Chapter 63 Astrid
ASTRID
My heart is heavy as I pop the coq au vin and the potatoes in the oven, mulling over everything Ana said. She swears Callan didn’t ask her to talk to me, and I believe her. She’s changed, and I think she was honest.
I called my parents as I made dinner, telling them what Ana said about Mara.
It’s not beyond what we know Gwen is now capable of, and we had previously discussed the possibility, but there is no way to prove it.
Dad did a bit of digging a few years ago, but the medical examiner said there was no way to know if Mara had fallen or been pushed, and the case was closed, already ruled an accidental death.
Thinking about that bitch pushing that sweet old lady down the stairs makes me equal parts mad and sad.
Footsteps approach, and I remove my apron and walk toward the door. Seán beats me to it, appearing in the kitchen carrying a massive bunch of red roses.
“I hate this tension between us,” he says, offering them to me.
“Ditto. Thank you.” I bury my nose in the scented petals. “Seems like we had the same idea. My peace offering is coq au vin and garlic and cheese gratin potatoes.”
“Will it keep until tomorrow?” He grips my waist and reels me toward his body. “I made reservations at the steak restaurant in town.”
“Oh. Of course.”
“Good.” He kisses me deeply. “I’ve missed you,” he adds, lightly biting my ear. “Go get ready.”
“This is very posh for downtown Ryemont,” I murmur as the hostess leads us across the room.
I’m glad I wore my fitted black dress now.
It has a high neck and an open back, with soft material that hugs my curves, stopping just above my knee.
I’ve paired it with black and gold heels and the expensive earrings and matching bracelet my fiancé bought me for my last birthday.
There’s a necklace too, but that’s back in my jewelry box.
The room is exquisitely decorated with a mix of traditional and modern features, including walnut panels, warm brown leather seats around circular oak tables, modern lighting, and soft music in the background.
“It’s pretty impressive for a small town.” Seán keeps his hand on my bare lower back as we walk to our table.
The hostess stops beside a table at the rear of the room, propped against the wall. “I hope this table is to your liking, sir.”
“This will suffice.”
Seán slips her a twenty, and she’s wearing the biggest smile as she thanks him and sets menus in front of us. He pulls out my chair and pushes it in after I’m seated before claiming his own chair across from me.
My fiancé has impeccable manners because his father drilled them into him from the time he moved to the US when he was eleven.
Whatever childhood he had ended when his mother died and he moved with Liam to New York to live with his father, his new wife, and their young son.
Every facet of his existence was mapped out with military precision.
His future was cemented because he was the eldest son and the chosen heir.
I’m not a fan of Ronnie Devlin.
His sons aren’t either.
A shadow looms over our table, and I look up, blinking at Travis Garner.
“Astrid. Seán. It’s good to see you.”
Seán frowns, and it quickly transforms into a full-blown scowl when he glances behind Travis.
Oh fuck no.
“This is a little awkward,” Travis says, looking extremely uncomfortable. “We didn’t realize you had reservations, or I would have moved ours.”
My eyes find Callan’s as soon as I lean back and stare at the table across from us.
He’s seated beside a stunning brunette, who is currently staring at me with curiosity.
Riley waves from the other side of the woman.
An unfamiliar blonde woman and a dark-haired man round out their table.
I smile at Riley before dragging my gaze back to my fiancé.
“I have asked the hostess if we can move,” Travis continues, “but as you can see, the place is packed, and we’ll have to wait a while for a new table.”
“It’s fine, Travis,” I say, at the same time my fiancé says, “Just tell Hunt to leave, and we’re good.”
An angry flush crawls up my neck. “Seán! That is rude.” I’m embarrassed as hell as I tilt my face up to Travis’s.
“Callan does not have to leave, and you don’t have to move tables.
This isn’t the workplace, and we’re all adults here.
” I narrow my gaze at my fiancé because he seems to have forgotten that fact.
“It’s impossible to avoid one another in a place like Ryemont.
” I force a smile on my face as I stare at Seán.
“My fiancé grew up in the city, so please forgive him.”
“Do not apologize for me.” His face is like thunder.
I’m tempted to kick him under the table. “Seán, please. Be reasonable.”
“It’s okay,” Callan says, appearing beside his business partner. “I’m leaving.” His shirt sleeves are rolled up to his elbows, showcasing the ink Ana mentioned on his left arm.
