A Twist of Fate (The Twisted Trilogy)

by Simpson, Christa

  "You hanging around Edwin is not right. Anyone with half a brain wouldn't need to be told."

  Oh, so now he's calling me stupid? “What is this even about?” And what was the point of arguing, when I didn’t even know what kind of defence to mount. The sensation in my gut warned me that he was just going to kick me to the curb anyway.

  “You were talking in your sleep," he stated, like it was a crime.

  "What did I say?"

  “I’m sorry, Abby. But I can’t get you pregnant.” He blocked his eyes with his hand, but through his tense fingers I was able to see that he was still more angry than sorry.

  I could just imagine what I had said. “You’re mad because of a dream?”

  When he chuckled, it rolled over my ribs and stole my air supply. "My love can only stretch so far. You really need to figure out who's most important to you, before someone else gets hurt."

  "So, now this is about Pheobe too? Do you really think I'd do anything intentionally to hurt her?"

  "Don't you worry about my daughter. I can take care of her myself. I've been doing just fine all this time without you. I don't know why I thought you'd make it any different."

  His clipped tone hacked off a piece of my heart. My anger had faded and was quickly being replaced by a hollow gloom. Where was this coming from?

  I hesitantly stepped toward him. "I think we can work through this, if you're willing to give me a chance. But Cameron, you have to trust that it’s over between me and Edwin. And there was never anything with Owen."

  "You might be blinded by your friendship, but I can tell Edwin sees it a little differently. Open your eyes, Abby."

  My eyes were open, and they were focused on the crevices in Cam's forehead as they deepened. "You know what,” he said, coming to a decision. “I think it’s over. This thing that we have going on, it's obviously not working anymore.”

  "Please don't do this, Cameron,” I begged. “I love you. We can fix this."

  “I’m far too broken to be fixed, I’m afraid."

  I shook my head no, hating the way he shut down our communication channels.

  Cameron turned his weary gaze on me, tired yet wrathful. "You should go." His words were cold and sharp, and cut me like a scalding knife. It wasn't up for debate. Cameron was over it. Over me.

  I couldn’t hide that having him talk to me that way hurt, but I tucked that away and pulled out some sarcasm. "I guess now would be a bad time to bring up the baby thing then."

  “Get out,” he ordered.

  I was too choked up to argue and too upset to fight. My voice was shaky and desolate. “Fine.” I strode past Cam and retrieved my purse, only to find that Cam had already packed my bags.

  I shoved my arms through the sleeves of my heavy jacket, pulled open his front door, then violently pitched my bags out into the snowy yard. Cam stood sideways, a mere four paces away from me, his gaze burning a hole in the wall across from him. He wasn't changing his mind. He wasn't stopping me. My heart split into pieces.

  "We’re done," he said, marking the end of our relationship.

  As if my bags sitting at the door hadn't gotten his point across already. But we couldn't be done. I wasn’t done. He had to come around. But he just continued to stare into space, unwilling to let me in, barricaded inside his own hard, hollow shell of a body.

  An exaggerated intake of breath left my mouth dry and tight. He wanted me gone. Now. Forever. As in never again. I knew that wasn’t him talking.

  “I’m still going to love you," I said, my voice quiet, scratchy and profound.

  He didn’t flinch - didn't do a damn thing - just kept on staring. Saddened and frustrated, I hurried out the door, slamming it behind me. I took one step off his porch and my knees gave out, dropping me onto my hands and knees into a snow bank. I couldn't seem to catch my breath, being panic-stricken, shaken and distraught. I gasped for air as my tears spilled onto the drifting snow.

  The winter chill began to eat away at me. I forced myself to regain my footing and lugged my snow covered bags to my car. I had to get out of there before Pheobe came home. Pheobe. God. This would break her little heart.

  I drove straight home, my eyes cold as ice, my heart sharp as glass. There would have to be a small, red sports car parked in my spot when I got there. Just my luck. I let myself into the house with the key Edwin insisted that I keep, fully expecting unwanted company, but not expecting to find Edwin lying on the couch with a woman.

