Hidden Truths (Violet Chain Book 2) (24 page)

With Harrison I learned to love him as a young girl, my first everything. Harrison was more like a high school relationship, a person that you stayed with regardless of what you wanted, only because you were together so long. I would never have left Harrison if he had not cheated and looking back now, I probably would have lived a miserable existence. Because he wasn’t my true love, Chain was.

Chain was compassionate and emotional and was never afraid to show me his real feelings. We shared a bond and emotional tie that could never be broken. We were soulmates even if he wanted to deny it. And he did deny it. He denied it completely when he left me. Now I had to learn to live and try to repair the hole in my heart and get on with my life.

My cell rang and I lifted it from the nightstand.

“Hello,” I answered.

“Hey, it’s Callie. David and I were going to go out to get something to eat and were wondering if you wanted to come along.”

“I really don’t feel like going out tonight, Callie, but thanks for asking.”

She completely ignored my comment and said, “We will be by in about twenty minutes so be ready.” I wanted to fight her, to tell her no, but I didn’t.

“Okay, I’ll be ready.”

We went to a small Italian restaurant/bar outside of Philadelphia. David said they served the best lasagna in the state.

We sat at a round table for four and ordered. I glanced around and saw a band setting up. I ordered a vodka and cranberry and a small plate of spaghetti. We sat around talking and I barely ate my supper, but continued to order vodka and cranberries. Within a few hours I was pretty hammered.

“Violet, you really should eat something,” David said to me worriedly.

“I’m fine.” I stood up, swaying slightly. “I have to go to the restroom.” Callie went to stand and I held my hand up. “I am okay, Callie, it’s right over there, I will be fine.” I turned and stumbled off.

I stared in the mirror and a shroud of depression fell over me. In my drunken stupor all I could think about was Chain. I closed my eyes, trying to wish him out of my head, but he was still there. Chain. I turned the faucet on and tried to splash cold water on my face to wake myself up. I was dreaming, in a nightmare, but my head was still swirling with one thought. Chain. I rubbed my head, trying to think of anything, everything, but my mind kept going back to him. Chain. I grabbed my purse, slung it over my shoulder and stumbled out of the bathroom. My head was dizzy as the door closed and I fell against the wall, my thoughts still whirling. Chain. I closed my eyes, trying to catch my breath and calm my pounding heart.

“Miss, are you alright?” a voice enquired. I slowly opened my eyes to see him standing there in front of me—Chain. I lunged at him, smashing my lips to his. His arm curled around my waist as he pulled me against his chest. The touch of him lifted away the pain, the loneliness, replacing it with comfort only he could give me. Chain.

I felt my body being ripped from him. “What the fuck are you doing?” I turned to see David glaring past me.

“She came on to me,” a voice responded. I turned to see a man with dark hair and eyes glaring back at David. Then I realized the man I had kissed was not Chain at all. It was a stranger. Embarrassed and humiliated, I ran out of the restaurant.

“Violet,” David bellowed close behind me. I ran into the parking lot and collapsed against the wall.

David reached for me and I held my hands in the air. “Please, David, leave me alone.”

“Are you alright?” David queried. I looked up at him.

“No, David, I’m not. I can’t sleep, eat or breathe without thinking about him. The more I try to forget about him, the more he surrounds me.”

“I know, Violet, I understand.”

Tears welled up in my eyes. “Do you, David? Do you know what it’s like to love someone who doesn’t love you back? What did I do to deserve this?”

“Nothing.”

The tears streamed down my face freely and I began to sob hard. “Why?” My body began to shake and my knees weakened and I fell to the ground. I placed my face in my hands and screamed, “Why!” Arms wrapped around me.

“I don’t know, Violet. I wish I could tell you something, something to help you stop hurting, but I have no answers.” David helped me up. “Let’s get you home.” I nodded as he curled his arm around me and walked me to the car.

