Realizing it was me, he turned around in surprise and asked, âDebra? How did you get here?â
I didnât respond.
I just gave him and Alexandria a cold stare.
Catching my gaze, Caleb suddenly seemed to realize how inappropriate their closeness was and quickly pushed Alexandria away as if scalded.
I found it ridiculous.
Now he felt guilty? Wasnât it a little too late?
His attempts to hide it only made things more obvious.
âDebra, listen to me.
â Caleb approached, desperately reaching for my hand as he tried to explain, âItâs all a misunderstanding.
Nothing is going on between Alexandria and me.
â
âMisunderstanding?â
I kept my face expressionless as I pulled my hand away.
I tried to maintain a stoic exterior, but deep sorrow overcame me, and tears streamed down my face.
The ache in my chest felt as if it had been slashed open, the pain spreading finely and intensely.
Perhaps due to the overwhelming grief, my mind began to flood with unclear images.
Calebâs inappropriate behavior with other women wasnât new to me.
The familiar sadness, the familiar angerâ¦
Was this a flashback from my past?
I didnât have a moment to think.
Past emotions flooded in, and I couldnât stand to listen to
Calebâs excuses any Longer.
All I wanted was to get out of this heartbreaking place as fast as possible.
âCaleb, I canât bear to see you anymore!â I shouted at him, turning to leave.
But Caleb held on tightly.
âDonât leave! Debra, please trust me this time.
I swear, nothing is going on between Alexandria and me.
It was just an unfortunate misunderstanding.
Please let me explain Ivy was also upset by what she witnessed.
Yet, she chose to stand by Caleb and urged me, âHoney, please stay.
Remember? You promised before we came to the Thorn Edge Pack that youâd let Caleb explain.
Are you going to break that promise?â
I stopped in my tracks.
Ivyâs words struck me forcefully, snapping me out of my impulse.
Yes, I was here to uncover the truth, not to run away again.
I wasnât just giving Caleb a chance, but also myself.
If it were true, Iâd grab my children and go-no looking back, no regrets, even if I remembered everything.
So, I couldnât just walk away now.
Taking a deep breath, I tried to regain my composure.