by K. L. Prince
“So, who’s apartment is this because apparently it’s not yours, right?” he asks.
“No, the apartment is not mine. It’s Olivia’s father’s work apartment,” she says and starts to fidget.
“Why did you lie to me, Harper? I don’t get it,” Caden asks with sadness in his voice, finally looking at her.
“Caden, the reason I lied is because of what your father said about you marrying a certain type of woman. When you showed interest in me, I knew that I could never measure up. That is why I wouldn’t return any of your calls at first, remember? Then when I ran into you and I got to spend some time with you, I started to really like you and I thought that if you found out that I’m just a waitress with a meager income, you wouldn’t give me the time of day. The words that your father said just kept replaying in my mind over and over again that day when we went out to lunch, so when you asked me about my background, I lied. When I told you that I came from money, I couldn’t help but notice how your face lit up. I could see that you were relieved because you believed that I was someone that your father would approve of. You didn’t say that, but I could feel it and see it and that is why I kept on lying.”
“Harper, we had a conversation about my thoughts about people and money. I told you that having money doesn’t make people acceptable to be in my life. I told you that what’s in a person’s heart is what makes a person acceptable to be in my life. When you told me that you came from a family that had wealth, I’ll admit I was relieved. It would definitely make things easier when it comes to dealing with my father, but I wouldn’t discount a potential partner because they don’t have money or because they work as a waitress. I’m not that shallow, Harper. You should have recognized that and been truthful with me. If I was going to base all my decisions about people based on the amount of money in their bank accounts, what would that say about me? Would you really want to be with a person like that?”
“I suppose not. Caden, I know that I have screwed up big time and I am truly sorry for what I’ve done. I wish that I had been honest from the beginning and I had given you the chance to make your decisions about me based on the truth. I was selfish and I deeply regret lying to you. If I could take it back, I would in a heartbeat. I was stupid and I really don’t know what I was thinking. Please forgive me,” Harper pleads.
“Harper, what else have you lied about? Is it true that your mother didn’t die in a car accident when you were young?”
“My mother didn’t die in a car accident. She is alive and I live with her,” Harper says, wondering what her mother would think of what she’s done. She is sure that her mother would not approve of her behavior. Her mother has always promoted being truthful in all things.
“And your father?” Caden asks.
“I never knew my father. He left my mother and I when I was really young. I don’t remember him at all,” she says.
“So, it was all bullshit,” Caden says and stands up. He starts to pace.
“Everything that I told you about my life was lies, but I wasn’t lying about my feelings for you. How I feel about you was never a lie,” Harper says and watches Caden pace back and forth.
“Is it, Harper? How can I really know? I have to question everything you have ever told me now. You lied about a lot of things, so it’s hard for me to believe anything you say now.”
“I’m telling you the truth, Caden. I love you.”
Caden stops pacing and stares at her. “Harper, you lied to my face for weeks. For me it is very simple - people that love each other don’t lie to each other. When a person loves another, they tell them the truth. They don’t sit back and lie, and continue to lie. If Madison hadn’t found you out, you would still be lying to me.”
“That’s not true. I planned to tell you the truth. I wasn’t going to keep lying to you, I swear,” Harper says, kicking herself for not telling Caden the truth sooner.
“I guess I will never know the truth on that. People say a lot of things when they get caught,” Caden says and runs his hands through his hair.
“Caden, you have to believe me. You can ask Olivia. I was going to tell you the truth. I was just waiting for the right moment.”
“Oh, I will be speaking to Olivia, believe me. She let you stay in this apartment and it seems to me that she was very helpful when it came to the lies that you told me,” Caden says and sits back down on the sofa.
“Don’t blame Olivia. She really had nothing to do with this. She has been telling me for a long time to come clean with you. She feels what I did was wrong and she really wanted no part in what I’ve been doing. She’s innocent in all of this,” Harper says, vouching for Olivia and her intentions.
“I believe you about Olivia. It’s about the only thing I believe coming from you at the moment. I’ve known Olivia for a very long time and she is a standup woman. I believe that she wouldn’t go for you lying to me.”
“She didn’t. She considers you a really good friend. She didn’t want to see either of us get hurt,” Harper says, regretting not taking Olivia’s advice.
“It seems to me that I’m the only one who’s gotten hurt in this whole thing,” Caden says with a pained look on his face.
“That’s not true. It hurts me to see what I’ve done to you. I feel like I’m losing you and that hurts more than anything. I don’t want to lose you Caden. Please don’t leave me,” she says and takes his hand.
He pulls his hand away. “You should have thought about that, before you lied to me. I don’t know what you thought was going to come out of you lying to me. Eventually I would have found out the truth. I really don’t see how you would have gained anything from what you did. You must have known when you lied to me that you were running the risk of losing me. Did you honestly think that I would want to continue a relationship with a liar?”
“I didn’t know. I had no clue how you were going to respond. I was hoping that you would see how much I truly love you and forgive me for what I’ve done. I hoped that you would see where I was coming from and understand my insecurities,” Harper says and looks at the floor. “I was hoping that you would love me enough to be able to overlook what I’ve done.”
“Well, you thought wrong,” Caden says and stands up. “I think that we’ve said everything that we need to say to each other. The trust is gone, Harper, and I don’t see a way to get it back. If there is no trust, then there is nothing. If I can’t trust you, I can’t be with you. I can’t see this relationship going anywhere now. It’s over between us,” Caden says and heads to the front door to the apartment.
