Risking Fate (26 page)
I ran to the bathroom and threw up. Everything about our love was a lie. How could that be? How could he do this? Why didn’t anyone see this coming?
My babies.
My daughter.
He was such a good dad to Bella. How could he have been living this secret life?
I wanted to say the photos were doctored, to give him the benefit of the doubt, but as I looked at them over and over again, I knew they were very real.
Before I knew what was happening, I started packing bags. It was two in the afternoon so I need
ed
to hurry. I popped the trunk and started filling it with mine and Bella’s clothes, as well as enough
clothes
and baby items for the boys.
Oh my God, I am having his twins. Their father is
a
liar.
When I had the car
jam-packed
, I went back into the house. My cell phone
w
as still on the bedside table, so I went in to retrieve it. I stopped and looked at my bed and around my room. So many beautiful memories were made in this room. How could they have all been lies? I felt our connection, the
way he loved me like nobody ever
had before.
They couldn’t be lies.
My heart shattered in a million pieces and I collapsed onto the bed
. I let the
crying overwhelm me and soon I found it had been a
hour’s
time I lost. Without wasting another second, I walked into the kitchen and wrote a note.
It was hard to write the words; to finalize a relationship that I thought would last for the rest of our lives. As I cried through each one of them, the emotions rolled through me. I was hurt and I was lost. He’d betrayed me and that was the one thing I could never forgive. There was no way to get back what we’d had. We were over.
The ride to Bella’s school was full of more tears, but I got myself together enough to go in and sign her out
early. Her father
would go there to pick her
up
, but we’d already be long gone. I had a whole hour
on him and he wouldn’t catch me. Once I was back at the ranch, Colt would keep us safe.
Ty was
a
fighter. He wasn’t just going to let me and the kids walk out of his life. He was going to make this ugly and as much as I was suffering, I knew it was going to kill Bella.
We no sooner got in the car, when she started asking questions. “Mommy, how c
ome I had to leave school early?
You know I have art in the afternoons and I didn’t get to finish my picture.”
“I’m sorry baby. I planned a surprise visit to see Noah.”
I could tell from the tone of her voice that she wasn’t mad at me anymore, at least not at the moment. “Really? Are we picking Daddy up next?”
I didn’t look in the rearview mirror, on account of her seeing the tears pouring down my face. “Daddy isn’t comin’ this time, Sweetie.”
“Well, can I call him to tell him I love him and I will miss him?”
“Why don’t you wait until he’s off of work. You know
Daddy leaves his phone in the J
eep.” I wonder if that was really the truth. Maybe he had a sepa
rate phone that he used to make
booty
calls,
maybe there were other girls like Heather.
The more I thought about Ty touching another woman, the more I couldn’t see to drive. I had to calm myself down. I had other lives to think about. My phone was ringing, so I p
ulled over and lied to Conner, saying
that I just ran out to go to the store. He bought
it
and hung up without
letting him
ask
any more
questions. I was afraid he had seen the pictures, but he must have just seen me pulling out of the farm.
The farm was my home. It’s where I wanted to raise my children. It hurt to know that I was never going to go back there again. What was I going to tell my daughter. I couldn’t keep her from Ty, even if I wanted to. She would hate me for it.
He may have done me wrong, but he never failed that little girl. Ty was a good father.
What was I going to do?
“Mommy, why are you crying?”
“It’s nothing. I’m just having one of my pregnant moments. You know it happens sometimes.”
Bella didn’t believe me. “Are you sad about something?”
“I’ll be fine. I just miss my mother, I think.” That was lame. I needed to be more creative. The questions were never going to end.
“Well, I already miss my Daddy. Why can’t he come with us? Who’s going to tuck me in?”
“Sweetie, Daddy couldn’t come this time. I will tuck you in. You’ll be fine.”
I heard her starting to cry and it was like I was being stabbed a million times. I pulled the car over again and turned to look at my daughter. “Bella, why are you crying?”
“I want my Daddy.” Of course, she wanted him. Whenever I got upset, he would take her and keep her mind off of things. This was her natural reaction.
I was too big to turn all the way around, so I reached my hand to touch her leg. “Bella, I promise that I will tuck you in and keep you safe. Everything will be okay.”
I was lying to my child. It was never going to
be
okay. She was not going to be okay with being so many hours away from the only father she ever knew.
She continued to cry in the backseat. “Please let me call him.”
“My phone is dead. We can call when we get there.” I lied. I didn’t know what to do. I hadn’t taken the time to figure out what to say or what I was doing, I just left.
What was the family going to say when they found out? What were they going to do to Ty?
They’d never forgive him for this.
His family would sever ties and never speak.
Why had he done this to us?
To our children?
How could he choose his dick over his family?
Why did Heather choose today to show up and ruin my life? Did she get off on making me suffer? Did Ty say he wanted her? Was this his plan to get rid of me?
I hate him!
Chapter 18
Ty
My day at work was busy as shit. As much as I wanted to call and check in on Miranda, I never even got to break for lunch. By the time I clocked out, I
had ten minutes to get to Iz
zy’s school. As I hopped in my J
eep, I grabbed my phone and dialed Miranda.
