32. Lark
THIRTY-TWO
LARK
I pull through the front gate of the university, slowly driving down the tree-lined road that leads to the administration buildings. It’s been two days since I spoke with Hailey, and although I told myself I’d tell Ace what was going on so we could decide on a plan of action together, I couldn’t just sit there doing nothing, knowing the kind of destruction Gail is capable of. He won’t be back from New York until late tonight, and I didn’t want to waste precious hours sitting at my house when she may be getting ready to go to the media. I need to at least try to stop her.
Is it still a little impulsive to be here? Probably. But for the last three years, Ace has done everything he could to avoid negative attention, even when it meant not getting justice after he was violated. If I can put a stop to this without him knowing—at least until it’s over—I will. No matter what it takes.
I turn into an empty space across from Gail’s Lexus, preparing to wait until she leaves for lunch. I’m sure there’s no way security would buzz me into the building since I didn’t exactly leave on good terms, so I don’t have much of a choice. As impatient as I am to confront her, I can’t do anything until she steps outside.
I pass the time by pulling up the Fury’s social media account on my phone. There are rows of photos and funny videos of the team doing trendy dances and answering obscure questions. I click on a thumbnail of Ace, the recording filling my screen as it plays. By the looks of the decal on the wall behind him, it was taken before yesterday’s game in New York.
“What’s your favorite food?” the interviewer asks, putting a miniature microphone up in front of his mouth.
“Hmm,” he hums, pretending to be deep in thought. “I’m just a really big sweets guy.” My shoulders shake with laughter at the innuendo and the adorable grin that blooms across his face as he says it. Butterfly wings tickle the insides of my stomach, and I kick my feet with giddiness as the interview goes on, realizing just how happy I am. I don’t need giant declarations of love to feel wanted by Ace, although I’m sure he’d give them if he knew I’d be okay with it. It’s the little things that make me feel important—like surprise treats when he’s away or inside jokes that let me know he’s thinking about me when I’m not there.
Just as I’m about to click on another video of him dancing with Friggle, an ugly-as-sin pantsuit catches my eye. Gail takes a few steps out of the building, checking her watch before looking from left to right as if she’s waiting for someone.
“Perfect,” I mumble, pulling my keys from the ignition and exiting the car. As soon as the door slams shut, she notices me, rolling her eyes like the snooty bitch she is.
“You’re not supposed to be here, Lark,” she says in a monotone voice, as though my mere presence is a giant inconvenience. That’s nothing new since I can’t remember her ever treating me any differently.
I walk her way, stopping with my shoulders back and my chin high. She needs to know I’m not the same woman who backed down to avoid drama for so many years. If she thinks she saw the new me at the courthouse or here on the day I was fired, she’s wrong. She’s fucking with the future of the man I love, and I refuse to let it happen without giving her a piece of my mind.
“Trust me, Gail,” I spit, “the last place I want to be is here with you, but you haven’t given me another option. What the fuck do you think you’re doing accusing Ace Mathers of cheating? Are you that much of a heartless bitch that you’d fuck with a good, kind, innocent man because of a personal vendetta?”
“That’s ridic?—”
“Bullshit,” I say, cutting her off. “I know this is about me. You’re trying to get what you want, and now you finally have something to hold over my head.”
She opens her mouth to reply just as a familiar BMW pulls up next to where we’re standing on the curb. I throw my head back in annoyance as Ryan steps out and walks toward us wearing a collared shirt, khaki chino shorts and those goddamn penny loafers. A visible shiver racks my body as I try to figure out how I ever found this douchey asshole attractive.
“Mom?” he says, looking from her to me before stopping at her side. “What’s going on?”
“Oh, nothing,” she says, reaching out to smooth a wrinkle from his shoulder. I swallow the bile that makes its way up my throat at the gesture. “Lark was just leaving.”
An incredulous laugh bursts from my lips. “Like fuck, I am. I just got here,” I say, turning to him. “Your mother is launching a completely unfounded cheating investigation on a man who did nothing wrong because she wants to get back at me for not changing my name. Ace worked his ass off on every single assignment this semester. Every word he wrote was his own. But, because I was his tutor, she’s fully prepared to drag his name through the mud.”
