Chapter 30
Chapter Thirty
Maxinne
The bedroom I grew up in has never felt this small before.
There are open duffel bags covering my bed, half-folded clothes spilling out in uneven piles, while late-evening sunlight stretches across the hardwood floor in golden stripes.
Somewhere down the hall, Mom is watching a TV show, and the familiar sounds of home wrap around me in a way that should feel comforting.
Instead, everything inside me keeps pulling back toward Covewood. To where I left Zane.
I pause halfway through zipping my bag and stare down at the orientation packet lying across my comforter.
Westbridge University is printed boldly across the front in deep-green lettering.
I’ve wanted this for so long, the chance to finish what I started, and to have the opportunity to build the future I kept placing on hold.
My dream feels clearer now more than it ever has before.
Somewhere between heartbreak and healing, I’ve finally figured out what I want my future to look like.
Me wearing a cap and gown on graduation day, my family and friends all there to support me, and then, shortly after, I want to open up my very own shop in Covewood.
Amongst all of that is an image of Zane, holding my hand the entire way—Sven trotting along beside him, of course.
Thinking of Zane has me reaching for my phone.
It lights up, and for a split second, I assume it’s him, but then the name settles in as I read Derek on the screen.
It doesn’t make sense at first, my brain refusing to comprehend what I’m seeing.
The room seems to pull away from me, the sound thinning out until all I can hear is the faint buzz of the phone vibrating against my palm.
I don’t even realize I’m sitting down on the edge of the bed until the mattress dips beneath me.
The phone keeps buzzing, and I think about letting it go to voicemail.
Until my finger moves before I can talk myself out of it.
“Hello?” I say, my words sounding more like a question as I press the phone to my ear.
There’s a beat of silence then Derek says cautiously, “Maxinne?”
“Derek?”
“I didn’t think you’d answer.”
“I almost didn’t,” I admit, forcing my voice to stay even. “Why are you calling me?”
There’s another pause, and I can hear the background noise on his end, the sounds of a life continuing somewhere that I’m no longer a part of.
“I…wanted to call you.” He exhales. “Because I owe you an apology.”
My grip tightens on the phone. An apology is not what I expected. Especially not after the accusations he made of me cheating on him and the months of silence that followed.
“I took down the posts,” he adds quickly, like he’s afraid I’ll hang up before he gets it all out. “All of them. The ones saying you cheated. I shouldn’t have put that out there. It wasn’t fair to you.”
My stomach twists slowly, and I place a hand there.
Three months ago, I would have given anything to hear him say this.
But now, being on the other side of everything I’ve had to rebuild without it, I find that the words still matter—just differently than I expected them to.
They don’t change what happened, but I stopped needing his apology to heal.
His voice sounds genuinely sorry, and I believe that he means it. “You shouldn’t have lied like that.”
“I know. I was angry and worried about what my bosses were going to think about my fiancée leaving me,” he continues. “And I handled it badly. That doesn’t make it right. It just…is what it is.”
I close my eyes for a second, letting the words settle between us before I finally ask, “What are you expecting from this conversation?”
“Nothing,” he replies before clearing his throat. “I just needed you to hear how sorry I am. For everything it’s been eating me up inside.”
I let out a slow breath. “I appreciate you saying that. And Derek—” I pause, surprising myself a little with what I want to say next. “I forgive you. Our issues weren’t only your fault, so I should say I’m sorry too.”
The silence on the other end stretches long enough that I wonder if he’s still there. I look at the screen and see the seconds ticking by.
Then he says, “That means more than you know. Thanks, Maxinne. Take care of yourself.”
“You too, Derek.”
The line goes silent. I sit with it for a moment, waiting for the ache that used to follow his name around, but it doesn’t come.
The only thing that’s there is release. I lower the phone onto the bed beside me and sit there for a moment, palms resting loosely in my lap as I wait for my body to catch up with what just happened.
It’s strange, what clarity feels like when it finally arrives. I’ve spent so many months treating my future like a problem to be solved alone. As if loving Zane and choosing my own life were two competing things pulling in opposite directions. But the truth settles into place.
Loving Zane and choosing my future are not two separate things.
