Page 86 of Still The One

‘Foster, you lied to me. For weeks. After I gave up so much for you. Myfuckinglord, are all men liars? I mean, what else did you lie about?’ She stands up, pacing the room in front of me.

‘Lie? No. Evie, I thought after our recent conversations, you’d see this as a win? We still have feelings for one another, and we’re still married. Is that not a good thing?’

‘Agood thing? This makes you a liar, Fost! Do you have any idea how selfish that was? What if Cayden and I hadn’t broken up? When would I have found out? While standing at the altar?’

‘I want to say I would have signed them since you were engaged to someone else, but that’d be a lie too. Had I known you were engaged to someone else, I’d have been the guy objecting to your wedding.’

She purses her lips, attempting to force away the quivering chin sneaking up on her – but I see it.

‘Now I’m wondering how much of what you’ve said since you’ve been here has even been true?’

‘That is ridiculous,’ I say, surprised she’s this mad. ‘Every word that’s left my lips has been true and you know it. That kiss, Evie, are you telling me you’re going to deny feelings we didn’t even have to say out loud?’

The shake of her head says she’s not buying it.

‘Come on, Jellybean. Can you blame me? You left without even talking to me, using words from our wedding against me. So I was mad that the papers didn’t even come with a phone call,’ I continue, my voice slightly elevated unintentionally. ‘For years, I wondered what the fuck was going on. I would have tried your family but come on, Evie, we’d only known each other a handful of months before we were over. I didn’t know how to find you besides just showing up at your door, and considering you didn’t even say goodbye, that wasn’t an option for me.’

She perches her hands on her hips. ‘Was, “Thanks for nursing me back to health; by the way, I think we may still bemarried, so you might want to look into that”, not an option either? You could have said this before you left the hospital.’

‘Would it seriously have changed your mind?’

She lifts her shoulders, crossing her arms over her chest. ‘I should have had the opportunity to find out at least.’

Our voices are raised and this feels like a giant backward step.

‘Ugh!’ she stomps her foot onto the ground. ‘Why does every man I fall for tell me something at the last minute that should have been said far sooner? I don’t want to be someone’s last thought, Foster. Getting this fromyou, after all the conversations we’ve had since you’ve been here, feels exactly like that.’

‘No time seemed right, but I knew I couldn’t leave without telling you.’

She huffs. ‘I can’t invest years of my life in men who lie to me. I’ve tried it, and I pass. I think we both know that if we decided to give this another shot, I’d be sitting home, waiting for you to remember I exist. Then we’d spend an amazing weekend together, and then I’d have to wait another few weeks for another glimpse at what I got married for – because you don’t have time for me when you’re on the road – remember saying that?’

I nod. I did say that. It was a long time ago, but the words were said. At least I spoke mine – she wrote hers.

‘I want to be someone’s priority,’ she says. ‘I need someone I know I can count on, and I’m not sure you’re that guy.’

My jaw is literally hanging open as she speaks, words eluding me. Is she dumping me right now when we barely even saw what could’ve been?

‘I think you should buy the plane ticket. We both have lives to get back to. And when you get there, file for the divorce. Irreconcilable differences.’ Without me, she exits the room,storming out, slamming the door behind her, and leaving me in silence.

Fuck. Did I seriously just fuck this up again? She wants me to leave. I drop my head as my heart – or what’s left of it – falls through my chest, landing like a delicate glass vase and shattering into a million pieces right here in the middle of a doctor’s office.Somebody call 911 because I’m pretty sure I’m dead.

She left me at the sterile, white-walled doctor’s office and I was forced to call an Uber to get back to her place. My limbs feel heavy and uncooperative, like they are filled with concrete as I trudge up the three flights of stairs to her apartment. I finally reach her door and knock, but there’s no answer.

‘Evie?’ I call out, rapping on the door again.

The click of her door opening gives me hope, but it’s not Eve who appears – it’s Phil.

‘Hi, darling.’ He shakes his head. ‘She doesn’t want to talk about it,’ he says. ‘But don’t worry, I’ve got your stuff.’

As he exits Eve’s apartment, he closes the door behind him, motioning for me to follow.

Confused, I do. ‘You’ve got my stuff? What does that mean?’

He looks at me with pity in his eyes and it only adds to the ache in my chest. As I reach his now-open doorway, I notice my suitcase behind him in his apartment.

‘Shit,” I run a hand through my hair. “She’s that angry?’ I ask, feeling a sense of dread wash over me.

Phil nods solemnly. ‘Come on in,’ he says, beckoning me into his vibrant and eclectic apartment. ‘You can stay here until you figure out your flight arrangements.’

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