Chapter 23
Caleb stepped into the Norwood residence where Lena was curled up on the couch watching TV. “You’re back?” she asked, glancing up.
Robert looked over too. “Caleb’s home?”
Caleb nodded and handed Lena a small box. “Grabbed some cake from that bakery you love.”
Lena then hesitated before softly asking, “How’s he doing?”
Caleb paused. “He’s fine. He just keeps asking for you.”
Robert snorted. “He’s got some nerve thinking he deserves to see Lena. Saving her was the least he could do.”
His bluntness earned laughs from Caleb and Lena.
Despite that, Caleb’s heart wavered. He had a quiet fear that Lena might still have feelings for Micah after he took a knife for her.
Still, he left that decision to her and asked, “Do you want to visit him?”
After a moment’s thought, Lena nodded.
Caleb’s heart sank, though he masked it.
Robert, assuming she was wavering, snorted again. “You’re still thinking about him? After everything he did?” His voice carried a trace of frustration, as if he was disappointed in her.
Lena quickly realized that they’d misunderstood her and rushed to explain herself. “You got it wrong. I don’t love him anymore, but we need closure.”
She exhaled and said in a steady voice, “He thinks I’ll forgive him because he saved me. If I avoid him, he’ll cling to that delusion forever. Who knows what he’ll do next?”
She slipped her arm through Caleb’s. “I’m with you now. No one else is in my heart.”
The next day, Caleb drove Lena to the hospital.
Micah had been certain his sacrifice would win her back. But after Lena’s words the night before, Caleb knew only she could shatter Micah’s illusion for good.
Micah’s face brightened when Lena entered. But very quickly, he winced and clutched his wound, sinking back onto the bed. “Leña, you came,” he said, his voice deliberately weak, fishing for sympathy. “I’m so glad.”
Lena’s heart didn’t soften. She dragged the chair farthest from his bed and sat down on it. “You wanted to see me. What do you have to say?”
Micah glanced at Caleb who stood nearby. “Can we talk alone?” he asked.
Lena looked to Caleb. He nodded and said, “I’ll be outside. Call if you need me.”
Once Caleb left, Micah reached for Lena’s hand.
But she pulled back. “If you’ve got nothing to say, I’m leaving.”
Pain flickered in Micah’s eyes. “Lena, can’t you forgive me?”
Lena avoided his gaze and said, “I’m grateful you saved me, Micah, but that doesn’t change things. I’ve told you countless times–we’re done.”
Micah leaned forward, desperate. “We had something real, didn’t we?”
Lena’s eyes stayed fixed elsewhere. “Yes, we did. I’d loved you once, deeply. But that’s over.
“You’re eight years older than me, Micah. When we were together, were you building a future with me or chasing Laris‘ shadow? When I told you I was pregnant, and you picked a name for our child, were you thinking of us or her?”
She paused, her voice sharpening as she continued, “Every time you lied, every time you slipped away to Laris while I carried your child, were you thinking of our love or your old flame? How dare you speak of love? If you’d felt even a shred of it, you wouldn’t have betrayed me while I was pregnant.”
Micah sat speechless, his throat tight. Finally, he managed to say, “Lena, I was wrong. Please, forgive me.”
The mention of their child brought tears to Lena’s eyes. Micah reached to wipe them away, but she leaned back. “We’re done, Micah. Completely done.”
Her voice was steady, though it carried a sense of grief. “If you ever cared for me, I’m begging you–let me go. Your love is too burdensome. I can’t bear to carry it.”
Micah’s hand lingered in the air for a moment before dropping back down.
After a long silence, he sighed. “I’m sorry, Lena. You should go.”
