Chapter 169
Curtis knelt down in front of her, gently lifting her legs onto his knees. His fingers worked with a fi
firm but gentle strength, kneading the tense muscles in her calves to help them.
relax.
Leanne tried to pull away. “Don’t touch me…”
Out of nowhere, Curtis broke the silence. “During the two years I was in Starlake, I didn’t run into Suzan even once.”
The topic came without warning. Leanne wasn’t sure if she was too stunned to react or if she simply knew there was no escaping him now.
She didn’t interrupt, and Curtis finally began to pour out his heart.
“You never came to see me. If you had, you’d know how swamped I was. Barely sleeping five hours a night, grabbing whatever fast food I could, no time or energy to look for another woman. You didn’t even notice I lost weight.
Not a single woman set foot in my place, except for the cleaning lady. There’s a picture of you by my bed-the one I took with my phone in Northwood. If you’d come, you would’ve seen it.”
“That’s the only picture I have. I took a bunch, but the memory card got lost.”
His train of thought was jumping all over the place. Leanne listened in silence, not understanding where his grievances were coming from.
“Caleb was with me day in and day out. If you don’t believe me, you can
you can ask him.”
Leanne thought to herself, Caleb’s word was the least trustworthy.
“He’s your right-hand man. If you needed him to, he’d probably lie through his teeth and say it was him in drag caught in the act.”
Curtis couldn’t help but let out a laugh at the absurdity. “What kind of mess is that?”
“What are you trying to do by telling me all this now?” Leanne’s voice was calm and detached. “What more do you want to deceive me about? What could I possibly have that you still want?”
Curtis felt a wave of helplessness wash over him, a deep sigh escaping his lips. He felt he was his own worst enemy, “Don’t you believe a single word I’ve said?”
“It
I was you who told me that Suzan was your true love. That marrying me was just settling because you couldn’t have her, right?”
Her tone was so indifferent, one might think she was void of emotion, incapable of feeling hurt or sorrow. But how could she not be hurt? To be told such things by the man she loved most.
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Curtis’ breath became heavy, and he dared not revisit that fateful day. He regretted those words the instant they left his mouth.
Leanne’s expression had been vacant and fragile then, as if she had accidentally wandered into a world that wasn’t hers.
Her retreating back haunted Curtis every time he thought of it, making sleep elusive.
He grasped her hand tightly. “Those words weren’t true. I thought you loved Phillip. I couldn’t handle it, I was jealous to the point of madness. I said those things to hurt you.”
“I never loved Suzan.” His voice was hoarse with emotion. “Can you forget what I said?”
Leanne felt an unsettling sense of unreality, as if she couldn’t replace solid ground.
“You thought I loved Phillip, so you humiliated me on purpose?”
Curtis hugged her tightly, “I’m sorry, really. I’ve been an idiot, a total fool. I deserve all the blame.”
He held her frail body tightly in his arms, apologizing over and over, lifting her face to kiss. her forehead and her eyes, each kiss heavy with remorse, “Leanne, you have no idea how much I love you.”
Did he love her? Leanne felt as if all the oxygen between her organs had been depleted, unable to take in any new air.
Her emotions were drained too, leaving her numb and unable to discern her own feelings. Should she be happy that he loved her, or was it all just too sad?
As she looked into Curtis’ eyes, always seeming so profound, she couldn’t help but question whether the love she saw within them was genuine or just a facade.
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