Chapter Thirty-One
Cam
I stared down at the ring. The delicate sapphire winked up at me, oblivious to the chaos it had caused.
With Sue’s retreating footsteps echoing in my ears, the world dimmed—the soft restaurant lighting, the polite clatter of cutlery, even the warmth in the air.
All of it vanished with her. Everything that had made this night feel full of possibility, of something real, was gone.
She had left, and she’d taken my breath away with her.
The ring still held the warmth of her skin—at least that’s what I told myself as I curled it into my palm. Maybe it was my own body heat. Maybe it was wishful thinking. But I wasn’t ready to let go of it yet.
My mother’s hand landed softly on my arm. “Is that true, Cam?”
Around the table, six pairs of eyes burned into mine.
Carlo’s expression was inscrutable again.
It hurt, because I’d worked hard to earn an approving smile from him.
All of that was lost now. Next to him, Elaine was as pale as a sheet, her skin almost translucent.
Paul and Michelle wore equally puzzled expressions.
Becky’s eyes were round, demanding answers.
Mom’s gaze held no judgment—only patience and support.
She knew me. She knew I must have a good reason for this deception.
I took a deep breath, my fingers tightening around the ring. “Yes, it’s true. Sue and I aren’t really engaged. Although we are in a relationship.”
I hoped at least that part was true, although I wasn’t sure anymore.
“Why did you lie?” Carlo demanded.
His gaze was the hardest to meet. For some reason, I’d wanted to earn his approval. Now I felt I would never gain his confidence again.
Everyone looked confused. The only one who didn’t seem curious was Elaine. She had withdrawn into herself, but she was listening carefully.
For a second I felt a sharp twinge of resentment toward Sue, because she’d left me to face this alone.
I immediately felt sorry and ashamed for my feelings.
Her mother’s careless rudeness, almost cruelty, had been only the final drop that filled the glass.
This moment had been long time coming. I was just a collateral victim.
These people deserved answers, even Elaine. They had invested time, money, and emotion into this event. They needed to hear the truth.
I let out a slow breath. “We lied because she felt trapped. Someone snapped those pictures of us and posted them without context. Her job was on the line, and her family—” I flicked a glance at Elaine, still frozen in place.
“She didn’t want to disappoint you, or be pushed back toward her cheating ex. ”
A collective gasp rippled around the table. Paul lurched to his feet. “Cheating? Who are you talking about?”
“Neil,” I said flatly. “He cheated on her. That’s why she broke the engagement.”
Elaine winced, as if I’d struck her. Her skin drained of color until even her lips were pale.
“My God,” she whispered. “Are you sure?”
“Of course I’m sure.”
Paul squinted at me. “She never said a word. Why would she keep quiet about something like that?”
I shrugged. “Maybe she didn’t feel she could trust you. Or maybe she thought you wouldn’t take her side.”
Another long silence fell. Even the music seemed muted in this corner of the restaurant, where our private little drama was unfolding.
“Was it all fake?” Becky asked softly.
“No.” I swallowed hard. “Not on my side. I didn’t plan for this ring to be fake.”
I rose from the table, sliding the ring back into my pocket. “We didn’t lie to manipulate anyone. Sue lied to survive a family dinner. She lied to avoid the thousand little cuts that come from trying to please people who think love has to look a certain way.”
I looked pointedly at Elaine. She flinched.
I tried to find my words again. “I’m sorry… But I’m also not. We didn’t see another way to deal with this, and I wanted to help Sue in any way she needed me. We didn’t mean to hurt anyone.”
There was a long, long stretch of silence.
Then Paul cleared his throat. “So… what now?”
It was a good question. I didn’t have an answer. I wiped a hand down my face and stood.
“Now, I need to drive my mother and sister back to their hotel. Please, try to enjoy the rest of your dinner. And your stay in New York.”
It sounded ridiculous under the circumstances, but I didn’t know what else to say.
This entire situation bordered on the absurd.
Thankfully, my mom and Becky followed my lead and headed quietly to the restaurant’s exit.
I stopped a waiter and gave him enough money to cover the dinner and a generous tip.
Then we waited in silence until a valet retrieved my car.
It was only after I pulled into traffic that Becky exploded from the back seat. I gave her credit for lasting that long.
“What the hell were you thinking, Cam? A fake engagement? What is this, a frigging Hallmark movie?”
“Rebecca.” Mom reached out from the passenger seat and put a hand on Becky’s knee.
But my sister had lost it. “No, seriously. Is this something a grown-ass man would do? We came all the way from Denver for this!”
“I didn’t ask you to come,” I said, sharper than I intended. “You came because you’re nosy.”
“I wanted to be supportive and meet Sue.”
“Yeah, right,” I retorted. “You wanted to grill her.”
“Well that bit me in the ass, didn’t it?”
“Maybe it will teach you to mind your own business.”
“Oh, fuck off.”
“Stop it, you two.” Mom’s tone was quiet but firm enough to end any discussions.
We rode in blessed silence for the rest of the way. As soon as I pulled off in front of the hotel, Becky stormed out of the car and slammed the door.
Mom didn’t make a move to leave. I was hoping she wouldn’t.
I released my seatbelt and turned to face her. “I’m sorry, Mom.”
She reached out and took my hand. It was so small in mine. I could still remember the hand of my child self in hers, which seemed larger than life back then.
