Page 34 of Season of Mercy
Mercy wiped her tears, but a new flood came right after. It wasn’t any easier when one’s heart was breaking the second time around. Anger and pain warred inside her.
How could Ethan do this to me?
Granted, he used to be a womanizer, but he was an honorable man, too. And they seemed to be so happy together.
She parked near the guesthouse that couldn’t be her home any longer and wiped her face again. She’d have to find an apartment.
Stevie would be heartbroken to leave Ethan. What had she done? Why had she hoped that Ethan would change and stay faithful to her? She wasn’t even living with the man.
Mercy charged inside the guesthouse and started gathering her belongings into her old, trusty suitcase. Because of her son, she couldn’t allow herself to fall apart, no matter how much she wanted to.
“Mercy!” Ethan’s voice made her flinch.
She turned around slowly. “Don’t make it more difficult than it already is. Oh, you’re worried about the auto shop chain, right? But you did marry me, so hopefully your father will honor his promise.”
“I don’t care about that. I care about you. Don’t you know that?” Ethan stepped to her.
“You should’ve thought about that before cheating on me!” Mercy exploded.
“I didn’t cheat on you. You have to believe me.” Ethan took another step toward her.
Mercy felt as if she were suffocating. It was getting harder and harder to breathe. “Come on! You were caught.” She needed to go somewhere to cool off. Somewhere where the source of her anger wasn’t present.
“I love you.” Ethan’s voice was low, his eyes searching hers.
Mercy froze.
These were the words she longed to hear. As she stared into his eyes, so eager to believe him, she knew the feeling was mutual. She’d realized it somewhere between to the trip to the petting farm and snuggling on the couch at home while watching cartoons with Ethan and Stevie.
And it was precisely the reason it was so difficult to walk away. Cole’s gambling issue hadn’t been as painful as this. She’d stuck with Cole. But she couldn’t stay, looking at Ethan’s lips and knowing those lips had just kissed another woman.
Cole had told her many lies.
She hadn’t expected to hear them from Ethan, too. She’d thought she knew him better than that.
“I need to go. I need to stay away from you for now.” Mercy threw more clothes into the suitcase.
“I mean it. I do love you.” Ethan’s voice sounded so sincere.
Mercy hesitated, wanting badly to stay. Then jealousy reared its head again. Today, it was Leah. Tomorrow, it would be someone else.
She shook her head. “If you loved me, you wouldn’t have done what you did.”
***
THE NEXT DAY, MERCYsank onto the chair after tucking in Stevie for a nap. The motel room was tiny, but it was all she could afford. The last thing she wanted to do was ask Ethan for money.
Her heart ached, more for Stevie than for herself. Her little boy had never cried as much as after leaving the guesthouse. Every tear, every hiccup was like a knife stab to her.
Mercy hid her face in her hands, as if she could hide from pain that way. She’d taken a vow for life and her son needed Ethan. But she couldn’t force herself to go back, at least not right now. The wound was still too raw.
A knock on the door caused her to look up. She pursed her lips as she walked to the door. She wasn’t ready to talk to Ethan, to listen to his lies again.
She peered in the peephole.
Ethan’s father.
Disappointment and relief stirred inside her at the same time. Relief that it wasn’t Ethan didn’t surprise her, but disappointment did. Did she hope Ethan would come looking for her? Instead, the coward had apparently sent his father.
