My mind tumbled with a thousand thoughts as Kage and I rode the elevator down to the lobby.
It’s time to move on from the past. I did.
Except I hadn’t, not really.
I’d planned to plant the stolen items back in Josh’s house and leave him to figure out why the burglar would do such a thing. But if I did that, my lies would always be an albatross around my neck. Even if Josh never found out what happened, I would know. Every time he kissed me, every time he smiled at me, I would know I was keeping something from him, and it would eat me, and eventually us, alive.
How could you build a relationship on a foundation of lies?
The answer: you couldn’t.
The elevator doors opened. I walked through the lobby, barely noticing the ugly orange carpet and threadbare sofas.
Moving on from the past didn’t mean burying it beneath a new foundation and hoping no one found it; it meant exposing the ugliness to the light and taking responsibility.
You couldn’t heal from something if you didn’t acknowledge it.
As Kage and I stepped out of the hotel, my thoughts crystallized into clarity.
I knew what I had to do.
I had to tell Josh the truth.