He had come into my life and broke me into pieces, and he had to find a way to put me back together. The fucking bastard.
“Willow, don’t!” Sandra said.
I didn’t listen to her. I put the phone to my ear and she came over to try to snatch it away but I exploded at her. “Don’t you dare touch me!” I stormed away and headed to the bathroom. I shut the door behind me and when I looked in the mirror I could barely recognize myself. My eyes were hollow and bloodshot and my complexion was deathly pale and sickly.
I couldn’t even remember the last time I had eaten, or slept for that matter.
His number rang out. After multiple tries I gave up. Part of me wanted to collapse in tears on the floor, but I didn’t. I had to be strong. I smacked my cheeks to force some color to my face … wiped the tears from my eyes, and returned to work. I walked into the shop and saw a woman talking to Sandra. She was tall and middle-aged, with a wavy bob of brown hair, and kind brown eyes. As soon as I arrived at the door, she turned towards me.
“Willow,” she called.
My eyes darted between her and Sandra in surprise. I had never seen her before in my life.
“I’m Marie Spencer,” she answered. “Caleb’s lawyer.”
Sandra’s tone turned hostile. “What do you want?”
I waited for the woman to answer her question. She didn’t beat around the bush. “I need you,” she said, “to reach Caleb.”
My heart dropped into my stomach at her words. “What?”
“He’s disappeared from the office since Wednesday night and has cut off contact with everyone.” Her gaze on me was accusatory, as if that was my fault.
“And what does that have to do with me?” I asked aggressively. I was the hurt party not him. He was the one that lied to me. He was the one who betrayed my trust in him. I was the one who fell in love with him.
“It has everything to do with you,” she said, and I could hear the impatience in her voice. “Everything has something to do with you.”
I frowned. “What does that mean?”
“His office is in disarray. His company has been blacklisted and an application has already been made to strip him off his brokerage license. He’s lost everything. All the money he’s earned in the last twelve years is gone. He will even have to sell his home to pay off his debts. You need to make him understand that there are people depending on him. That it’s not all over. That he’s young and he can start again. You need to bring him back.”
I lost it and screamed at her, the tears I held back earlier poured out of my eyes. “What the hell does that have to do with me? Don’t you know what he did? Don’t you know who he is?”
She was completely unfazed by my outburst. “I know exactly what he did. And if you knew too, you wouldn’t abandon him. He gave up everything for you back when he was fifteen and he’s doing it all over again now. He loves you more than I ever thought it was possible for a human being to love another. Now that he’s falling apart I’m not going to sit back and watch. You have to go put him back together.”
I stared at her in shock. I could hardly believe what she was saying. She must have misunderstood the situation.
“Excuse me, but have you lost your mind?” Sandra blew up next to me. “He killed her uncle.”
“To save her,” Marie said calmly.
I froze. “What?”
She turned to me. “I’m bound by attorney-client privilege so I can’t say anymore, and moreover Caleb would kill me if I said another word to you. But I’m not going to go easy on you until you put him back together. He does not deserve to be destroyed twice on account of the same woman.”
I was shaking. “He killed my uncle to save me?” I repeated incredulously.
“Exactly. You were in trouble back then and he put himself on the line for you. Threw his youth away and rotted in prison for you. You’re not going to find out the exact details from me so you better go to him, put him back together and get him to tell you the goddamn truth.”
With that she turned around, and stormed out of the shop.
50
Willow
-lost but won-
“I don’t believe her,” Sandra said.
I couldn’t tell what expression was on my face but from the way I was feeling, it wasn’t one I wanted anyone to see. I lowered myself to the floor and began mindlessly picking up the pieces of the vase I had shattered earlier.
“Willow, do you believe her?”
I gritted my teeth. “Why would she lie?”