Chapter 8.0 – Chain

Sitting at my desk, I did what I did every second I breathed: thought of Violet. I wondered how she was, if she missed me as I missed her. It’s funny how love works—it was amazing when you were together, but apart it was like a curse that haunted you every day, reminding you of what you had lost.

I was talking on the phone when my office door burst open and Callie stormed in. “I want to talk to you, Chain Alexander, now!” she shouted. I was shocked by Callie’s entrance. I believe I hung the phone up without even saying goodbye.

“What would you like to talk about?” I queried.

I could see vengeance and hate in her eyes as she drew closer. “Do you have any clue what you did to Violet? How badly you hurt her?”

“Yes,” I answered softly.

“Why? Why did you do it?”

“Callie, I have nothing but respect for you, you are after all David’s wife, but my personal life is my business and I would like to keep it that way.” She completely ignored my words.

“What kind of person tells a woman he loves her, then dumps her without any reason? You know that is what is killing her. Not knowing why the man she loved left her.”

“Like I said—” She rudely interrupted.

“Cut the bullshit, Alexander. I know the truth. You used her and when she got too close, you let her go. David already told me. I have seen your type before plenty of times. But I’m here to tell you this. You stay away from her and me. I do not want you near my home and if it was possible, I would keep you away from David, because you make me sick. You are a devious man who used an innocent woman to get what he wanted, then tossed her aside like garbage,” she screamed. Callie’s words hurt me, because they were far from the truth.

She had every right to be angry. I would be the same way if she had treated David the way I had treated Violet. But as selfish as this might sound, when she mentioned her not wanting me around David, it made me nervous. He was all I had, I couldn’t lose him.

“Callie, what happened between Violet and me doesn’t have anything to do with David.”

“Are you kidding me? David is my husband, we vowed to be together for life, so we are a package deal. Do you think I want him or me around a man like you? A man who used my best friend—” She choked on the words and I could see tears rolling down her cheeks. Shit, I hurt her too. When was I going to stop hurting people? I stood up and approached her. “Callie, please don’t get upset.” I reached for her and she held her hands up. “Don’t touch me.” I stepped back as she wiped the tears from her face. “Stay away from us, Chain Alexander.” Then as quickly as she had floated in, she left.
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David called off work the next few days, stating he was ill. I didn’t believe it for one minute. I think between what I had done to Violet and his wife giving me the riot act, he was staying clear of me. He was embarrassed, embarrassed to call me his friend, and he had every right to feel that way. I was embarrassed of myself. I had let him down, Callie down, Violet down and myself down. If I could change it I would. But I couldn’t.

After a morning meeting, I made my way back to my office and sat down at my desk to sign some paperwork for the Minneapolis mall. We had finally received the permits and the building had resumed. This should have been the happiest day of my life, but it wasn’t. I was numb and felt empty inside. My life no longer had any meaning without Violet in it.

My office door flew opened and David walked in.

I gave him a light smile. “Are you feeling better?”

He stood in front of my desk, hands on his hips and he exhaled. “I wasn’t sick.”

“I know.” He sat down on the couch and crossed his legs. I stood up and walked over, sitting next to him.

He tilted his head to look at me. “I need you to tell me why you broke things off with Violet.”

“I told you before, it was to protect her.”

“From what?”

“David, I told you, I really don’t want to—” David raised his hand, silencing me.

“We have been friends for a long time. You are like a brother to me, Chain. You can trust me, now please tell me. I am begging you on our friendship. Why did you break things off with Violet?” His eyes were stone cold and I knew if I didn’t tell him something, he would probably never talk to me again.

“I made a mistake, David, and it has come back to haunt me. A mistake that has put Violet in danger.”

“Danger? From what?” I wanted to tell him but the words wouldn’t come from my lips. He stood up and paced for a minute, then leaned against my desk. “Or should I say who?” His comment shocked me. Why would he say who? Did he know something I didn’t?