I lift my gaze, noticing his nose ring for the first time. “Please don’t do that.” My calm tone is at odds with the rage flowing through my veins. Callan broke my heart, but it’s not like he committed murder. We don’t get to run him out of town or dictate where he can and can’t go.
Every person seated at the tables surrounding us is watching this go down, and we’re going to be the subject of much gossip tomorrow. Something I truly could do without.
“He leaves, or I do.” Seán flings his napkin down on the table and stands, the chair screeching with the brutal motion.
I doubt there’s a single person in the restaurant who isn’t aware of the drama now, and I can’t believe he is doing this.
My hands are shaking with humiliation as I stand.
Wearing the fakest smile, I turn to Travis and Callan.
“I’m sorry for interrupting your night. Please return to your table before we give the gossips even more to talk about.
” I’m choking back tears as I grab my purse, pointedly ignore my fiancé, and walk out of the restaurant, doing my best to keep my head up high.
When I exit onto the sidewalk, I turn in the opposite direction of Seán’s car, needing space from the stranger I’m engaged to.
“Astrid.”
I pick up my pace as he calls after me, refusing to acknowledge him. How dare he do this to me. My face is on fire. My body is trembling with embarrassment.
“Astrid.” Seán grabs my arm, and I almost trip over my heels when he turns me to face him. “What are you doing?”
“What am I doing?” I shout. “You embarrassed the heck out of me back there! You know how important this project is to me. I work with those people, and I want them to see me as competent and driven, no longer the young girl they might remember me as, but it seems like you’re determined to undermine me any chance you get. ”
“I was trying to make it more comfortable for you! I know how badly he hurt you. I’m just trying to protect you.”
“Bullshit, Seán. Don’t pretend that was about me. You were jealous, and you wanted to throw your superiority around, but that’s not the way things work in small towns. You can’t flash the cash and expect everyone to do your bidding.”
“Why the fuck not? I could buy this entire fucking town if I wanted to.”
“Let go of me.” I try to shuck out of his arms. “I’m not doing this with you in the street.” There aren’t many people out on a Wednesday night, but the two couples walking on the opposite side of the road have stopped, concern written all over their faces as they watch us.
“I don’t give a fuck.” He lets me go, and I take a step back. “All you had to do was shut your mouth and let me handle it. He was happy to leave until you interfered. What is it with you and him? He’s just some cheating asshole you fucked when you were a kid. Why are you still hung up on him?”
“I’m not still hung up on him.”
And he wasn’t just some asshole I fucked as a kid. He was so much more. My first love. My first lover. My first heartbreak. I wisely keep those thoughts to myself, though I’m tempted to toss them out in the heat of the moment.
“This is about common decency,” I say. “You can’t demand people leave public places. You can’t do that around here.”
“There is no reasoning with you when you’re like this.”
“When I’m like this?” I shriek, spotting Callan, Riley, and Travis at the door of the restaurant, glancing in our direction because it seems my embarrassment is not yet complete.
“You’re acting like an overwrought teenager. I take you out to dinner, and this is the thanks I get?”
“I’m not the one acting like a teenager. Why are you being like this?” Tears gather in my eyes. “This isn’t you.”
I want my loving, charming fiancé back.
“I could say the same for you. I wish we’d never come to this two-bit town.”
“This two-bit town is my hometown.” Travis and Riley slip back inside the restaurant, but Callan remains outside. Seán will go crazy if he sees him, and I really wish he’d go inside and mind his own business.
“I can see why you left.”
A few silent tears roll down my face. “Wow, insulting my hometown now. Why not just slap me while you’re at it?”
He reels back as if I’ve struck him. “Astrid. I—”
“I’m not doing this with you again.” I turn to walk off when he snags my hand.
“Don’t walk away.” Most of the anger is gone from his face. “Please. Let’s go home. We’ll eat the dinner you made and take some space to cool down.”
I’m heartsick and tired of arguing with him.
We have argued more these past few days than the entirety of our relationship, and it’s unsettling me as much as being surrounded by the ghosts of my past is.
Seán has always been my rock, but it feels like that’s slipping away.
Exhaustion waylays me, and all my fighting spirit flees. “Okay.”
I don’t protest when he takes my hand, letting him lead me back toward the restaurant. His grip tightens when he spots Callan.
“Don’t start anything, Seán, please,” I say quietly. “Just walk past him and say nothing.”
