Page 66 of The Devil in Blue Jeans
After calling his sister to tell her the news, who said she would get in touch with his family, Charly spent all afternoon with him, hoping for some sign that this was all a nightmare, an illusion of some kind that he would wake up from.
But that never happened.
There was no hope here, only death.
And as realization settled in, she exhaled sharply—a breath she felt like she had been holding ever since finding him with another woman.
“I didn’t want it to end like this,” she told him softly. “I wanted us to grow old together, have children who found love themselves. I wanted to look back on our lives without any regrets.”
As if expecting an answer, she glanced at his face and waited for something—anything—that would show he could still hear her.
But there was nothing.
“When I found out about your cheating, I wanted you to really feel what it was like to be betrayed,” she said, lacing her fingers in with his. “I wanted you to experience the pain and anguish that I went through when my world caved in around me.” A tear escaped from her eye, but she didn’t bother wiping it away. “I ignored all your attempts to reach me because I was so mad. I only hoped that you would hurt as much as I did, but I never wanted this to happen.”
Her chest tightened and a lump clogged her throat. “You gave up on us,” she said, her voice breaking, “and I’ll never understand why.”
Once more, she paused. Even with all that had occurred, she had never wished this upon him and regretted not telling him that she forgave him to lessen his shame. She was sure that she had more time to forgive him, more time to understand his actions, more time for...something.
As people spoke in hushed tones outside the door, faint beams of sunlight peeked through half-closed blinds, adding a subtle glow to the white walls of the room. Her heart felt like it was breaking into a thousand pieces, shattering in this very moment. “I should have told you that life is too short to not be at your happiest. That I’ll never forget the happy memories we had because those are there too. And now we’ll never have that chance...”
She paused, waiting for any sign of recognition in his expression, a twitch of his lips or movement behind his eyelids.
Tears began streaming from her eyes despite herself, as all the rage she had felt toward him faded away and only sorrow remained.
He would never hear these words.
Regardless, she rose on shaky legs and leaned over, careful of all the wires, pressing her lips to his forehead. “I forgive you, Marcel, and I’m sorry I never got to tell you that to your face.” She cupped the side of his face, adding, “In fact, I’m happy in Timber Falls. Maybe even happier than I’ve ever been. I’m there with Willow and Aubrey, and it’s so peaceful and beautiful. You’d hate it—it’s way too quiet, but I’ve realized I love it, and maybe I should have been there all long.”
Her tears dripped onto his cheek. She brushed them away gently. “I don’t regret the life I had with you. The good far outweighs the bad, and I’ll never forget all the great times we had. When you go, I want you to leave in peace, knowing that I’m okay. In fact, more than all right, I’m happy.” She pressed one last kiss to his cheek and then leaned away, right as her cell phone beeped with a call.
Sitting back in the chair, she grabbed her cell from her purse and saw “Mom” on the caller ID. She wiped the tears from her face and inhaled sharply before answering into the receiver, “Mom.”
“Charly, honey, are you okay?” Her mother’s voice softened the heavy air. “I’ve just heard the news from Willow. Do you need us to come there?”
“I’m all right,” she forced out. “Marcel isn’t.”
“I am so sorry,” she said, and Charly had never heard her mother’s voice sound so gentle. “This must be really confusing for you.”
“Big-time.” Though at the same time, a quiet she hadn’t felt since she walked in on Marcel and Hannah at the bar. An image that she realized was slowly fading from her mind. When it first happened, she saw everything: their lustful expressions, exactly where Marcel’s hands were and where Hannah’s slid across his body. Now...those little details were fading. All she could see with him lying there was that she once loved him. “It’s horrible. I feel so bad for June and Ron—” his parents “—and Mia.”
“I do, too,” her mom replied gravely. Whenever her parents came to visit Phoenix, they had many dinners with Marcel’s parents. “Your father and I can jump on a plane and be there with you right away, if that would help. Do you need us?”
“No, it’s okay,” she said. The last thing she wanted was to be coddled by her mother. She’d mean well, but Charly needed time to process. “There’s nothing you can do here anyway. I just...” She glanced at Marcel and felt the heat rising within her. “I just feel so guilty. I wished all kinds of horrible things upon him and now he’s here—”
“Darling,” her mother interjected softly. “You don’t have the power to make bad things happen to anyone. This was an accident, caused by a drunk driver. Don’t take that guilt onto yourself.”
“I can’t help it,” she whispered.
Her mother didn’t respond for a few seconds, then her father came on the line. “Charly, love?”
“Hi, Dad,” she choked out.
“We’re coming to you,” he announced firmly. “I’m booking flights now. We’ll be there just as soon as we can.”
“Dad...you don’t—” she began weakly, but he cut her off.
“We are coming,” he repeated, leaving no room for argument.