  Sure, they were only watching a movie, but I was intruding. A date? Sure looked like it. The look of shock on Edwin's face when he realized I was back, was enough to make me shudder. Feeling pale and numb, I dropped my bags, spun on my heel and rushed back to my car.

  "No, wait!" Edwin hollered to me, but there was no way I would turn back.

  I sped off, before Edwin could chase me down barefoot in the snow. I turned the corner, feeling lost and light headed, so I pulled my car over to the side of the road. No tears came and that only frustrated me more.

  My phone started buzzing, so I dug through my purse and stared blankly at the gorgeous face plastered on the screen. Cameron Clarke calling.

  What could he possibly want? To remind me how disappointed he is in me? How much I annoy him? How unreasonable I can be sometimes? I wanted to answer it, but I couldn't handle more of his resentment. I slid my finger across the screen. Ignore.

  The call ended and I dropped my phone back in my purse, as thunder literally rolled. Such wicked weather for this time of year, but we were having an actual thunderstorm in the dead of winter. Then my phone buzzed again. A flash of lightening brightened the sky. I dove into my purse, expecting it to be Edwin this time.

  Cameron Clarke calling. Again? Must be important. Ignore.

  I threw my phone onto the seat next to me. It bounced off the seat and smashed into the passenger door. "Oh, shit!" I said to myself, as I tried to retrieve it from the dark floor.

  Once I located it, I placed it a little more carefully into my purse and then focused on the dark, roiling clouds. I had no one. Edwin had a girlfriend. Cam had Pheobe. And I was all alone.

  As if the strange weather wasn't any indication of how my life was going, I glared at the stop light up the street as it flashed red. Somehow it felt like a sign. My life had come to an abrupt stop, and I was no better off now than I was over a year ago with Edwin.

  Swiping away the tears, I told myself I couldn’t keep hiding from reality. Enough blubbering like a fool; it was time to get back to reality. Edwin has a girlfriend? So what. It's my house too. I needed to feel the comfort that only my own bed could offer me.

  Settling my mind, I slammed my car back into drive and hit the gas with a heavy foot. My tires spun around until they finally made contact with the wet pavement and took me as fast as they could back to my house. My house.

  I was surprised to find no cherry red car in my driveway when I pulled in. It was bad enough I would have to face Edwin and his pity party, I certainly didn't want to hear it in front of his new girlfriend. Finding my nerve, I decided to deal with all of my problems at once.

  I pulled out my smart phone and set it to voice dial. "Call Cameron Clarke," I said, then cleared my scratchy voice. I can do this.

  I pressed the speaker button and stared at the photo that would haunt my dreams this night and every night for the next lifetime. I tried to find comfort in the ring. One. Two. Three. What the hell was taking him so long? It didn't help that scary shadows flickered around the yard with every flash of freak lightening. My eyes darted around the car, then I clicked the lock button on my door.

  When Cam finally answered the phone, a loud crack of thunder startled me and I watched the hydro flash out in my house. "Hello?" he repeated.

  Still choking on my lack of air, I struggled to find the right words. The lights in the house flickered back on and gave me the courage to speak. "Cam, it's me."

  "Abby? Oh, thank God. I was worried about you."

  I ignored his bogus
concern. Like I’d believe that after he ripped me a new one. "What did you want, Cam?"

  He cleared his own throat. "I meant to tell you this earlier, but we got a little sidetracked."

  "What is it?" I asked, without inflection. That you’re a total ass for breaking my heart and then stomping on it?

  "I've been thinking about opening my own practice. It was a long-term goal of mine, but after what Owen did, I’ve decided to put my plan into action sooner. Like now."

  The storm forged on, while one brewed itself in my mind. “Hmm,” I responded, indifferently. How can he care about that at a time like this?

  Cam continued. "I've always wanted to be my own boss. What better time than now?"

  Really? "You're definitely assertive enough to go it alone," I said, keeping all emotion at bay. This had nothing to do with me after all.

