Page 111 of Tomorrow Belongs to Us
“I'm the one who broke it off.”
Arla nods, as if agreeing that I did the right thing. “It's a good thing you did… She sounds like a volatile woman, someone who's not going to let go of him easily. You're better off without him.”
“Why are you happy for me? I'm in love with the man.”
“I don’t want you to fall apart like you did before.”
“I fell apart last time because of everything else that was going on in my life, with my mom getting depressed when my dad left. It was a tough time for my family, and then when my mom took an overdose, it was the worst, and then Lance left, and he was the one solid, dependable thing in my life.” I roll my eyes when Arla tries to interject. “You have no idea how bad things were at home. My mom and dad were constantly at one another’s throat, and I couldn’t get my head together to study. But Lance Turner was always there for me. He was my salvation. He helped me. He was a place for me to go to and he made me better. He made my life better.
“It's a good thing,” she waves her hand dismissively.
“What's a good thing?” My suspicions are aroused.
“You breaking up with him. Married men are complicated, and you shouldn't be getting involved with marr—”
“I have never gotten involved with a married man. And also, he’s divorced.”
“But you breaking up with him now is a good thing, especially as his wife has taken an overdose, and their daughter must be suffering. Oh, my goodness!” She slaps a hand to her forehead. “This is how it was for you! You definitely did the right thing.”
“That's why I broke up with him, but it still doesn't explain why you’re not fazed by it. I’m upset. I’m broken. You're supposed to be my friend and empathize with me. Lance wasn't a one-night stand. He's not just good sex, or a comfort for a night. We have a real connection. I feel it here.” I place a hand on my chest. “Him reappearing in my life was weird, but when I finally let him in, he fit so right. I tried to fight the attraction. I tried not to get involved. I'm clear about the baggage he has, but he's been truthful about it. He's never tried to hide it. I can’t explain it. I know him, Arla. I know him in my soul. The connection I have with him is something I’ve never had with anyone else.”
The room falls awkwardly silent.
“He hasn't always told you the truth.” Arla blinks a little too much. I know that face. That's Arla's I'm-telling-you-the-truth-you-will-hate face.
Fear crawls along my spine and I try to mentally brace for the impact of her hit.
“He was in a relationship with that student, the one he saved on the college campus and took a bullet for.”
And there it is. Arla's words land like a bomb. I open my mouth to say something, but my voice has vanished.
“Remember those two guys in the bar? The ones Lance got into a fight with. You and Lance left, and they told me. They know someone at the college, and they said Lance and that student had been in a relationship, and the guy who shot him, was the girl’s ex-boyfriend.”
Her words were like a crack in the mirror. An ugly lie with veined forks, lies leading to other lies, spreading out, breaking all of my heart. It isn't until I take a breath that I realize I've been holding it in. “They said what?”
“They said the shooter hated that his girlfriend had cheated on him with her professor, so he wanted to kill her, or him.”
“But I haven't heard that on the news.”
“It's old news now. It's all gone quiet, but the investigation is on-going, and I’m sure we’ll hear more.”
I feel as if I’ve been hit in the face.
“I'm so sorry, Megan,” Arla continues.
I force myself to take a sip of the wine, to appear unfazed, but it tastes bitter, like I’ve swallowed paint stripper.
Lance and the student were having an affair?
Panic stutters in my throat, blocking the air from reaching my lungs. I can't breathe, or talk, or move.
Arla pats me on my thigh. “You did the right thing to break up with him, and it’s the best thing that you’re moving away. Time to forget Mr. Turner and stick him where he belongs, well and truly in your past.”
Chapter 41
MEGAN
Something is off. I can't focus. I can't think. I am restless and I'm not sleeping well.