My eyes sting with fresh tears and before I even know what I’m doing, I lower myself onto my knees beside the bed. I lace my fingers together, bow my head, and close my eyes.
“God…I don’t know what You’re doing right now. Everything felt so clear before all of this happened.”
I bow my head farther, squeezing my eyes shut.
“If I’m getting this wrong somehow, then I need You to show me, because I can’t figure it all out on my own. Please show me a sign that everything is going to work out.”
I stay there for a long time, breathing slowly, repeating the prayer over and over again, until the ache inside my chest loosens and my tears stop flowing.
Peace washes over me, unlike anything I’ve ever felt before, and as I try to process the feeling, I’m interrupted by the sound of the doorbell ringing downstairs.
I push myself upright and wipe quickly beneath my eyes before busying myself with picking out tomorrow’s outfit. A few seconds later, soft footsteps move down the hallway before Mom appears in the doorway.
“Maxinne, there’s someone here to see you.”
I glance up, brows pulling together in confusion. “Who is it?”
“I think…” Her lips twitch slightly, like she’s holding back a smile. “You should come see for yourself.”
For half a second, panic tries to creep in as I step into the hallway. My pulse begins to pick up as I follow Mom toward the living room.
And then I freeze.
Sven barks as soon as he notices me and runs through the space until he practically jumps on me.
He licks at the back of my hand, whining, as if he’s missed me as much as I’ve missed him.
Zane is pacing slowly across the rug in front of the couch, with his back partially turned, and the second he hears Sven bark, he turns around quickly.
“I’m happy to see you too,” I tell Sven and give him a big hug.
My gaze finds Zane’s, and the breath leaves my lungs so fast it almost hurts. He’s here? He came to Westbridge? So many questions cloud my thoughts, but when I part my lips to say something—anything, really—the words are trapped in my throat.
He removes his ball cap before dragging his fingers through his hair nervously. My heart betrays me, thumping wildly at the sight, because I love that nervous habit of his. I love the shy uncertainty in his expression. I love the way his eyes soften the moment they land on me.
I love him.
We stare at each other from across the room, the air becoming too thick with everything left unresolved. Every nerve ending is buzzing to life, begging me to close the distance, but I stay put, mainly because Sven has his paws wrapped around me as he nudges my hand for more scratches.
Mom clears her throat gently behind me. “I’m going to give you two some privacy. But before I go…” She takes a step toward Zane. “I want to apologize for my previous behavior. I wasn’t feeling like myself, and the way I spoke—”
“It’s alright, ma’am. I promise,” he says, holding up a hand.
She gives him a small smile before disappearing toward the kitchen, leaving the two of us standing there alone. Zane shifts his weight slightly, his eyes searching mine carefully.
“Hi,” he says, and the single word nearly undoes me.
“Hi.” I swallow hard and glance toward the front door before looking back at him. “Do you want to sit outside with me?”
“Yeah. Sure.”
I wave for him to follow me out the front door and lead us toward the porch swing tucked near the far end of the front porch.
The old wood creaks softly beneath our steps.
Sven rushes to chase a squirrel into the one oak tree in the yard.
The evening air hangs thick with late-summer humidity, carrying the distant sound of barking dogs, lawn mowers, and traffic humming steadily down the main road a few streets over.
The neighborhood looks exactly the same as it always has.
Rows of nearly identical houses with porch lights flickering on one by one as dusk settles in.
Cars drive past every few minutes and kids laugh somewhere nearby.
All I can think about is how loud and crowded this place is.
I ache for the quiet peace I found tucked away in Covewood.
Zane lowers himself onto the opposite side of the swing, leaving enough space to show the awkwardness that’s lingering.
The chain creaks lightly as the porch swing rocks once beneath our weight before settling again.
He glances out toward the street, watching headlights pass between the trees lining the sidewalk, before his gaze slowly returns to mine.
There are many emotions passing through his eyes as they study me. Regret, hope, doubt, and one that stands out the most. Love. They’re all tangled together so openly that it makes my throat tighten as I try to swallow back my own feelings.
I tuck one leg beneath me on the swing and finally break the silence before it swallows us both whole. “Why did you come to Westbridge?”
The corner of his mouth twitches faintly, like he can’t believe I even had to ask.
“Because I needed to see you.”