White Lies (A Twisted Fate 1)

My phone rung inside my purse. I rummaged through it to find my phone.

Ring.

Finding it, I gazed at the blank screen.

Ring.

Oh, the burner phone. I dug deeper and gripped it after pressing Talk. “Hello?”

“Is everything okay?” He sounded worried.

It was Tack. “Yes. Why?” I remembered he asked me to tell him when I was leaving. “I’m sorry I forgot to tell you I left. Something happened and I forgot.”

“What happened?” Was it wrong that the genuine concern I heard made me relax a bit more?

I took a deep breath and let it out, needing to share it with someone. “I overreacted when Carson brought up—in a roundabout way—that it was my choice to keep the baby or not. If I was pregnant. He tried to tell me he would support me, regardless.”

Silence was all that met me on the other end of the line. “Tack?”

“What did you decide?”

I analyzed his words quickly. No judgement or indication as to how he felt about the subject. I was glad I hadn’t made a mistake in telling him. “If I’m pregnant, then it’s a miracle I was meant to have.”

No response.

“Tack?”

He coughed. “Sorry. I thought you were going to say something else. Life is a precious thing, Willow. If you are, you’ll make a great mom.”

Being a mom was something I knew nothing about. Time would tell if I was. Softly, I said, “Thanks, Tack.” I needed a subject change. “Have you found anything else out?”

“Not yet, but I will. Do you mind telling me a little more about Alex’s and your relationship? Maybe that will help fill in some gaps or give me a lead I haven’t thought of yet. So far, it’s been hard to get information on a rather hated man.”

Walking around the room in aimless circles, I thought about how to begin. Scenes from our life together passed by. “I met Alex at the end of college. It was love at first sight for me when he crossed the street in a small town I was visiting with friends. Something changed within me when our eyes connected. We were inseparable during his leave from the military. I loved him with my entire being.”

A lump formed in my throat, and I worked to swallow past it. “He left for deployment in the Middle East. We stayed in contact through an occasional e-mail, which wasn’t often due to his deployment. But I didn’t care. I would have waited forever for him. One day I found him on my doorstep—emotionally darker, broodier, but he was home. That’s all that mattered.”

I took a deep breath. “I found out later he’d left the military. An incident occurred where his comrades died because of a poor choice Alex made. He said his head had been focused on me and not the mission. I felt guilty.”

A faint swearing came over the line. “What a motherfucker.”

No doubt Alex was indeed a motherfucker. “Anyway, we married quickly after he returned. He signed a prenup without question, which is odd considering he wanted my inheritance. Shortly after, we got the PTSD diagnosis from some quack of a doctor. He refused to see anyone else. We fought a lot about the trust my dad had set up. Nonno has the authority to hold it until I’m thirty or release it when he thinks I’m ready. If Nonno passes before I’m thirty, then it automatically goes on lockdown until I’m thirty. Alex was furious Nonno wouldn’t turn it over. Now I know why he pushed me so hard on the issue.”

It hurt being used. More than I ever imagined. Alex was calculating. He probably never left for overseas. Hell, he probably never actually joined the military. That thought sobered me, and I had to ask. “Tack?”

“Yes, Willow?”

“Was Alex in the military? I need to know. Please tell me—even if you don’t think you can, for whatever reason.”

Without hesitation, he responded, “No, he wasn’t.”

My lip quivered.

“Willow, if I could make the bastard pay, I would.” His words rang true as they were spoken with such conviction. “I know this hurts, but you are strong enough to beat this. Alex isn’t going to win. We’re going to figure this out. I promise you will be rid of Alex and able to live your life. Just give me a little time to figure it out.”

Tack was understanding and sincere. “I don’t know what I did to deserve your help, but thank you, Tack.”

“You’re welcome. Thank you for giving me a chance to prove myself. Call me if you ever need to talk. I won’t ever be without my phone.”

Goose bumps covered my flesh. “Tack?”

“Yes?”

“Be careful.”

“I will, sweetheart.”

As the phone call disconnected, I touched my lips, remembering his bruising kiss.

“Willow, are you in here?”

Sitting up on the bed, I answered, “Yes, Mildred. Come on in.”

