People made fun of us all the time, saying he was mine and Lex’s triplet, but he wasn’t. Lex and I were twins. We had a bond I could never describe to anyone in a way they’d understand. What River and I had was a deep friendship. The kind that would survive anything and last forever. It was almost the same but different.
The drive back to Cliffborough was a blur—the winding roads, once a picturesque journey, now felt like an endless loop of confusion and speculation. What had gone wrong? Had there been signs I missed, words unspoken, feelings ignored? I riffled through my memories, trying to find a trigger, anything that might give me an answer.
Fuck, less than twenty-four hours ago, she’d given no indication that anything but our perfect wedding would be happening. Or had I missed it?
We'd barely seen each other between the multiple events Victoria had organized this weekend. By the time she returned to the room each night, I was already asleep. The excuse in the morning was that she’d been up late with her bridesmaids.
Before she moved to the bridal suite, she’d kissed me. Had there been any clues in the kiss? Was it longer or shorter than usual? I couldn’t remember.
Arriving at our place, the familiarity of the setting offered no answers. The apartment where we’d planned our future together, where we laughed and sometimes cried, now felt hollow in the wake of her absence.
“Victoria?” My voice sounded foreign in the quiet hallway as I opened the front door, the sound of my call bouncing off the walls, unanswered. I scanned the space frantically, searching each room meticulously with rising desperation. Her belongings seemed untouched, the silence of the apartment amplifying my racing thoughts.
When I stepped into the living room, I was faced with my honeymoon suitcases. Where four suitcases had been left, now there were only two. And a note.
Adam, this is on me. Please don’t feel pressured to move out.
I’m going away for a while to reset.
We can talk when I return. Maybe then I’ll have the courage to explain what I’ve done.
My knees gave out, and I fell to the floor, the piece of paper crumbling in my hands.
“Adam, what’s wrong?” River asked, kneeling on the floor beside me.
“It’s happening. It’s true.”
“What is?”
“She’s really gone.” My voice failed as a sob wrenched out of me. Tears streamed down my cheeks, blurring my vision as I looked at the crumpled note in my trembling hands.
River’s arms came around me, his steady grip anchoring me. We stayed in that position until my feet became numb from sitting on them.
I shifted so I was against the wall with my knees drawn up to my chest. I moved my feet to get rid of the pins and needles. River sat beside me.
“I don’t know what to do next, River. Maybe it’s the final piece of evidence that proves how desperate and gullible I am. I really thought she’d be here. That I’d get some answers or closure. I don’t know.”
“You are none of those things, Adam. You are an amazing guy. Anyone would be lucky to be with you.”
“It seems Victoria doesn’t feel the same way.”
River’s silence was louder than any words he could have said. There’d always been an unspoken tension between Victoria and River. I suspected it came from both, but Victoria was more outspoken about it, going as far as telling me I should stop hanging out with my best friend because he was a bad influence.
That should have been a red flag right there. Further proof that I was even more oblivious than gullible.
“I don’t know what to say right now, Adam. Nothing I’m thinking is honestly a nice thing. I don’t want to add to your stress and grief, so I’m just going to ask what I can do for you. What do you need right now?”
“I need to get out of here.”
River stood and held his hand out to me, pulling me to my feet. He grabbed the suitcases and dragged them to his car.
I kept my eyes down as I left the apartment, locking the door behind me because I couldn’t face looking at the place that had been home for the last year as Victoria and I built our dream life.What I’d thought was our dream life. Only to now see nothing but deception. I would have to return for my stuff, but it didn’t need to be on my wedding day.
“Where do you want to go?” River asked.
“The last place I want to be. Take us back to the vineyard.”
He put a reassuring hand on my leg. “Adam, your family can take care of everything. Your brothers will do anything for?—”
