That’s why he left.
She looked at me with sympathy and concern, then bit her lip. “Ken, did you tell anyone about Marc’s page?”
What?“No. I swear, Stella, I never said a word to anyone, not even you. I would never put him or Mia at risk.” A bark of bitter laughter escaped my lips. “You know, the closer Marc and I got, the more I forgot about Magic Marco.” I didn’t want that fantasy man anymore.
I wanted the real thing, flesh and blood and bones with the biggest heart of any man I’d ever known. “When did that come out?”
“Just as I was getting into the car to come get you.” Familiar landmarks whizzed past as we drove, and I ran a hand through my hair.
Would Marc suspect I did this to get back at him?
Fuck.
I pulled out my phone, my heart racing as I scrolled through my recent calls until I found Marc’s name. I hesitated for amoment, my finger hovering over the call button, fear washing over me like a cold wave.
What if he didn’t answer? What if he blamed me?
Even if he didn’t—what would it matter? This was bigger than our relationship.
This was his whole life.
One ring, two rings, three rings… As the voicemail message played, I heard Marc’s familiar voice and a lump formed in my throat. I couldn’t lose him. I had to make this right, had to prove to him that my feelings—my love—for him were as strong right now as it was last night.
At the beep, I took a deep breath, my voice trembling as I spoke. “I… I don’t know where to start, but I need you to know how sorry I am. I should have told you the truth from the beginning, about knowing about… you know. It was wrong of me to keep that from you, and I get why you’re hurt and angry.”
I paused, swallowing hard as I tried to gather my thoughts. “I never betrayed your trust, Marc. Never. I didn’t say anything about it to anyone, and I never would. What we have—had—it was real, and it meant everything to me. You mean everything to me.”
Tears pricked at the corners of my eyes, and I blinked them away, determined to get through this. “I messed up, but I’m begging you, please give me a chance to make this right. I’ll do anything, Marc. I love you, and I love Mia, and I can’t imagine my life without you both in it.”
My voice cracked, forcing me to take a moment to gather myself. “Please, just… call me back. Let me explain. Let me prove to you that what we have is real, that I would never do anything to hurt you or Mia. I’m so sorry—”
The voice mail stopped recording, and the call ended.
With that, I let the phone drop into my lap as I leaned back against the car seat, emotionally drained.
Stella reached over and took my hand in hers, offering me a small, reassuring smile. “You did the right thing, Ken,” she told me. “Now all you can do is wait and hope that he listens to your message with an open heart.”
I nodded, and my gaze fixed on the passing scenery outside the window. The road ahead would be difficult, that there were no guarantees that Marc would forgive me or that we’d find our way back to each other.
But I also had to try, and that I couldn’t give up on what we had, on the love that had grown between us. I had to have faith that somehow, someway, we would find our way through this storm, together.
My phone buzzed, shocking me out of my thoughts.
Did you out me, Ken?
The message’s blunt question cut straight to the heart of the matter. My fingers trembled as I typed out my response.
No, I swear. I would never do that to you.
You and Mia are everything to me.
I hit send—and waited.
Minutes ticked by, yet the screen stayed blank.
Stella pulled up in front of my apartment building right at sunset. Loneliness settled over me as I glanced at my empty home, now the last place I wanted to be.
“Ken,” Stella said in a low voice, “I know it seems impossible right now, but if what you and Marc have is truly love, then it’sworth fighting for. You can’t give up, not now, not when there’s so much at stake.”
