The Day He Came Back

“I have no idea.”

“You’re a liar. I think you do. I think he snuck you into his room when I was away. Not to mention, my security camera footage confirmed your presence at my house that weekend.”

Shit. Shit. Shit.

No way was I going to deny anything. I needed to remain calm and not answer her—even though I was freaking out inside.

She walked around a bit, her heels clicking against the tile floor. “It’s very interesting, the way my family thinks they can lie to me. My son does it and my husband, too. Do they think I’m stupid?”

“I think they’re—”

“You weren’t supposed to answer that. It was rhetorical,” she scolded.

“What do you want me to say?”

“I don’t want you to say anything. I want you to stay away from my son!”

My instinct was to plead with her, but I knew better.

Don’t say anything.

Anything you say can and will be used against you.

Her next words shocked me to my core. “My husband thinks just because he used an offshore account that I won’t find out he’s paying your mother’s medical bills. I know Gunther, the type of person he is—overly generous. I knew he would offer to pay her bills. So I did some digging at the hospital and confirmed it. What kind of a fool does he take me for?”

A rush of blood flooded my head.

She raised her chin. “By the look of shock on your face, you clearly didn’t think I was going to find out about that either.”

“Mrs. Masterson...I am so grateful for what your husband is doing for my mother. He’s saving her life, and I could never repay him for that.”

She took a few steps toward me. “I can put a stop to those payments very easily if I want to, Raven. The one thing my husband has always tried to avoid is a messy divorce, not only for the sake of our children but for the sake of half his fortune. If I give him no choice but to stop those payments, he will listen to me in the end. It will kill him to do it, but I will win.”

“Please don’t do that,” I begged. “I’ll work my entire life to pay him back if I have to.”

“You don’t have to do that at all. As much money as he’s paying for your mother, it’s a drop in the bucket for us.”

“What do you want?” I blurted. My tears began to fall because I knew the answer already.

“If you want those payments to keep coming, you will stop seeing my son. And by that, I don’t mean pretend to stop and keep seeing him behind my back, Raven. I mean you stay away from him. He thinks he can pull the wool over my eyes. I already have a private investigator lined up to follow him around New Haven. I’m sure he’s probably planning to sneak around with you after he leaves home. Over my dead body.”

I couldn’t imagine my life without Gavin in it. My eyes were now so filled with tears I could hardly see. “Please don’t do this.”

“You’ve given me no choice. I truly don’t dislike you or your mother. But I will not stand for my son getting involved with you. I will never accept it. If you choose to continue what you’re doing and Gavin goes along with it, not only will I see to it that your mother’s medical bills stop being paid, but I will cut Gavin off, too. Is that what you want?”

“No,” I whispered.

“Everyone loses if you choose to be selfish, Raven. This is your choice.”

Wiping my nose with my sleeve, I said, “What am I supposed to tell him?”

“I don’t care how you do it. But you will not tell him I’ve spoken to you. Do you understand? My son will defy me if he thinks this is anything other than your decision. Gavin is leaving soon. This is the perfect time to cut ties. You do so, and I will ensure that your mother has everything she needs for as long as she needs it.”

“And if I don’t?”

She paused to stare at me icily. “I’ll make your life a living hell.”***I spent the following two days in my own hell, agonizing over what to do. In the end, it came down to what I saw as a life-or-death decision.

But there was no way I could have looked him in the eyes and done it. So I opted to send him an email. I knew that was terrible. But this whole situation was terrible—a nightmare. If I faced him, he would see right through me.

It took me hours to put into words the biggest lie I would ever tell.Dear Gavin,Please forgive me for doing this in an email, but I don’t know how to look you in the eyes and say this. This summer with you has been the best of my life. You’ve given me so many amazing experiences. But given everything that’s going on in my life right now, I can’t handle a serious relationship. It’s all too much. I think it’s best if we stop seeing each other. I can’t be the type of girlfriend you need, and I think I’m in way over my head right now. I’m sorry if this comes as a shock. I know I haven’t given you any warning or told you lately what’s been on my mind. But over the past couple of days, it’s become very clear to me. I’m so sorry to break up with you. I hope you can find it in your heart to forgive me.