  "I can definitely handle it on my own, but I think you would prove to be a valuable asset to me."

  Is he kidding? I could barely stand to talk to him through the phone. He broke my heart. Oh, but I still loved him, no matter how hard I tried not to. "You know I can't do that to Owen. He's been good to me all these years." And I didn’t care what he thought about that.

  "A little too good, if you ask me,” Cam mumbled.

  I knew exactly what to say to make this conversation end and I had to say it, even if it was rude at best. "What is your policy going to be for maternity leave?"

  His sharp intake of breath was enough to stab me in the gut. He did care.

  "You're still on that?" he asked, when he knew damn well that I was.

  "Cam, I will always be on that." I watched the lights in the house flash off, one after the other. Edwin must have been heading upstairs. What a relief that was.

  "You don't love me anymore?" Cam asked, snapping me back into the here and now.

  Yes, I love you, dammit! Why can't you get that into your thick skull? "It's not about that, Cam. Children are my reason for living."

  His sigh of disappointment was heart wrenching and the gaping hole in my heart seemed to ooze a cold, petrifying liquid into my chest cavity.

  "You need to hear it? I'll tell you again. There is no doubt in my mind that I am utterly and completely in love with you, Cam. But…"

  "But?" he snapped. “I delivered up my heart to you on a silver platter and you can't just give it to me straight? You’re either in love with me or you're not. There’s nothing in between. So, what's it going to be?"

  Another crack of thunder boomed, and it sounded as intense as Cam’s voice. "Don't misunderstand me. I do love you. More than you can imagine…" I admitted.

  "But," he inserted, rudely.

  "But I don't see how we can move forward together when we can't agree on the same future. I want a family."

  "And I have a family," he replied.

  "This is one matter I can't budge on, Cam. I'm sorry."

  "It doesn't have to be this way," he said, making my heart shatter into a million pieces. "We could have such an amazing life together."

  "We could, if you would give me a family.” I was holding my breath to stop the onslaught of sobbing, knowing what his answer to that would be.

  “Not happening.”

  I swallowed back my emotion. "Please tell Pheobe I love her." I sniffled on an intake of breath.

  "Don't think this isn't hurting me too," Cam said, acknowledging my emotion. "You took my heart with you when you left tonight."

  I was glad I didn't have to respond because the call ended. Cam either hung up or the hydro killed his line. I would never know. Either way it was over.

  I wiped my nose with my sleeve, slipped my keys out of the ignition and prepared myself for a fast entry. I ran up to my dark house and the wind whipped my hair in my face. I couldn't tell whether we had hydro or not, but I didn’t care. I quietly opened the door and snuck inside. When I kicked my shoes off, they hit the closet door in the entrance making a loud clunking noise.

  "Shit!" I whispered to myself, desperate not to attract Edwin’s attention.

  The house creaked from the storm as I tiptoed upstairs. Only two more steps and I was home free. But the dangling lights flickered on and a bright, white light blinded me. I crouched on the stairs, feeling like a substandard criminal.

  Edwin cleared his throat, but his voice stayed low. "I'm sorry, but I have to ask. Why are you sneaking around your own house?"

  I straightened myself up and spun around to find Edwin standing at the base of the stairs, his finger still on the light switch. "I didn’t want to bother you," I whispered.

  He started up the stairs, then paused. "Why are you whispering?" he whispered back. "We're the only ones here."

  I wasn't at all creeped out by the fact that Edwin had been sitting in the dark, stalking me as I entered the door, and I certainly shouldn't have felt relieved. But I did. I cleared the rasp from my throat, but my voice was still scratchy. "I thought you might have had company.”

  “I sent her home. It looks like your night went about as good as mine."

  I tried to hide my depression, but I was a mess and not capable of concealing my mental anguish. I inhaled a shaky, exaggerated breath. "Could my night get any worse? Not likely,” I admitted. “What happened to your date?" Not that I cared. I just had to say something to take the conversation off of me.

  I should have been bolting to my room to be alone, but my feet didn't move. And that was because I didn't tell them to.

