Page 28 of Believing in You

“Hello,” he answered and was greeted by silence. “Hello?”

“Harrison, I’m—I’m shocked you answered,” Veronica said, her voice seductive and breathy. “How are you?”

“I’m fine. Why are you calling, Veronica?”

“To talk. To apologize. To beg you to forgive me for…well, everything.”

There was a lot to forgive, but his biggest problem was forgetting. It was hard to forget she’d broken off their engagement when he’d needed her by his side. Which made it hard to forget she hadn’t defended him. At least not the way he needed. It was also hard to forget she’d betrayed him by thinking he was capable of killing an innocent woman.

But that was the past, and he was trying like hell to leave everything related to it and her there. That was one of the main reasons he’d shown up for Nyla tonight. He wanted to move forward with his life, and he felt deep in his heart that spending time with her was the first step. He’d wanted her to know he was interested in her. Filling in for her performer who had canceled had been his way of showing her that she could depend on him.

“I’m so sorry,” Veronica said, sounding like she meant it. “I know it’s too many years too late, but I really am sorry. Deep in my heart, I knew you had nothing to do with that woman’s murder, but my family…”

Yeah, she came from old money, and Harrison could almost imagine her parents telling her that she needed to distance herself from him. Most times, she had a mind of her own, but her family was about appearances. Having a fiancé on trial formurder, whether he committed it or not, wasn’t a good look for them.

“I was a fool and let outside sources govern my decisions. Harrison, I’ll never be able to apologize enough for not being there for you. Can you ever forgive me?”

“Why now?” Harrison asked.

Sure, she had called him once or twice over the years, but her apologies felt thin, like she had an ulterior motive for saying she was sorry. Tonight, though, it felt more sincere, and he wanted to know what changed.

“What do you mean, why now? I’ve tried telling you I’m sorry. Ever since you were released from prison, I’d leave voicemails saying as much. Only once did you answer the phone. Unfortunately, as soon as you heard my voice, you hung up. I’m actually surprised you haven’t blocked my number.”

Yeah, he wasn’t sure why he hadn’t. Maybe because she hadn’t called much until lately.

“Why now?” he asked again.

“Because…” She released a frustrated breath. “Because you’ve been on my mind lately, and I feel guilty. I always think about you this time of year. If things had worked out between us, last week we would’ve been celebrating our fourth wedding anniversary.”

Harrison sat speechless. He hadn’t thought about their wedding date since before he was arrested. It suddenly seemed like a lifetime ago, and he would’ve been fine not remembering. She had started planning their big day a year in advance. According to her, it was supposed to be the wedding of the century.

He was a simple guy and would’ve been fine with getting married in front of a few friends and family. Not Veronica, though. She’d wanted the wedding to be the talk of the town.

Harrison shook his head. He should be thanking her for breaking up with him.

“I still feel awful about the way I handled everything. I know saying I’m sorry will never be enough, but I’m—”

“I accept your apology. It doesn’t change anything between us, though,” he said, needing to make that clear. There was so much he’d been holding in, and it was time he said what he needed to say to her. “I now know the type of person you are. The type of woman I almost made the mistake of marrying. Thank you for breaking our engagement. It’s clear we were wrong for each other.”

“Harrison, don’t say that. We were great together, and we were once good friends. I was hoping we could at least go back to that. No, I might not have responded appropriately to your…your situation, and I know I didn’t do right by you. However, I did what I could. Though I didn’t attend every minute of your trial, don’t forget I’m the one who hired my family’s lawyer to defend you.”

Harrison released a humorless laugh. “And we saw how that turned out. I’m not even sure if the guy asked me if I’d done what I was accused of doing. Back then, I was so mentally and emotionally distraught, I hadn’t even thought about that.

“It would’ve been nice to have my fiancée there fighting for me. Someone who claimed to love me and had planned to spend the rest of her life with me. Someone who could’ve been my mouthpiece when I wasn’t able to think straight, let alone express what I needed done. Someone to demand my lawyer look around every corner and under every rock to find the truth.

“It wasn’t until after I was convicted did I have the bandwidth to replay all that through my mind. It wasn’t until my boss found me a new lawyer, one who dug deep for answers—for the truth—that I realized what a sorry excuse of a lawyer Ioriginally had. I also realized how you failed me. How you didn’t love me enough to stand by me.”

Silence as thick as a San Francisco fog filled the phone line. Harrison had said more than he needed to and had probably caught Veronica off guard. But he had to share the feelings that he hadn’t verbalized to anyone except to his sister and to Royce.

It’s all a part of the healing process, his therapist had said so often when he’d have a small breakthrough. Or when he’d question her weekly assignments.

He had met with his therapist for a year after his release from prison. She’d been good at her job, helping him pick up the pieces of his life and rejoin society. Yet, there were some aspects where he hadn’t been ready to put in the work. Work that would’ve helped him come to terms with the pain brought on by those who’d wronged him.

Apparently, he was finally ready to forgive and move on. At least, he hoped that was what was happening.

“I—I don’t know what to say,” Veronica said after a long hesitation. “I feel awful, and I hope one day you can find it in your heart to forgive me.”

“I told you, I have.”

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