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 climbed out and leaned against the Jeep, 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 Jeep, all the while calling Miranda’s phone. This time the calls went straight to voicemail.
After trying my mother and not getting an answer, 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.
Conner 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 no 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 children, 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.
I walked back to the table, and kneeled down in front of all of them. Tears poured out of my eyes and I felt Conner’s hand on my shoulder. “It’s goin’ to be alright. I’m goin’ to help you get her back Ty.”
“What the fuck are you talking about? Have you seen these pictures? She’s gone, Man. She’s never going to forgive me. I don’t even forgive myself.” The pictures made me sick, just looking at them. The last one I looked at had Heather sitting on my face.
I cringed.
Conner looked at the pictures and started pointing at certain ones. “Look at these, Ty. There isn’t one picture where you’re touching her with your own hands. She is doing everything, in fact look at this one.” He held one up and between my burning tears, I saw that my eyes were hazed over in the picture. “I bet you a million dollars you never even had sex with this bitch.”
I shook my head and started dialing Miranda’s number again. Of course it went to voicemail. I threw it up against the wall. “Even if we could prove that, Miranda will never believe me. I lied to her. I kept it from her. How the hell did she even get these things?”
He grabbed my arm and made me look his way. “You need to calm down. I know my sister. She may be mad, hell she may even hate you right now, but she also loves you more than life itself. What you two have is somethin’ special. She can’t really think you’re this guy.” He held up the pictures. “You don’t even have time to be this guy.”
“I fucked it all up, all over papers to be Izzy’s real father. God, Conner, what am I going to do without them? What am I going to do?”
After I put my phone back together, I called Miranda’s phone over and over, with no answer. I left her several messages, without really talking about what was going on. I hated that she was driving so far, being so pregnant. I wanted this to all be a nightmare, but it was a reality.
The only woman that I ever truly loved more that life itself, hated my guts. I’d broken her heart into a million pieces and she was never going to give me another chance.
I ran to the door, before I even realized what was happening. “Ty wait! Where are you goin’?”
I threw my keys down on the countertop . “Drive me to the airport, Conner. If I leave in the next hour, I can beat her there.”
“She’s not goin’ to want to talk to you.”
“I don’t care. She needs to know the truth, even if she doesn’t want me anymore, she needs to know that I never wanted it to happen. I would never have done that to her or to our family. She’s all I want, she’s all I’ll ever want.”
“I get it Ty, but right now, she’s a mess. Hell, she couldn’t even tell me what she was plannin’. Just give her a few days. She’ll miss you and want to talk. Come on Ty, she was will
ing to trust Tucker again, she’ll forgive you. I will help you.”
I shook my head and rubbed my hands over my face. “I can’t just stand here waiting. I have to see her. I have to be close to her. I need to see my wife.”
“Fine, I’ll take you. When things get worse, don’t say I didn’t tell you so. I know my sister and she needs time.”
“She needs to know that those pictures were not my doing. I threw up when that bitch tried to kiss me. Do you really think I’d let her put her fucking pussy in my face? You’re a fucking guy, and I know that you wouldn’t do that shit to someone you hated. I’ve done that to two people in my life and you know both of them. That is the picture that broke your sister’s heart. She needs to know it ain’t real.”
Conner threw his hands in the air and walked out of the house. I ran into my bedroom and grabbed a change of clothes before meeting him in his truck. For most of the drive, we said nothing. We both continued to call Miranda’s phone with no answer. Eventually, her voicemail was full and we couldn’t even leave a message.
“I need to call Van.”
Conner turned to look at me. “You really think you want to talk to her about this? Isn’t Heather the one who Van caught you with? You really think she’ll believe you?”
I slammed my hands on the dashboard. “God Dammit! I don’t know what to fucking do. I messed up so bad. This isn’t just about losing my wife, I’m losing my whole family. Heather knew this would happen. She did this shit on purpose to ruin my life.”
Conner pulled over the truck and put it in park. He held his hands up. “Just hear me out. I know the shit is crazy right now, but neither one of you are goin’ to do any good to each other by hashing this out tonight. Let her get to Kentucky and calm down. Call Colt and Van if you need to, but just wait this out, Ty. I got a plan that might just save your marriage. I need you to calm down and trust me. Can you do that?”
I shook my head and stepped out of the truck. I just needed air. I was paying the ultimate price for what happened, but I didn’t care so much for myself as I cared for Miranda. If the roles were reversed, I would want to lay down and die, hell, I wanted to do it, just imagining I could never be with my family again. They were my life and they were gone.
I climbed back in the truck and turned to Conner. “Just turn around. I don’t know what you have planned, but I will give you the night to figure it out. Even if I went to Kentucky, there’s nothing I could say to convince her to come back to me. I know she’s done. You can say she will forgive me, but she’ll never be able to trust me or look past it. I need to face the music. She’s gone. My family is broken because I’m the biggest fucking idiot on the planet.” I beat my head on the dash.
Conner got us back home, but refused to talk about his big plan. He handed me a bottle of whiskey and a glass, before getting a shower and heading out. I couldn’t get how he thought he could fix things. He didn’t even know Heather.
I drank half the bottle before I had the nerve to call Van. She was yet another person who would never look at me the same. Colt was going to be so disappointed. It was good that he’d threatened to kill me if I hurt Miranda. At least I wouldn’t have to feel this pain for very long.