Her gaze was steady on mine. “Cam, you’ve never lied before. I don’t know how to feel about this, that you lied for this girl.”
I stared out the window. Night was falling over the city. Lights blinked awake, pedestrians hurried to their business, even traffic slowed down as the day headed to an end.
“I wanted to protect her,” I said at last.
“Was that your only reason?”
“I don’t know.”
“You really don’t?”
Her gaze always cracked me open. I wanted this. If I voiced my feelings, maybe I would understand them, once and for all.
I cleared my throat. “At first it felt like a safe game. But afterward, as I got to know her… I wanted it to be real.”
Mom’s gaze roamed my face, filled with unconditional love and pride. “How does she feel about you?”
“I have no idea.”
I meant it from the bottom of my heart. Sue was still an enigma to me, almost as much as she’d been the day I met her.
I looked down at our linked hands. I traced my mom’s wedding band with my thumb.
“Will you ever take this off?”
“Never,” she said.
“You’re young. You shouldn’t be alone, Mom. You should start dating again.”
She gave me a soft smile. “My answer hasn’t changed since you, Craig, and Becky had ‘the talk’ with me and gave me your permission to date again.”
I met the memory with the ghost of a laugh. It was right before I’d left for MIT, when I thought I was mature enough to know what love was, and generous enough to accept my mom moving on.
She never had. I loved and respected her for it. Not once had she gone on a date after my father passed away. Instead, she had dedicated her life to us and to her job. I hated her loneliness, but I understood her choice.
“Your father was the love of my life,” she said simply, just as she’d told us twenty years ago. “Some people can only have one. I am one of those people.”
We were quiet for long moments before I finally voiced it. “I think Sue’s my one.”
Mom squeezed my hand. “Then you need to tell her that.”
There was an unbreakable knot of anxiety in my gut. “What if she doesn’t feel the same?”
“Then it means she’s not your one. And you’ll know, and you’ll move on.”
God, she made the most complicated matters seem simple. No wonder people paid her big bucks for it.
I reached out and drew her into a tight hug, burying my face in her hair in that same way that would never change.
“Thanks, Mom. I miss you.”
Her eyes shone as she drew away to look at me. “I miss you too, honey. Now go and talk to Sue.”
“What about you and Becky?”
She smiled knowingly. “We’ll stick around for a couple more days. See how the movie ends.”
I was still smiling as I watched her walk into the hotel.
As I put the car in gear I realized I couldn’t face Sebastian’s apartment yet. I was too restless. Instead of turning toward his building, I turned west.
The city blurred around me—yellow cabs, headlights, neon signs blinking intermittently. I didn’t have a destination, just a need to not be anywhere yet.
Eventually, I parked near the Hudson. It was late, and the riverside was quiet. The water moved lazily, moonlight dancing across its surface. A couple strolled down the path, arms linked, murmuring in low voices. I watched them pass, a knot tightening in my chest.
I leaned against the hood of the car, the night air cool against my face. My thoughts circled, not knowing where and how to land.
My phone buzzed and I glanced at it. It was a text from Susanne.
PLEASE FORGIVE ME.
I gazed at it for a while, unsure of what to reply. Don’t worry? No problem?
Those would have been lies. There was a problem, but it wasn’t hers to fix. Probably neither of us had it in their power to fix.
I shoved the phone back in my pocket and my fingers found the ring. I stared down at it for a long time. Why had I bought this? Why had I told Sue I’d keep it for my future wife? It was always for her.
Name it to tame it was my mother’s favorite mantra when it came to dealing with emotions.
I decided to give this a try. What was I feeling?
Angry? Not really.
Hurt? Definitely.
Confused? Hell, yeah.
Above all, I felt… exposed. The walls I’d so carefully built around me since Britt and I broke up had been knocked down by a five-foot-three woman who hadn’t even tried to break them. Sue had just been herself—that’s all it took. And the worst part was that I didn’t want to rebuild them.
I already missed her. I missed her laugh, her sense of humor, the scent of her freshly-washed hair, the feel of her creamy skin under my mouth… God, I wanted her in my life. All of her—the stubborn, funny, insecure, radiant mess who could make me laugh with a single look, and drive me into ecstasy.
What had I even expected tonight? That we’d pull it off? That Sue’s parents would buy the act, toast our imaginary future, and then we’d go back to our fake lives like nothing had happened?
No.
At some point I’d started hoping it wasn’t fake at all. That was the real problem. Somewhere along the way, it had stopped being a game. I had stopped pretending.
I stayed out there a long time. Long enough for the wind to turn sharp, for the streets to empty, for the ache in my chest to settle into something that felt like clarity.
Then, I got back in the car and finally drove to Sebastian’s. The moment I stepped out of the vehicle, I felt the weight of everything crash onto me.
I climbed the stairs slowly, feeling drained of energy.
Sue’s apartment was silent. No noise coming from inside, no sliver of light under her door.
I hesitated in front of it, waiting—hoping—for a sign. The silence and darkness persisted. There were no signs of life, no shuffling footsteps, no angry pacing.
I wanted to knock, to make sure she’d made it home safely. But I sensed she needed space. So did I. And for once in my damn life, I wasn’t going to fix something by charging in and taking over.
I walked past her apartment and into Sebastian’s place, closing the door softly behind me.