“Chain, after I left you the other day, I did a little researching and I know why you dumped Violet.”

“How?”

“I talked to someone who knows the situation quite well.”

“Who?”

He smiled, holding up his finger. “One minute,” he said mysteriously, then scurried away and walked out of my office door. He came back a few minutes later, a man following behind him, a man I knew very well—my dad.

I stood up angrily. “What the hell are you doing here?”

“David asked me to come,” my father mumbled. I noticed that he had aged in the years we had been apart, his hair a lot grayer than I remembered and the lines on his face more visible.

I sneered as I threw a quick gaze at David. “Why would you do something like that?”

“Why? Because I didn’t want to watch you throw your life away. You need to face this, Chain, you need to put this to rest.”

I walked behind my desk, picking up a pen, then slamming it back down. “You should have minded your own business, David…this is so wrong on so many levels!”

“Mind my own business? Do you think I can sit here and watch my best friend—no, my brother—ruin his life? You are out of your fucking mind. I did what I felt needed to be done and I don’t regret it one bit,” he retorted.

My body stiffened as I felt a hand on my shoulder. I turned to see my father standing beside me. “I forgive you.” My ears buzzed, not believing the words he had said.

“What?”

He placed his hands on my shoulders, turning me to face him, and smiled. “I forgive you, son, I forgive you.”

My heart sank. Guilt and hurt surrounded me all at once and tears began to flood down my face like a broken water faucet. Those three words, those three words gutted me. My dad pulled me into an embrace. “It’s okay, Sean, it’s okay.” I wanted to push him away, to make him disappear, but instead my hands gripped his back as I buried my face in the curve of his shoulder. “I’m sorry, I’m so fucking sorry.”

He held me tight and it comforted me to have my father holding me again.

“I know, son. Everything is going to be alright, we will work it out, I promise.” And I believed him. He was my dad and he always made everything better.

Chapter 8.5 – Violet

It was Friday and I had made plans with Callie and David to go to an opera that was playing in town. Actually, Callie was forcing me to go. She felt in order for me to get over Chain, I needed to get out and enjoy myself. Being a third wheel to a couple was not my idea of fun, but I played along.

I stared out the window as we drove along the cliff by the lake. David turned suddenly and parked in a spot.

I sat straight up. “Why are we here?”

Callie leaned over her seat. “David and I wanted to take some pics on the beach, do you want to come?”

I shook my head. “No, I’ll stay right here.”

“Okay, suit yourself,” Callie said before opening the door and stepping out.

I waited…and waited…and waited. I glanced down at the time on my cell and realized we had just fifteen minutes till the opera started. Perhaps Callie had lost track of time. She did love to take pics, so I could see that happening. I slipped out of the car and made my way down the steps to the beach to find Callie and David. The wind blew across my face and I smiled as I closed my eyes, embracing the soft flutter against my face.

“Violet,” a voice mumbled behind me.

I froze.

My heart began to race.

His smell lingered in the air and tears burned my eyes as that familiar aching filled my heart. I didn’t want to see him. I wanted to disappear. I wanted him to go away. Please let this be a dream. Please let this be a dream.

I felt the warmth of his breath against my neck. “I missed you—so much,” he mumbled as he pressed his face against my hair. My body stiffened and I took two steps forward, but felt his arm wrap around my waist as he pulled my back into his chest. “No,” he mumbled against the skin of my neck.

“Please, Chain, don’t do this.” He whipped me around to face him and I saw the tears falling down his face. His emotions ignited mine and I lost all control. I couldn’t say how it happened, if it was that I fell or if it was that Chain fell with me. All I knew was that when my senses returned, I was curled up in his lap and my face was buried in his chest. He placed kisses across my head. “It’s okay, baby, it’s okay.” But it wasn’t okay. He betrayed me, destroyed me, hurt me. When the sobbing calmed to a five instead of a ten, I pulled away from Chain and attempted to stand up, but he pulled me back down.