terrified.I knew I had to confess, and I had every intention of doing so. I just had to find the right time, figure out the best way to go about it. And as fucked up as it sounds, I didn’t want to hurt her. I didn’t want to cause pain to my Alexis. That’s what got me the most. I didn’t care about me.Ididn’t matter in that whole scenario. All I could think about was the harrowing ramifications for Alexis due tomyselfish actions.How do I admit what I did to the person I am supposed to protect above all others?Who I had hurt the most.

But as my flimsy excuses persisted and time dragged on, fate grew impatient.

I had successfully avoided Everly for three weeks until she managed to track me down and share her pregnancy news with me. Seven days of torture passed after that, and I was no closer to growing some metaphorical balls and coming forth with the truth. Riddled with guilt and shame, I couldn’t fathom the thought of having a baby with someone other than my wife.

Alexis and I both loved kids—even planned on trying to conceive in the next year.How did everything unravel so quickly?

I was with a client when I received a text. Two words abruptly imploded my world as I knew it.

Everly:Time’s up.

She was taking matters into her own hands, ’cause who gave a fuck about what I wanted, right?

I dropped everything at work to race home, hoping and praying I would get there in time. Dread spread through me when I saw both cars outside my house—the house I shared with my wife.

I nearly busted down the door to get to her. Alexis. I wished I hadn’t.

A single look, and I knew I was going to lose her forever.

Alexis sat on the couch, blank and drained of colour as if she was a robot short-circuiting from an onslaught of malfunctions—the main being Everly, who spat her news with no qualms or hesitation. As if the scenario was matter-of-fact. As if the baby was a simple concept to accept.

Rage at myself, at Everly, at the whole fucked up situation consumed every cell as I stomped forward, pulling her away from Alexis, away from my fucking wife.

I have to protect my wife!

---