Chapter 35
Dear Caleb,
I’ve started and deleted this message so many times I’ve lost count.
I’m not sure I’ll have the courage to hit send this time, but here goes.
I know I’m the absolute last person you want to hear from.
You’ve probably blocked my number by now.
But if there’s a one in a million chance of this message reaching you, I hope you’ll read it before deleting it.
I never got the chance to tell you why I came into your life.
The simple truth? I wanted to buy my mother her dream ranch.
Though I can never repay her for everything she’s done for me, I wanted to at least try.
I know that sounds like a lame cop-out, but it’s the truth.
She’s always been there for me, and there’s nothing I wouldn’t do to make her happy.
I convinced myself it was okay because your father was a terrible person, just another corrupt billionaire who deserved to be taken down.
But I couldn’t have been more wrong, and I’m so ashamed of myself for repaying his kindness with lies.
I wouldn’t blame him for wanting revenge.
Even my brothers are dreading some sort of retaliation.
If it’s any consolation, my mother was absolutely mortified when she learned why we accepted the assignment.
On one hand, she was touched that we wanted to bless her with the home she and my father had always dreamed of owning.
But she didn’t approve of our methods, and that’s putting it mildly.
She was livid. She gave us all the silent treatment for an entire week, and sometimes when she looks at me, I can still see the disappointment in her eyes.
I could give you all the excuses in the world for my horrible actions, but the fact of the matter is, there’s no justification for what I did to you.
I hope you know how truly sorry I am for hurting you and betraying your trust. Please believe me when I say what we had was real for me.
Every laugh, every smile, every touch, every kiss, every late-night conversation, every time we made love, I felt you deep down in my soul.
You are the best and worst thing that’s ever happened to me, Caleb.
You made me believe in true love, and now I’ll have to learn to live without it.
Caleb reread Daniela’s text, his jaw clenched tight.
Every word on the screen twisted the knife deeper in his gut.
Every phrase was like a fresh wound, every sentiment a cruel reminder of the future he’d been denied.
He fucking hated her for deceiving him, for turning his world upside down, for rendering him pathetic enough to believe he could have it all.
“Thought I’d find you out here.”
Caleb looked up from his glowing phone screen as Evander stepped from the house. The sounds of laughter and music spilled out onto the covered back patio before he closed the glass door behind him.
Caleb jammed his phone in his pocket and turned away as Evander walked over and handed him a cold beer before joining him at the railing.
They were silent for a few minutes, staring out into the night. A light mist fell from the overcast skies, the muggy heat of the day lingering. Floodlights lit up the manicured yard below, reflecting in the surface of a large pool with a rock waterfall.
Evander finally broke the silence. “You’re missing a great party.”
Caleb grunted noncommittally, twisted the cap off his bottle and took a deep swig of beer.
It was Saturday night. Evander and Robinette were hosting their end-of-summer party at their sprawling house in the suburbs. The rain had driven everyone indoors, which proved fortuitous for Caleb, who’d snuck out to the patio to avoid mindless socializing.
He’d almost skipped the party this year. He’d wanted to stay home instead, brooding and drowning his sorrows in whiskey. He’d tried to back out, citing tight deadlines and piles of work. But Robinette wasn’t having it, and he’d never been able to say no to her.
Evander leaned on the railing beside him, his beer bottle dangling from his fingers. “Nette sent me to find you. She’s worried about you.”
“No need,” Caleb muttered. “I’m fine.”
Evander snorted. “Bullshit.”
Caleb ignored him. He wasn’t in the mood for Evander’s well-meaning but annoying dissection of his emotional state. He’d had more than his fill of pep talks and lectures over the past three weeks.
Evander hitched his chin toward Caleb’s pocketed phone, the screen still warm against his thigh. “How many times have you read that woman’s text since you got it?”
More times than I’ll ever admit, Caleb thought bitterly.
“You should block her number.” Anger and impatience edged Evander’s voice. “Why keep torturing yourself? Nothing she has to say will change what she did.”
“Obviously.”
“I mean, she wasn’t some little gold digger looking for a payday. She was a professional, a goddamn mercenary. She lied to you, manipulated you.” Evander let out a derisive snort. “Texting an apology won’t absolve her of her sins.”
“I know that,” Caleb bit out.
“Do you?”
“Fuck off, man. I don’t need this shit right now.”
The two friends glared at each other in the diffuse yellow overhead light.
