Page 39 of When Forever Stays

There’s no reason to hold anything back. So I lay it all out there. How originally, I wanted to keep my anonymity with Dana like I did with everyone else. How I knew I should have come clean the moment I realized how important Dana had become to me in such a short time. But then I found out I had a son who was sick and needed part of my liver to survive. Only to end up having him hate me. Then coming back to Amber Island and falling in love with Dana all over again but too afraid to finally tell her the truth. I end with, “Not exactly a good way to kick off a relationship.” As if on cue, lightning flashes in the sky at the same time thunder roars. The wind howls louder.

“Neither is lying to the girl.”

If Dr. Woodhouse is surprised by this revelation or concerned about this worsening storm, his stoic expression doesn’t show it. We come to a four-way intersection and he stops. “Where am I taking you?”

I tell him which way to turn and give him the rest of the directions to my hut. As we continue to drive, I pray for our safety. Right now, the roads aren’t flooded, but I know from experience that conditions can change in an instant. Unfortunately, none of my prayers prepare me for what we find after making it down my driveway.

“It’s gone.” The pain I’ve had in my chest since watching Dana lock herself inside the office grows into a sharp, stabbing ache. My house was never anything spectacular, basically just a studio apartment on a beach. But it was home. My sanctuary. And all that’s left is rubble.

“Must have been a microburst of some kind,” Dr. Woodhouse says, staring at the destruction.

Rubbing my pulsing temples, I mumble, “Could this day get any worse?”

“Sure it could.” Dr. Woodhouse pats my shoulder, then looks behind us before turning the car around and heading back for the road. “You could have nowhere to stay.”

“Idon’thave anywhere to stay,” I say, my frustration mounting.

“Sure you do. You’ll stay with me and Nancy as you weather this storm.”

Somehow, I know he’s not just talking about the storm raging outside.

FIFTEEN

DANA

The windows rattle as the wind howls outside. It’s been three days of this. Three days since I ran away from Rhett after learning of his ultimate betrayal. From the very beginning, he’s lied to me about his identity, the very core of who he is. I’m not sure our relationship can ever come back from that.

Hurt and anger continue to grow inside me, creating the defensive wall I should have put in place from the very beginning to protect me from this new pain.

Rosa tightens the afghan around her shoulders as she reclines on my couch. She’s been with me since the storm arrived, sleeping in the spare bedroom that once housed Rhett. Where he had a nightmare and in his sleepy state told me he wanted to keep me. Tears burn my eyes at the memory.

Rosa shivers a little then says, “It’s gonna be a few more days of rough weather. I can feel it.”

“This storm came out of nowhere, didn’t it? I don’t remember hearing anything about it on the weather channel.” I keep myvoice as monotone as possible, trying to show control over the torrent of emotions warring inside of me.

Rosa looks straight ahead, her expression calm and sure. “Some storms blast into life when we least expect them. We can’t prepare for them, but we do our best to defend what we can and trust that God will protect the rest.” She takes a sip of her tea. “Ooh, that’s good. I love a good jasmine tea.”

Rosa sounds so cavalier about everything. Stuff with Rhett, this storm that has kept us cooped up for days. How can she stay so relaxed when the world around us is slowly drowning us?

“We’re not just talking about a storm, are we?”

“No,” she says. “I was talking about the tea too.”

I give her a frustrated look. “Please just say what you want to say. Probably something along the lines of ‘I told you so.’”

Rosa calmly shakes her head. “No. Not even close. I want you to tell me what happened with Rhett when you’re ready.”

I’m ready. It’s been eating at me for days. So I lay it all out on the table. Her expression is unreadable as I come to the last things that were said.

“So what is it that you’re most upset about?” she asks.

“Everything,” I answer too quickly.

Rosa takes a long sip of her tea. “But what hurts you the most?”

“I don’t know.” Getting up, I pace the length of my living room, trying to find a way to burn off energy and clear my head. “It’s all hard.”

“It is. I don’t envy you right now. No one would. But you need to know God is working in all of this.” She squints as if deep in thought. “In everything He works for His glory.”

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