It rang three times and went to voicemail, so I hung up and called again, only to get the same result. Since Miranda was all I could think about all day, I decided to leave her a special message. Sometimes she took weeks to listen to them, so she would really get a kick out of it.
Hey, Baby, it’s me, your totally awesome, madly in love, husband. I was calling to hear you
r
pretty voice and your southern twang, but got your voicemail instead. Miranda, I love you so much. I can’t even explain how happy you make me. You’ve given me more than I could have ever asked for. There isn’t a second out of the day, where I am not grateful for the life we have.
I love you with all of
my h
eart. I love the family we’ve made and look forward to our beautiful future together.
Can’t you just see it? Can’t you see us with gray hair, sitting at those late night football games. I’ll be the dad with one eye on my football playing sons, and the other on our daughter, who if she looks
anything like you, I will need to carry a gun to fight
off all of those horny teenage boys
.
God, I am so glad I have you, Baby. I’
m almost to Izzy’s school,
so I gotta go. I missed you today and I
can’t wait to kiss those lips and see your pretty smile.
I love you.
I pulled into the school and found a parking spot. In order to get the best spot, you had to arrive at the school forty minutes before it let out. I clim
bed out and leaned against the J
eep, waiting to see my pretty little girl spot me for the first time, and come running into my arms.
Izzy’s class was usually the first to exit, so when I saw some of her friends, but didn’t see her, I started to worry.
After a few more classes came
out
and found their designated rides, I headed into the school. Her teacher was in her classroom and I knocked before I walked in.
“Mr. Mitchell. Did Bella
forget something?”
“She never came out of the school.” I started to panic. Could someone have taken my daughter. I’d seen it happen on movies. Kidnappers loved schools.
“Your wife picked her up a little over an hour ago. I’m sorry
,
I thought you knew.
” She looked at me like I was
supposed to know, and that didn’t set right with me.
“Was she sick?”
“No. She was fine all day. Maybe she had a doctor appointment.” Her suggestions weren’t helping my conscious.
“Sorry to bother you.” I backed out of the room and headed
toward my J
eep, all the while calling Miranda’s phone. This time the calls went straight to voicemail.
After trying my mother and not getting an a
n
swer, I really started to worry. When I finally pulled into the farm, Conner waved to me as I drove up to the house. I jumped out and headed in his direction. “Where are they? Is something wrong?”
Conner stopped what he was doing. “Miranda said she ran out to run an errand. What’s wrong with you?”
I shook my head and looked around the farm. Something was wrong. She wouldn’t have picked up Iz without telling me. Avoiding Conner’s question, I went running into the house. Everything looked in order until I reached the bedrooms. The dresser drawers in my room
were open and
Miranda’s
side was empty. I hauled ass into Izzy’s room, only to find the same thing. When I finally reached the twins room and saw that half of their things were missing, I pulled out my phone and started dialing Miranda. What the hell was going on?
Conner’s voice caught me off guard.
“What the fuck! Ty, you need to get in here.”
My eyes burned as I walked out into the living room. Conner was standing over the coffee table, but as he scooted out of the way, I saw something that I couldn’t believe.
At least ten photos of me and Heather were spread out for me to see.
I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. Clearly, they were of me, but I didn’t remember doing any of it.
I crouched down on the floor and buried my hands into my face.
Conner sat behind me and was quiet at first. I guess he was speechless at the fucking mess I’d made of my life. “She’s gone. She’s fucking gone.” I crushed one of
the pictures up and threw it, before turning
back to him
.
Co
nner just stared at the table
. “This was sitting on top of the pictures.” He handed me the folded piece of paper and ran his hands through his hair.
I know he expected me to read it out loud, but there was n
o way in hell I could do that
when I knew my life was over.
My hands were shaking and
I could feel the burning in my eyes as I glanced over at the horrible photos.
Ty,
You were the one who really knew me. I gave you what I never gave anyone before and that was my whole heart. I promised to love you and be faithful to you for the rest of our lives. I thought you knew how much those words meant to me, how much you meant to me.
Instead, you snuck behind my back, for God only knows how long, carrying on a secret life with that whore, while I carried your babies and planned for our future. Did you ever love me, or was it always about Bella?
I’ll never forgive you for this. I will never forgive you for making me love you so much, only for you to hurt me like this. Did you think I
wouldn’t find out? That you could live a secret life and then come home to me?
You were my world and all I wanted was to give you more chil
dren, but now
I want nothing with you. I can’t even think about you, and I definitely can’t see you. Those pictures are forever burned into my mind. There’s no talking your way out of this. We’re done, Ty. Please leave me alone. Please give me time to get over this pain.
I know you love Bella and I promise that I will do everything I can to let you see the kids, all three of them, but I can’t do it right now. Stay away from Kentucky. Forget whatever it was you think you felt for me.
Marrying you was the worst decision of my life.
Miranda
I handed the paper to Conner and got up to start pacing around the room. Nothing could change this. My family was gone, just like that. I’d lost them
forever
, over something that I never wanted to happen. She would never forgive me, not after seeing those pictures.