Evander relented first, blowing out a deep breath and shaking his head. “My bad, bro. I don’t mean to keep rubbing salt in the wound. I just hate seeing you like this. Pisses me the hell off.”
“Welcome to my world.” Caleb lifted his beer bottle and took a long hard swig.
“You know I’m a Philly boy. My people can be hot-headed, and we definitely hold grudges.
” Evander chuckled. “My wife, on the other hand, doesn’t have a violent bone in her lovely body.
But when she found out what went down with Daniela, she was ready to snatch off her earrings and throw hands. You know Nette don’t play about you.”
“I know,” Caleb murmured, smiling faintly. Robinette had always been fiercely protective of him. She was the sister he’d never had, or rather, the sister he’d been privileged to have in his life.
“You need a distraction,” Evander said. “Seriously, bruh. You need to get laid, clap some cheeks, whatever it takes to get your mind off that scheming little succubus.”
Caleb knew he was probably right. He had a healthy libido, and jerking off was no substitute for the luscious wet heat of a woman’s body.
He’d have to get back out there at some point, and fortunately, he’d never suffered a shortage of willing partners eager to satisfy his needs.
But the thought of hooking up with anyone but Daniela held about as much appeal as shoving his dick in a meat grinder.
“You don’t even have to go far to find your next distraction,” Evander said slyly.
“You’ve got a houseful of beautiful women right at your disposal.
You think I haven’t peeped all the ladies throwing themselves at you tonight?
You can literally have your pick, bruh.” He nodded toward the back door, and Caleb reluctantly followed his gaze.
Through the glass, they could see the party in full swing.
There were dozens of people laughing, dancing, munching canapés, drinking and clinking glasses.
Robinette was a blur of motion in her sky-blue cocktail dress, sister locs bouncing as she flitted from group to group, effortlessly mingling with her guests.
Caleb watched as she linked arms with a curvy, caramel-toned woman in a clingy red dress that showed off some serious cleavage. Robinette met Karina through the book club she’d joined as part of her goal to achieve a better work-life balance. The two women had become besties overnight.
As if sensing Caleb’s gaze through the glass door, Karina looked over and caught his eye.
She smiled, shyly at first then more boldly, licking her red lips and fluttering her fingers in a wave.
Robinette gave her a playful nudge, wiggling her eyebrows.
As the two women dissolved into giggles and whispers, Caleb turned away and swigged more beer.
Evander grinned, bumping his shoulder. “In case it wasn’t obvious, Karina’s really into you. Ever since you guys met, she’s been begging Nette to hook her up. How much you wanna bet she wore that little red dress just for you?”
“Doesn’t matter,” Caleb muttered. “I’m not interested.”
“Damn shame. She’s a baddie.”
“She is.”
Encouraged by the admission, Evander gave him the full-court press.
“Her looks aren’t all she’s got going for her.
She’s smart, educated, well-traveled. She enjoys reading and knows how to have a good time.
And as a senior executive at Valero, she makes good money, so you don’t have to worry about her coming after yours. ”
Caleb didn’t respond, unswayed by anything Evander had said.
“Nette says she asked you out for coffee and you turned her down.”
“You know I don’t do rebound relationships,” Caleb grumbled darkly. Besides, the last woman who asked me out for coffee ripped my fucking heart to shreds.
Evander sighed heavily. “Look, man, I get it. You need more time. After what you just went through, dating is the last thing on your mind right now. I mean, hell, you already had a shit-ton of trust issues. This whole mess with Daniela just set you back—”
“What did I say?” Caleb growled warningly. “Enough.”
Evander snapped his mouth shut. After several long moments, he scrubbed a weary hand over his face and directed his next words to the gloomy night sky. “Last thing I’ll say is—”
Caleb shot him a death glare.
“—don’t let one manipulative woman turn you into even more of a jaded bastard than you already were. Don’t give her that much power over you.”
Caleb’s grip tightened around the neck of his beer bottle. “She doesn’t have any power over me. Not anymore.”
Evander gave him a knowing look. “I’ll believe that when you finally delete her message and block her number. Until then…” Letting his voice trail off, he shook his head and clapped Caleb on the shoulder. “Come join the party when you’re ready to move on.”
With that he went back inside the house, leaving Caleb to his anger and misery as Daniela’s words burned a hole through the charred remains of his heart.
You made me believe in true love, and now I’ll have to learn to live without it.