Since hanging up with Tack, I’d lain back and thought about everything we said. Why was he so concerned for me? What made him want to keep me safe? Questions, questions, and more questions. And he knew me. Where? Why was he familiar, yet I was not able to place him?

“Willow?”

Without me realizing it, Mildred had walked in and set something on the table near the fireplace. She looked at me, waiting for a response.

“What did you say? Sorry.”

“Were you thinking about someone? By the grin on your face, it looks like it was a good memory.”

Chewing my lip, I looked down. Tack was on my mind. I had no idea who the man was, but he had gotten under my skin. “Do you think it’s too early to move on?”

Mildred scoffed. “Willow, dear, after what Alex did to you?” I looked up, shocked and filled with shame. She continued, “You did nothing wrong, darling. Through it all, you stayed faithful to your vows. He was a truly nasty man for what he did to all of us. There aren’t many who would have stayed with him after all the terrible things he said to you. Chris and I pretended not to hear the fights, but we did.”

And she only knew a portion of the story.

“He was a piece of work. Why do I keep remembering the good times? Shouldn’t I be able to just be over it all?” If only she knew everything…

A soft sigh filled the pause. “Sometimes remembering the good helps validate what we did.” The bed dipped beside me. I liked her thought process about validating—it made sense. “It’s okay to move on, Willow. Who’s this man you’re thinking about?”

I shrugged. “I was curious.”

She patted my leg. “Don’t rush. Follow your heart.”

That was tough as I worked through it. I played with the hem of my T-shirt. “What if my heart tells me wrong… again?”

“Did it the first time? Was there no doubt?”

Her words penetrated through my thoughts. There had been some—no, actually there had been a lot of doubt when Alex asked me to marry him. It was the guilt that persuaded me. Alex had played the guilt card perfectly, manipulating me with his accident along the way. Prick. His fake accident since Tack confirmed the military was all a lie.

My silence was answer enough.

She stood. “I thought so. Willow…” She paused while I looked up. “I’m not saying go marry the first guy who makes you feel something. But don’t beat yourself up for Alex’s lies and deceit. Don’t be afraid to put yourself out there.”

With Gabe, initially there had been no doubt about my feelings. I would have risked everything for him.

But was I ready to put myself on the line like that again? I wasn’t sure. All I needed was to remind myself of Alex’s betrayal.

“Thank you, Mildred.” I stood to give her a hug and she brought me to her. “I appreciate you always being there for me since Mom couldn’t be.”

These were the conversations I imagined Mom and I having while eating a pint of ice cream. After all, she believed ice cream was the be-all and end-all. Her words brought happiness to me. “Willow, if every argument had ice cream, the world would be a better place.”

Mom may have had a point.

Mildred patted my back. “I wouldn’t dream of being anywhere else.” We stayed in our embrace a little longer before she let go. “Dinner will be ready in about fifteen minutes. I made homemade ravioli with the primavera sauce.”

I raised an eyebrow. “That’s Carson’s favorite. He may tackle you from happiness.”

She giggled. “I hope so.”

“Mildred!”

She moved her hand in a dismissing motion. “Please, I have eyes. I can appreciate and hope for a little hugging.”

A full smile stretched across my face. Carson was definitely easy on the eyes. Most girls flocked to him. Whenever he dated someone, apprehension initially filled their eyes about our relationship and what I meant to Carson. Because of our closeness, most girls worried we were undeniably in love with each other. However, after hanging with us a few times, those worries eased as they experienced our platonic relationship.

Once, in high school, we tried kissing. Terrible was an understatement considering how brotherly and awkward it felt. Ugh. I shivered unpleasantly at the thought.

Before leaving the room, she pointed to a small manila folder on the table. “Since Carson was using the office, I cleaned out Alex’s old paperwork I found the day he fired me. I found those on the floor behind a bookshelf. When he fired me, he threw them on top of a stack of books. I noticed today they were still there.”

She shook her head, distancing herself from what I assumed was the memory, before looking at me again. “Thought you might want to go through it.”

That was not my idea of a good time—going through Alex’s stuff—but probably a good idea. “Thanks.” The door nearly shut when I called, “Mildred.”