He turns his head, looking at Gail. “Is that true?”
“Well…” she begins, pausing for a moment, no doubt to come up with a lie. “We don’t know for sure that he cheated, but he might have. His grades are slightly higher than they have been in the past, and?—”
I put my hand up, stopping her as I look at him. “Ryan, we were together for eleven years. Not once during that time did you ever stand up to her for me. You watched her disrespect and belittle me time and time again, never intervening or telling her to back off. You gave me this last name, not her. I carried it as your wife for five years, creating an identity that I shouldn’t have to give up just because we didn’t work out. You have a chance to do the right thing for me, for once. Speak up and tell her to end this petty bullshit so we can all move on with our lives.”
He swallows, reaching up to grip the back of his neck as the seconds tick by, the deafening silence telling me everything I need to know. My shoulders slump as I shake my head in disappointment, although I’m not really sure why. I’ve known his true colors for a long time. It’s why I had to walk away.
Nobody ever gets married thinking We’ll love each other until we don’t—then we’ll get divorced . I thought Ryan and I would make it when we were younger. I chalked his attachment to his mother up to our immaturity at twenty, convincing myself year after year that it would get better. I was dumb to think he’d grow out of it, but he promised me the future I’d always dreamed of, and I had faith in him. When our marriage failed, I blamed myself for not being a strong enough partner to make him feel like he didn’t need his mom. I struggled for a long time, wondering if I’d ever find someone who would accept me for who I am, imperfections and all. But Ryan’s too much is Ace’s just right, and that’s how I know I’ve found my other half in him.
Ace Mathers healed a heart he didn’t break, encouraging me to live my life to the fullest and holding my hand while I found myself again after being lost for so long. Even with our ten-year age difference, he’s shown me more love and support than Ryan and Gail ever bothered to in all the years we were together. I’m standing at a crossroads right now, and the answer to which path I should take has never been clearer.
“Okay,” I say, lifting my head high. “You can have your name back.”
“What?” they both say in unison. Gail’s expression is blanketed in shock, but when I look over at Ryan, it’s very clear that he’s disappointed. If that’s really the case, he had several chances to keep me even after we separated, but he made his priorities clear. He didn’t choose me. Ace did—and I choose him right back.
“I’m done.” I place my hands on my hips. “All this time, you were worried about me embarrassing your family by moving on as Lark Dawson. But I just realized that the only person who should be embarrassed in this situation is me. Gail,” I say, looking her right in the eye, “you’re a miserable woman. You spend so much time and money trying to guilt Ryan into picking you because you know nobody else can stand to be in your presence for longer than a few minutes.” Her jaw drops, head rearing back as if I just slapped her. As much as I wish I had, her reaction to my words is just as empowering.
“And you.” I turn toward my ex-husband, feeling much sassier now that I’ve given his mother a piece of my mind. The floodgates that have been holding back my anger and resentment are now wide open, and I’m not taking any of it with me after this. It’s not my burden to bear anymore. “I’ll never say I regret marrying you because I learned a lot about myself and what I deserve—but fuck if I’m not happy to be divorced. I have someone who goes out of his way to make me feel wanted, and I can’t believe I settled for being dismissed by you as long as I did. Good luck finding someone who doesn’t think your Oedipus complex is disgusting and enjoys long walks on the beach with you and your mother.” He drops his chin, his gaze burning into the pavement under our feet as if I’ve embarrassed him. Good. I train my attention back on her once more, pointing an accusing finger. “Call off the investigation and update Ace’s graduation status.”
I turn and walk back toward my car, but can’t stop myself from delivering one last blow to the woman who made me feel like I wasn’t worthy of her son. Spinning on my heel, I look at Gail. “That shepherd’s pie you always made on Christmas Eve?”
“What about it?” she snarls.
“Grossest shit I’ve ever tasted. I tried feeding it to the dog once so I didn’t hurt your feelings, but even he wouldn’t take it.”
She gasps, pressing her hand to her ugly-ass shirt as I turn one last time and walk away, proud of myself for leaving all the things that were weighing me down right here in this parking lot.