Chapter 8: The Truth in the Envelope

I waited until closing time before opening the photograph again.

The shop was quiet, the last customer long gone.

Outside, Santa Barbara had settled into a soft evening haze.

I locked the front door, turned the sign to CLOSED, and sat behind the counter.

Then I unfolded the letter.

“Sofia's father was never in the condition she claimed.”

My fingers tightened around the paper.

“His accident was serious, but he was recovering. The doctors never said marriage was necessary for his treatment or his financial situation.”

I read the next sentence slowly.

“Sofia told me she would lose everything if she didn't marry me.”

A bitter laugh escaped me.

So that had been the reason.

Not a dying father.

Not some impossible debt.

Not a sacrifice.

A lie.

I kept reading.

“After the wedding, I discovered the truth. Her father had already received financial assistance from another source.”

“I confronted her.”

“She admitted she had exaggerated everything because she knew I would never marry her otherwise.”

I stared at the final line.

“I filed for divorce.”

The letter slipped from my hands.

For a few minutes, I couldn't move.

Zane had divorced Sofia.

He had actually done it.

But somehow, that didn't make me feel better.

I had spent months rebuilding my life while he was dealing with the consequences of a marriage he had chosen.

My phone suddenly rang.

I nearly dropped it.

The number was unfamiliar.

“Hello?”

There was silence on the other end.

Then a man's voice said, “Elara?”

I froze.

I knew that voice.

“Connor?”

He exhaled sharply.

“Thank God.”

I leaned against the counter.

“How did you get this number?”

“Your mother gave it to me months ago.”

I closed my eyes.

Of course she had.

“Why are you calling?”

Connor was quiet for a moment.

“Because I think you need to know what happened after you left.”

I didn't answer.

“Zane didn't just divorce Sofia,” he continued.

“He resigned from the unit.”

My eyes opened.

“What?”

“He requested a transfer and then left active duty.”

I stared at the darkened shop window.

“Why?”

Connor's voice softened.

“Because he thought losing you was worse than losing his career.”

I shook my head.

“That's not my responsibility.”

“I know.”

“And I don't want it to be.”

“I know that too.”

There was another pause.

Then Connor said something that made my stomach tighten.

“But there's one more thing.”

“What?”

“Sofia didn't just lie about her father's condition.”

My heart sank.

“She lied about something else.”

I waited.

“She told Zane you had known about the marriage for months.”

I went completely still.

“She told him you approved of it.”

My throat tightened.

“That's impossible.”

“I know.”

Connor's voice became serious.

“But Zane believed her.”

I looked down at the letter on the counter.

Suddenly, everything felt different.

Zane had thought I knew.

He had thought I had accepted it.

And I had thought he simply didn't care.

Neither of us had known the whole truth.

I whispered, “Why are you telling me this now?”

Connor answered quietly.

“Because he's coming to Santa Barbara.”

My blood ran cold.

“Why?”

“He wants to see you.”

I closed my eyes.

Five years of loving Zane.

One day of losing him.

Months of learning how to live without him.

And now he was coming back.

I had no idea whether I was ready to see the man I had spent so long trying to forget.