I Gave Him Everything, He Chose Her LiesChapter 1
The day they buried my mother fell on Memorial Day.
I spotted Curtis at the cemetery. He'd been out of contact for days.
He was hiding behind a headstone in the distance, eyes locked on the back of a woman standing ahead of him.
In six years together, Curtis had vanished every Memorial Day without fail. I'd assumed he was visiting a relative's grave. Once, I offered to go with him.
He'd erupted.
"Willow Sullivan, I'm with you three hundred and sixty-four days a year. Can't I have one day to myself?"
That fight had spiraled into a three-month cold war. It ended when I lost our first baby.
And this time, I'd lost my mother.
Three hundred and sixty-four days of tenderness couldn't make up for a single day built on lies.
If he couldn't let go of the past, then I could walk forward alone. It wouldn't be the first time.
——
I was leaving the cemetery when the woman came out of nowhere on a rental bike and slammed straight into me.
I'd been reaching for my car door. The impact knocked me to the ground. White-hot pain shot through my ankle. It took three tries before I managed to stand.
Curtis came running from the distance.
"Are you okay?"
He was gripping the woman's shoulders, scanning her up and down.
Curtis Fox was famous in his circle for being unshakable. In negotiations that could make or break his company, the man didn't break a sweat.
I had never seen him this frantic.
Once he confirmed she was unhurt, he wheeled on me.
"What the hell kind of parking job is that."
My car was stationary. The engine wasn't even on.
His eyes met mine, and something flickered across his face. A flash of guilt, gone as quickly as it appeared.
The woman shrank to one side, voice small.
"I'm sorry, it was my fault. I wasn't paying attention on the bike..."
Curtis's tone melted instantly.
"It's not your fault. She parked in a bad spot. Where did you get hurt?"
The woman hesitated, then held out her right hand. A small patch of skin had been scraped off her palm.
Curtis's brow furrowed. He cupped her hand and blew gently on the wound.
Her eyes reddened. She tried to pull away.
"It's really nothing..."
A warm spring breeze drifted through the cemetery, but I felt cold down to my bones.
"Don't blame yourself. The scratch on the car is nothing—insurance will cover it. No need to apologize."
He finally spared me a glance.