Page 23 of The Ring Thief
“Lily, please…” I say, reaching out and gently gripping her upper arms. “I don’t give a shit about Hi-Tech. Iloveyou. I wasn’t lying about us.”
“About us,” she repeats, lifting her eyebrows. “Interesting phrasing. But you don’t have to tell me. I mean, I thought I’d stand here and demand answers, but actually…” she tilts her head to the side, not bothering to wipe away the tears still falling. “I don’t think I care. The man I thought I loved—” I flinch, feeling my face pale, “—would never have done something like this.” As if everything has drained away, she sags in my hold, looking like a shell of herself. She looks…
Defeated. Broken.
Nausea swirls my gut, pushing bile into the back of my throat. I force it down, shaking my head, but she’s not finished. “At least Dad got what he wanted. Guess that means this can all just be over,” she muses quietly, stepping back from me and I let her go as my heart pounds in my chest, wishing I knew what to say to fix this, to explain. But if I tell her about my father, I have to tell her everything, and the words crumble to ash on my tongue, leaving a bitter aftertaste in my mouth.
My vision has gone blurry, and I blink rapidly to clear it as she starts talking again. “I think it was worse, knowing how much I gave to you, knowing now you were with her the whole time.”
That makes me falter, confusion battening down my panic momentarily. “With who?”
She looks at me like I’m the dumbest asshole she’s ever met. “With Silvia. I almost feel bad for her. I mean, I knew she hated me, but I didn’t realize it was because I was dating her man.” A harsh bark of laughter that sounds nothing like my Lily.
“I’m not with Silvia.” I sound like I’ve been gargling gravel. “I’ve never been with Silvia. She’s my friend, nothing more. I told you that. Our families were neighbors. Our fathers are best friends. She’s family.”
She scrunches her nose up. “Sounds incestuous, but whatever. It’s not my business anymore. I told you, you don’t have to keep lying, Declan. You’re free and clear.”
“You aren’t listening to me,” I snap, my temper fraying. “I’m not lying abo?—”
“Even if you’re not,” she interrupts, turning away to look at the lake again. “I would never believe a word you said. Not now. You lied to myface for a year. You even did it just now.” She tilts her head to the gazebo. “Telling me you married me because you loved me.”
She was testing me. It’s a damning realization, knowing I had a chance to come clean, and I’d fucked it up without even knowing. I should’ve put an end to this a long time ago, but now she’s the one that’s going to pay for everyone else’s mistakes.
Formymistakes.
But she doesn’t get it. It might not have been real to start with, but she means more to me than any other person in the world.
I love her.
Even as I open my mouth to voice the words, she’s spinning around. As soon as I realize her intention, I lunge forward, wrapping my hand around her wrist as she lifts it up. My fingers overlap as I temper my hold, not wanting to hurt her.
“What’re you doing?” I demand.
She looks at me over her shoulder, eyes cloudy and dull. “They’re meaningless now.”
I soften my voice, pleading with her, “Please, Lily. Please. Don’t do this. Don’t shut down on me.” I smooth my thumb over her wrist, feeling the rapid beat of her pulse. “I’ll give you some space, some time, and then we’ll talk about this. We’ll figure it out. I’ll fix it.”
“Don’t you get it?” She shuts her eyes, her throat working. When she speaks, her voice is choked off with emotion and I lean closer, intent on catching every single painful word. “There’s no fixing this. You broke something in me, and it’s irreparable.” She meets my eyes, doing nothing to hide her agony. “I knew that life wasn’t perfect, but I thought I’d found my person,” she whispers. “I thought I’d found the person who would change me for the better. Instead, I got someone who broke me completely.”
“You’re not broken,” I whisper back, manhandling her into my arms. I press her face to my chest with one hand, the other still clutching her wrist, the rings wrapped tight in her fist. “You’re perfect. This isn’t your fault. It shouldn’t have happened, and I’ll make it right.”
She doesn’t move for a heartbeat, and then another. My shoulders loosen, panic receding. It’s at that moment that she yanks herself away from me, her wrist sliding free from my slack fingers, determinationmasking her features as she looks toward the lake. I catch her, just in time, wrestling her fingers open and stealing the rings from her grasp.
I step back several paces, my breathing shallow and fast as I squeeze my fist closed, feeling the diamond digging painfully into the meaty flesh of my palm. She doesn’t move, eyes watching me, devoid of…anything. Lifeless.
“It doesn’t matter,” she tells me. “They mean nothing.”
“They mean everything,” I counter shakily. “I didn’t lie when I put these on your finger.”
“Your words don’t mean anything, either.” She shakes her head. “I really hope this was all worth it.” I drop my chin, unable to withstand the look in her eyes. “I don’t wish unhappiness on you, Declan, but I want you to hear this… I will be happy without you. I lived a full life before you, and I’ll live one after you.” She turns and walks away, and I’m left standing there, feeling like she just tore my heart out of my chest.
But I tore hers out first.
Just when she’s almost too far away for me to hear her, she turns. Her face is still wet with tears she never bothered to wipe away, and she smiles. “I want a divorce.”
My knees buckle, almost sending me to the ground, and I press my fist to my chest. It feels like someone’s just reached into my body and yanked my lungs out, each breath a struggle. Still, I don’t take my eyes off her, watching as she walks away, waiting for her to look back.
She never does.