He’s bristling with rage, but he doesn’t say anything as we reach the restaurant entrance and Callan. My ex tries to catch my eye, but I avoid eye contact, silently begging him to return inside and not interfere. “Astrid, are you okay?”
“Don’t,” I whisper under my breath when I see Seán’s mouth opening to launch a scathing attack, no doubt.
“I’m fine, Callan. This doesn’t concern you.”
He doesn’t say anything else, but I feel his eyes glued to my back as we walk to Seán’s car, get in, and drive away.
“I’m sorry, darling. I’m sorry,” Seán says, sitting on the edge of the bed, watching me as I get changed into my walking gear.
“I can’t talk to you right now, Seán.”
“Come downstairs and eat, please.”
“I’m not hungry,” I say, tying my hair into a high ponytail.
“You’re right. I was jealous, and I overreacted. That guy triggers me.”
I lift my head and sigh. “This is stressing me out, and you’ve got to let it go.
I’m not working directly with him anymore.
Callan is steering clear of me, like you asked.
Riley has replaced him on-site, and Travis has taken over as the main client liaison.
Callan listened and took action to resolve the situation.
He has acted respectfully towards you, and you need to show him the same consideration instead of acting like he’s the devil’s spawn any time you see him.
We are going to run into him around town, and you need to find a way to deal with it.
I’m the one he betrayed, and if I can handle it, then you can too. ”
“I’m trying.”
“Try harder.” I shove my feet into my sneakers. “He had a date with him, so your intel was incorrect. He’s not single. That should set your mind at ease.”
“That was Riley’s wife, and my intel is never wrong. Neither are my instincts.”
“Seán, please.” A sob breaches my mouth. “It feels like I don’t even know you anymore. This behavior is hurting me.”
“I’m fucking up, but don’t say you don’t know me when you do. You know I like to be in control, and this situation feels uncontrollable.” He stands and comes toward me, opening his arms. “Please let me hold you. It feels like I’m losing you.”
I lean into his embrace, pressing my cheek to his chest. “I hate all this fighting. It’s tearing me apart.”
“It ends now.” He tilts my chin up and kisses me softly. “I’ll rein in my jealousy.”
“I would really appreciate that because you have nothing to be jealous about.” I slide my hands up his chest. “I’m with you. I love you. Please trust me.” I stretch up and kiss him. “I need a walk to clear my head.”
“I don’t like you walking in the dark by yourself.”
“Nothing will happen to me in Ryemont. This is one of the safest places to live. I’m walking the trail I often walked as a teen. It’s safe, but I’ll have my cell and my pepper spray with me, and I won’t be gone for long.”
“Okay. I’ll keep you some dinner.” He hugs me close. “I love you, and I’m sorry.”
“I know you are.” I kiss him one final time before heading out.
“What the hell?” I mumble to myself when I park my rental at the spot where the entrance to the Whispering Woods once stood.
Tall wooden gates enclose the space, bordered by high fencing that appears to surround the forest all the way around.
A keypad is mounted to the side of the entrance gates alongside a plaque that reads:
The Whispering Cabin
PRIVATE PROPERTY
Private property? Since when? It’s taken me days to pluck up the courage to come here, and now I’m pissed I can’t see my lake.
Sitting in my car, I recall all the happy times I had here.
The afternoon Callan and I took our sisters swimming, and we almost kissed in the lake.
The night he set up a gazebo and reclaimed my heart under the stars.
Lazy summer days spent wrapped around one another on the beach.
Times spent exploring every inch of the woods and the lake hand in hand, imagining a different ending for the Scottish inventor and his heartbroken wife.
Pain eviscerates my chest, and the tears flow. We were only kids back then, but our love never felt like some fleeting teenage puppy love. It felt real. No matter how young I was, I had no doubt I had found the person I was meant to spend my life with.
Believing none of it was real was the only way I survived their betrayal. Allowing myself to believe any of it was real just set me back. In order to heal, I had to rewrite our history. So, I conditioned myself to believe in a new narrative, one where Gwen and Callan were the villains all along.
Except now I’m in Ryemont again, it’s too hard to keep the memories contained, and in freeing them, I know that isn’t true in Callan’s case. His parting statement is keeping me awake at night, and what Darcy and Ana said earlier is also playing on my mind.
There is more to this story.
Am I brave enough to uncover the hidden chapters?