“That’s not what—”
I slam the papers onto the table. “What was this weekend, Maren? Just one more weekend where I fuck your brains out before you end it all? A chance to get what you need before you walk away as though you’re the victim?”
“Oliver, wait, I’m doing this for us.”
I laugh because that’s the most ridiculous fucking thing I’ve ever heard. “Spare me. I have the goddamn paperwork in my hands.” I scan the document and shake my head. “On grounds of false pretenses. Well, isn’t that sweet? I tricked you into this now?”
“No, of course not,” Maren says quickly. “The lawyer and I agreed . . .”
“I don’t fucking agree!” I yell and get to my feet. “I can’t believe this. I can’t fucking believe this!” I run my fingers through my hair. I must be the biggest idiot who has ever lived. Here I was, ready to tell her that I needed her, that I was falling apart, and all the while, she was planning on leaving.
I grab the envelope, head into her room, and start to throw my shit into my bag. Fuck this. I’m not going to stand here and listen to this crap. I have enough on my mind, and this annulment is the last thing I need.
No, I need to go and get my chemotherapy, go back to my fucking miserably lonely life, and be the second choice that no one even wants.
“Oliver, stop,” Maren says as I sweep the room, grabbing whatever is lying out.
“For what?”
She goes to touch my chest, but I move away. “Listen to me, please.”
“You know what? I won’t. I won’t listen to another speech about how I’m a great guy but you want something else.”
I’ve already heard this story.
“I want to be with you.”
“So much that you want an annulment?”
“Yes! Don’t you see? I don’t want to be married because we can date.”
“That makes no sense. I came here because I needed you. I . . .”
“I love you,” she says quickly, causing me to rock back on my heels. If she loves me, then what the hell is the annulment for? No, she doesn’t love me. She’s grieving and has found a way out that will make her look good. Now, she can tell her family that I somehow tricked her into a marriage and she walked away.
She probably came back here, talked to the first Oliver, and has a plan to make it work with him. Just like every other woman I’ve loved.
Always good but never good enough.
I laugh once. “You don’t know what love is.”
She rears back. “I do know what love is, and I love you.”
She’s unreal. “You don’t. You orchestrated lies. You lied to yourself about the first guy. You’re lying again about me. Well, I’m done lying and going along with your insane plans that only hurt people.”
Her breath catches, and she steps back.
“I knew it was a bad idea when you showed up at my resort, asking me to go along with your insane plan. I said no, but then I felt bad, thinking how hard it must be to love someone and lose them the way you were. Against my better judgment, I went along with it, but I always wondered . . .”
Her eyes fill with fake tears. “Wondered what?”
“How you could have feelings for me so quickly. You didn’t love the first Oliver, yet you were going to marry him. You didn’t love me, and you actually did marry me. Now you want to say you love me enough to end the marriage?” I shake my head in disgust at myself. I knew better, and yet, here I am, the fucking fool who thought she was capable of being in a relationship after her last attempt. I came here, ready to tell her I’m sick and needed her. Thank God I didn’t make that mistake. I toss the rest of my shit into my bag and tuck the annulment papers under my arm. “You can spare me whatever excuse you have. You got everything you wanted—your job, your family farm, and the happiness of your family.”
“Please stop,” she begs quietly with tears running down her cheeks. “I’m not a liar and I’m not trying to hurt you. I was trying to fix this!”
“I won’t listen to another woman feed me the bullshit lies. I’ve heard it twice before, and I’m not in the mood to hear it again.”
I walk out of her room and throw the door open. “Oliver, wait!”
I don’t. I just get into my car and leave.
It’s time to go back to my home.
Back to my life.
Back to my family.
Back to being alone, which is exactly how it should’ve been.
Fuck love. Fuck cancer. Fuck it all.
I drive through the night and pull into the resort a mess. I’m exhausted and hollow.
Jack and Stella are walking toward the main entrance, smiling as she holds his hand. The people in this town are going to make me sick. I’m happy for my siblings, but I really don’t want to be reminded of all I just lost.
I exit the car and head inside. At least my job makes sense. Today is an owners’ meeting I had planned to skip, but . . . here I am.
When I enter, Grayson and Josh study me, look to each other, and then back to me. “What?” I snap.
Josh clears his throat. “Nothing, just surprised to see you.”
“You all right, man?” Grayson asks.
“Do I look all right?”
“You kind of look insane,” Josh answers.
Stella’s voice comes from behind. “Who looks insane?” Our eyes meet, and she nods. “Oh, he does. Why are you here? I thought you were having a romantic weekend with your wife?”
No time like the present and no patience left to give a shit.
“Maren and I are getting our marriage annulled, and I have Stage I Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. I start treatment on Friday, and they’re hoping for a full recovery.”
Stella’s mouth falls open before she covers it with her hands. “What?”
“I have cancer.”
Jack’s arm goes around her shoulders. “You saw a doctor?” he asks.
Grayson and Josh are on their feet. Questions come in rapid fire from all four of them.
“When did you find out?”
“Why didn’t you tell us?”
“Did you get a second opinion?”
Stella moves toward me. “Who is taking care of you?”
“Where is treatment?”
“How long?”
Stella wraps her arms around me. She lets go, tears swimming in her eyes. “Maren left you because of this?”
I put my hand up, not willing to listen to this anymore. “I found out when I was in Georgia. I didn’t tell you because I didn’t know anything. It’s Hodgkin’s Lymphoma and in a lymph node in my groin. I’m very, very early in detection, which means I won’t have an overly complicated treatment plan. The oncologist is in Charlotte, so that’s where I’ll be going through treatment. I should need two rounds of chemo, and then they’ll do a PET scan to see if I need more or if they need to remove the lymph node.” I turn to my sister. “As for taking care of me, I’ll do it on my own, which is how it’s meant to be, and no, she didn’t leave me because of it. She doesn’t know.”
“You didn’t tell her? Seriously?”
“No, Stella, I didn’t tell her because right before I was going to, she gave me annulment paperwork. I really didn’t feel inclined to say anything about my current situation given she was ending things.”