All Chapters of A love forged in deception. : Chapter 1 - Chapter 6

I’d been driving down to my boyfriend’s house after lying to him that I had an important meeting in Texas—only to surprise him for his birthday. It was all I could think about behind the wheel. I kept replaying the frown on his face when I’d told him I’d be “away” for work. Thomas and Joe, his closest friends, were in on the surprise, and I was finally going to gift him his dream car. We’d been saving for a G-Wagon for almost a year, lagging behind on a few thousand dollars—but I’d paid the balance off a few days ago, just in time for his birthday.Charles and I had been together for three years. Our relationship had been nothing but smooth. He bought me flowers every week, checked up on me constantly, and my mom literally loved him more than she loved me. After years of bad luck in relationships, Charles coming into my life felt like a blessing.“Are you sure he’s home?” Thomas asked.I smiled, remembering how we’d FaceTimed about an hour ago. He was definitely home.Absentmindedly,

I woke up with a groan, my neck stiff and my body aching from being curled up in the enormous driver's seat of the G-Wagon. It was light outside, the world outside my windshield a blurry mess of gray and green, slick with rain.A persistent tapping on the window finally yanked me from my exhausted sleep. I jumped, my heart immediately seizing with the residual terror of the robbery.I cracked the window, peering out. Standing under the steady drizzle was an old woman who looked to be in her 70s. Her face was a network of kind wrinkles, framed by a patterned headscarf. She looked frail, yet worried."Are you doing okay, my dear?" she asked, her voice soft but insistent.I nodded, squinting. It was pouring, and this elderly lady was standing in the downpour, worrying about a stranger in an expensive SUV."This is no way to end your life. You could suffocate and die, you know?" She gestured dramatically with her hand at the word die, and that alone snapped me back to the shocking realit

What have I done?, what have I done?, what have I done?!No, no, no!I fled the oncology alcove and ran down the quiet hallway, not stopping until I was outside the clinic, leaning against the G-Wagon. The shame was blinding. I had just kissed a man whose wife died an hour ago. How could I??The chaos was overwhelming.I couldn't stay here. I just couldn't. I had to leave right now.I drove straight back to Charles's apartment.I parked the G-Wagon down the street. The planned surprise—the huge blue bow—now looked insane. My black Audi was nowhere in sight. I drove slowly past the spot where I'd left it, the police must have finally towed it away, I decided. It was certainly possible that while Charles was chasing after me last night, perhaps trying to explain away the infidelity I wasn't ready to hear, the police met with him and arranged the tow.I approached the apartment building and unlocked the door. The place was silent, Charles's Porsche gone.I walked toward the kitchen ta