  "It was hardly a date. It was more like a favour,” Edwin said. “Hunter suggested I have her over for a movie night and, since I owed him one, like a chump, I agreed. Turns out she only wanted me for my pimp juice, so I sent her packing."

  While I knew Edwin was only trying to be funny, it only upset me more. That was the very reason why Cam and I couldn't be together. My brain shut down and I broke down from the pain in my heart. I fell to my knees in the stairwell, and tears spilled down my face.

  Edwin raced up the stairs and looped his arms around me, to keep me from falling. I closed my eyes and hung my head low, unable to lift it back up. Any reserves that I had been running on were depleted and I was even having difficulty breathing. Edwin lifted me into his arms and heroically carried me to my bedroom. He lowered me to my bed, but didn't let me go.

  I gasped for air and it finally reached my scorching lungs. As my breathing steadied I opened my eyes and found Edwin staring back at me.

  "You'll be okay," he said, contradicting his own facial expressions.

  "Eventually," I whispered, feeling completely spent. I closed my eyes again, glad that Edwin never let me go.

  He leaned against the headboard and gathered me into his strong arms, hushing me after a long stretch of hitched breaths.

  "If you ask me, you're crying for the wrong reasons."

  I lifted my head and narrowed my red eyes at him. "I didn't ask you."

  Edwin smirked. "I'm going to tell you anyway." He paused, until he had my attention. "If you want to cry, then it should be for wasting your time with Cam in the first place."

  I covered my head with my arms and rolled out of Edwin's grip. "You don't think I already came up with that one myself?" I stared at the wall and the tears started to settle down, the fog slowly lifting from my head, but not budging from my heart.

  Edwin didn't say a word, but neither did he move. Why must he hang around for this?

  I rolled to face him and squinted my tear-ridden eyes. "Please tell me why you're being so nice to me."

  Edwin smiled. "I can't be mean to you, Abs. Especially not when you're like this."

  "Like what: a royal disaster? Go on, you can say it."

  His mouth widened, and it was the beginning of a warm, handsome smile. "I won't say that, but I will tell you something you taught me last year. Sometimes following your own heart means breaking someone else's."

  My eyes trailed to the ceiling, but my brain wasn't working. "Are you going to tell me what that's supposed to mean?"

  Edwin
chuckled. "I just mean that what's best for you now, doesn’t seem to be best for Cam. Neither of you like it, but that’s not to say that you won’t admit later that it was for the best."

  "Lately I feel like I'm waiting for something that'll never happen."

  Edwin cupped my chin, sending a frisson of awareness through my frazzled senses. "You did what you had to do. You stayed true to yourself." He pulled his hand away and sighed, but it didn't stop him from talking. “If he truly wants you, nothing will keep him away."

  "I wasn't thinking only about Cam," I whispered, and fluttered my lashes shut to hide from his thoughtful gaze.

  Edwin spoke softly now and gently pressed his hand over my heart. "Then maybe you should stop thinking so much and start following what’s in here."

  I held my eyes firmly shut, and I didn't know what was happening when Edwin gently lifted my chin, until his soft, careful lips brushed across mine.

  My eyes popped open, from confusion and shock. I squinted at Edwin to assess his angle and found that all humour had left his expression.

  “I know. I’m a bad person,” Edwin admitted. “It's wrong to take advantage of you like that."

  Heat crept up my cheeks and I turned away, my lips still tingling from his soft touch. There was a light knock at the door and Edwin rolled of the bed to answer it, leaving me wondering why there were a whole crew of butterflies mingling in my stomach.

  Edwin left the room, just as our impatient guest started pounding on our front door. "Apparently they don't know how to use a doorbell," Edwin called back to me, as he shuffled down the stairs. The doorbell sounded, as if summoned by him. Repeatedly.

  As Edwin leapt off of the last stair, the person jiggled the door knob. "I'm coming," Edwin hollered.

  Curious to see who it was, I quickly got up from my bed. I felt a little dizzy, but I stumbled out of my room before steadying myself on the hall railing.