Chapter 23 #2
Isaac didn’t turn around. “That’s what you think I need to hear?”
“I thought it might have mattered to you.”
“It does. That's not what mattered to me, Kara.” He turned to face her. There wasn’t any anger in his eyes—just hurt and disappointment encompassing him. “I didn’t come back because I didn’t trust you,” he said. “I came back because you stopped trusting me.”
“I didn’t stop trusting you,” she interjected, standing up. “I just—this place, the things I’m learning about my family. About this town. It’s more than I expected. I didn’t want to drag you into it.”
“You didn’t want to drag me into it,” he repeated, disbelief in his tone. “We’re supposed to be partners, Kara. If you’re drowning, I’m supposed to be in the water with you—not watching from the shore while some guy from your past throws you a lifeline.”
“It’s not like that.”
“So, tell me what it is like.”
She finally admitted, “I don’t know.”
“Do you still want to marry me? You haven’t started planning the wedding.”
“I just told you everything that’s been going on. Let me figure this out first. Please.” Her tone softened, but the weight of it didn’t lessen. “We can talk about marriage after this is all over, Isaac. I love you, but this is something I need to do”.
Her gaze dropped to the floor, to the tiny scuff marks on the worn hotel carpet. “I don’t know who I am anymore,” she said quietly. “I didn’t mean to hurt you in finding out the truth.”
“I know. But that doesn’t make it hurt less.”
“If you leave, you have nothing to worry about. I know you, Kara. You can walk away from all of this,” he continued, his voice softening at the edges. “Leave it behind. You were fine before you came here. We were fine.”
He meant those words, and that was the problem. He didn’t understand why she was holding on so tightly to something that was clearly tearing her apart. From where he stood, the answer felt obvious: step away, choose him.
“I just…” He exhaled, running a hand over the back of his neck. “I don’t want to watch this destroy us. I can see that we are headed down that path.”
She couldn’t begin to explain it to him.
How this had always followed her, sat with her in quiet moments, crept into her thoughts when she least expected it, pressing heavily against her chest some nights.
This wasn’t something she had found here.
It had always been there. This was why she had been so afraid to come in the first place—to confront the truth about this place and the truth about herself.
Now that she was here where it all began, there was no walking away.
“Do you want to get out of here?”
“What?”
“We've been trapped in this room for too long." He forced a tired smile that didn't quite reach his eyes.
“Come on. Let's walk. Maybe clear our heads.”
She hesitated before nodding.
The elevator ride was painfully quiet. A family climbed in on the third floor—a little girl clutching a stuffed rabbit, her parents arguing quietly about where to eat dinner. The normalcy of it made Kara's chest ache. She wondered what it felt like to have ordinary problems.
The elevator doors opened into the lobby. The scent of polished wood and fresh coffee greeted them as guests came and went with rolling suitcases. Two women laughed near the reception desk. A businessman checked his watch while waiting for a cab.
Life carried on as they stepped outside into the warm evening air. Cars drifted lazily past. A breeze stirred the oak trees lining the sidewalk, carrying the scent of freshly cut grass. Isaac shoved his hands into his pockets.
“So what's your plan?”
“My plan?” Kara glanced at him.
“You've uncovered evidence that suggests your father might've been connected to organized crime.”
“I don't know if that's what it is.”
“Whatever it is.” He peered over at her. “What's next?”
She shrugged. “I’ll keep digging.”
She took another few steps before realizing he wasn't beside her anymore. Turning around, she found him standing in the middle of the sidewalk.
He stopped walking. “Kara…”
“No.” She already knew where this was going.
“I'm serious.”
“So am I.”
“You need to stop.”
“You think I can just walk away now? She said bitterly.
“You have to. If someone left you a threat, then this isn't curiosity anymore. It's dangerous.”
“It was already dangerous,” she said, folding her arms. “I didn't ask for any of this.”
“No,” he agreed. “But you can choose not to keep chasing it. You can turn it over.”
“To whom?”
"The police."
She stared at him. “The same police department who write suspicious deaths off as suicide? The same department that's been lying for years?”
“The FBI?”
“I don't even know what I have,” she said, rolling her eyes now. Isaac was being unreasonable. He hadn't spent years wondering what really happened. Of course, he thought walking away was the sensible option.
“You have enough to know people are after it.”
“They've already involved me.”
“Kara!” His voice echoed. Several pedestrians glanced in their direction before continuing. Isaac lowered his voice. “ I just don’t want to lose you.
“What are you talking about?”