While the phone started ringing and I waited for her to pick up, I looked around the walls at all of the pictures of my happy life. My wife was the most beautiful woman, but it hurt to look at her, knowing the pain she was feeling. I needed her so much. I wished she could know that she was my everything.
Hello?
Van, it’s me.
Hey, what’s up?
From the tone of her voice, I knew she hadn’t heard from Miranda yet.
I think there’s something you need to know.
Is this where you tell me that you’re madly in love with me and we should run off to an island together? Oh God, she assumed I was home with Miranda and playing a joke on her.
No, this is serious.
Is Miranda okay? Is she in labor?
No, just stop talking for a minute. This is hard for me to put into words. I don’t know how to say this without having you hate me too.
What are you talking about Ty?
She left me, Van. She took Izzy and all of their things and she left me.
You are kidding right? Let me talk to her. You guys aren’t funny.
This isn’t a joke. I came home from work to a note and empty dresser drawers. She’s probably on her way to you guys as we speak.
Why would she leave you? What did you do, Ty?
For the next ten minutes I explained how I asked for Heather’s help in getting the paternity test altered. I told her how Heather caused us problems. She cut me off before I could explain the night I ruined my life.
Why would you call that bitch? You know she only wants one thing, Ty. She’s only ever wanted you
I know, Van. You don’t have to remind me. I was desperate. I know it was a mistake and when Miranda found out she was pissed. She sent Heather a text that set all of this into motion. Heather got pissed and said we could forget about our money and the papers. So, Miranda got this bright idea that I should go over to her house and pretend she left me. We just wanted her to feel sorry for me and get the damn papers, I swear. I was there for a short amount of time and she kept questioning my intentions. When she tried to touch me, I got sick. I came back to a cup full of liquor and the next thing I knew, I was waking up naked next to her. Van, before you say anything. I swear to you and to God that I never went there to cheat on Miranda. I don’t remember doing anything, but saying no.
Then tell me how you woke up naked Ty? Do you expect me to believe this? I could tell she was already pissed at me. I sounded like a fool trying to convince her I was a victim. She would never believe me.
She drugged me, Van. The last thing I remember was feeling dizzy and waking up somewhere else. I swear I am telling you the truth. You can ask Conner. He helped me that night and convinced me to never talk about it again. I’ve been living with the guilt for months and it was killing me inside. So yesterday, I drove to Heather’s to make one last plea for the paternity papers. When I rejected her for the second time and she admitted to drugging me, I lost it. I went off on her. I walked out of there and hoped her house would blow up with her in it. That’s the fucking truth.
So you went home and told your wife the truth? Is that why she left?
No, I went home and decided I could never hurt her like that. I never would have cheated, and I never will. She’s my life and I don’t want to live without her, not for a second. My eyes started to burn as I looked over at the pictures that remained in my living room. Heather must have been pissed. She must have come to the house sometime this morning to confront Miranda.
Oh my God! She told her in person?
More like showed her. She took all of these pictures of the two of us. I don’t remember doing any of it, you have to listen to me. I’m telling you the truth. I love my girls so much. I’d never do anything to lose them.
Please don’t cry, Ty. It makes it hard for me to be angry with you, when I hear you in so much pain.
She won’t return my calls. I went to school to get Iz and she was gone. Miranda took all of their clothes. She isn’t coming back. I lost them, Van. Please tell me what to do. How am I supposed to live without them? I can’t do this, not for even one day. I’m so fucking lost right now. I need to hear her voice. I need to see her beautiful face and hold her in my arms.
Is Conner with you?
He went out. He said he had some crazy ass plan to help me, whatever that means. My crying was more apparent considering I could barely get my words out.
When Miranda get’s here I will keep her safe and calm her down. I can’t promise that I can get her to talk to you Ty. You know how she feels about cheating. It’s going to take her a while before she can deal with it.
She’s never going to forgive me. I deserve all of this, for cheating on you, and for lying to my wife. I made my life this way. I never should a
have let myself feel so happy. Nothing lasts forever.
Miranda loves you, Ty. No matter how angry and hurt she is, I know she loves you. Listen, I will text you and let you know she’s here safe. If she say’s it’s okay, I will have Bella call you. I can’t promise she will be reasonable, but I will try my best.
Does this mean you believe me?
Heather is an ignorant bitch who has only wanted one guy since high school. I think she’s capable of doing everything you said. As far as the cheating, well, I know you never got bent out of shape like you are now over me and I know how much you obsess over your wife. There’s no way I could believe that you would be willing to lose that.
I just lost it. Of all the people in the world, Van was the last person that I ever thought would be on my side. She’d forgiven me and I needed that so much. I wasn’t that person anymore and I needed my wife to know that. I wasn’t going to give up. I couldn’t.
Thank you, Van. It means so much right now.
I’ll call you soon. Please stay home tonight. Don’t do anything stupid. We love you, Ty.
Love you guys too.
I hung up the phone and tried Miranda one more time, hoping to just hear her voice.
Chapter 19
Miranda
Why is it that when your life is at a breaking point, every freaking song on the radio relates to it. If I heard one more sad song, I was going to rip the radio out of the dash and toss it out on the road.
After Bella’s million questions about her father, I ended up turning off my phone. I didn’t want her to hear it ringing and know that I had lied to her. It was bad enough that she was going to hate me for taking her away from her father. It broke my heart for her. Ty may have been a cheater, but he was a good father.
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