Harper stands up. “Caden,” she says, calling after him. “Please.”
“Harper, you made your bed. Everything we had was based on a lie. It was never real. I thought that I knew you, but it turns out I never really did. What I do know about you now, I despise. What you’ve done to me makes me feel sick. I can barely even look at you. I don’t want to see you anymore,” Caden says, opening the door to the apartment.
“Caden, wait,” she says, following him.
“Just leave it, Harper. What’s done is done. There is no going back. Take care,” Caden says and slams the door behind him as he leaves.
She doesn’t chase after him. She knows that it’s no use. It’s obvious that there is nothing that she can say to make things better between them. She sits down on the couch. He’s right. She made her bed and now she has to lie in it. She’s ruined the best thing that has ever happened to her. Caden has slipped through her fingers. She was so close to finally experiencing true love and happiness and she threw it all away.
She starts to sob.
Chapter 8
“Dude, your place is a pigsty. You need to clean this mess up,” Lucas says, moving containers of takeout food out of the way, so he can sit down on Caden’s sofa. “I’ve only seen your place like this a few times and it’s usually after something terrible has happened. What the deal?” Lucas asks, looking concerned.
“Harper and I broke up,” Caden sa
ys, feeling depressed.
“What the hell happened? I thought things were going really good with you guys,” Lucas says, pulling a stale piece of pizza out from in between the sofa cushions and tossing it onto the coffee table.
“She lied to me about pretty much everything about herself. She told me that she came from money and that her father was a successful businessman. She told me that her mother died when she was really young and the list goes on and on. Everything she told me about herself was a complete farce.”
“I don’t get it. Why did she do that?” Lucas asks with a confused look on his face.
“When I met her, my father was going on about how I should be with a woman who comes from money and blah, blah, blah. You know how he is. She doesn’t come from money, so she lied because she thought that I wouldn’t want to be with her. Olivia even let her stay at her father’s ritzy apartment, so she could continue her charade.”
“Wow, that’s one for the books. I told you not to rush things with her. You can do better, Bro. You deserve to be with someone that will be truthful from the jump and who comes from a good family.”
“Not you, too,” Caden says and throws his hands up in the air.
“Well, it’s true. You need to be with someone who is your equal.”
“Lucas, you know damn well I don’t care about money. What I care about is love, respect and the truth. I know it sounds corny, but it’s the way that I feel. I don’t care if a woman has money or not. I have more money than one person could ever possibly need. I can easily support myself and the woman I want to be with.”
“So, why didn’t you stay with her, then?” Lucas asks.
“Isn’t it obvious? I didn’t stay with her because I can’t get by the lies. How can I be with someone that feels it necessary to lie to me and do it so easily? You should have seen how easily it was for her lie to me. She should have been a spy or something. She never broke face or broke a sweat. I had no clue.”
“So, how did you find out, then?”
“Madison hired a private investigator that did a background check on Harper.”
“Seriously?” Lucas asks and shakes his head.
“Seriously. She’s the one that told me the truth about Harper. If Madison hadn’t hired a private investigator, I would have never known anything about Harper. Harper swears she was going to tell me the truth, but of course she would say that. I wouldn’t expect her to say anything else.”
“I told you that Madison wasn’t going to quit. Speaking of Madison, have you considered getting back together with her?” Lucas says, just throwing the thought out there.
“Are you serious? If my only options are a cheater or a liar, I think I’d go with the liar,” Caden says sarcastically.
“Just think about it, Caden. It wasn’t too long ago that you and Madison were in a really good place. There was a time when you and Madison were truly in love. You two had some really good times together. Madison screwed up, that’s for sure, but I think that she truly loves you. Have you ever thought that you and Harper didn’t work out because you and Madison are supposed to be together?”
“You have got to be kidding me. I told Harper that people who love each other don’t lie to each other and the same thing goes for cheating. To forgive Madison and not Harper doesn’t seem to make much sense to me,” Caden says and shakes his head.
“There is a huge difference between you and Madison and you and Harper. You just met Harper, like yesterday. You and Madison have mega history between you that spans years. Madison is your speed, whether you want to admit or not.”
“I think that you are completely off your rocker, Lucas, but I’ll take what you’ve said into consideration. I just need time to clear my head and really think about what I want. Right now, a clean start is what I think I’m after, but that could change. How I feel about things changes minute to minute, second to second.”
“Good. There is nothing like good ole consideration. Now go and get dressed. I’m taking you out. We’re going to go and drink away your sorrows,” Lucas says and pats his friend on the back.
“That sounds like a good idea. I need to get out and be distracted for awhile,” Caden says, pulling himself up off the sofa to go and change his clothes.
* * * * *
Harper packs up her things. She’s decided there is no point in staying at Olivia’s father’s apartment any longer. She doesn’t have Caden in her life anymore, so she doesn’t need to stay. She just wants to go home, sleep in her own bed, and see her mother, who she has come to really miss. She wants to cry on her mother’s shoulder and wallow over a tub of Heavenly Hash ice cream.
As she goes around the apartment, collecting her things, she is reminded of the mistake she’s made with Caden. She vows that she will never make the same mistake again. She has made a vow to herself that from now on she will be proud of who she is and where she comes from. She will never lie about herself to impress someone or to fit in somewhere ever again.
Since her blowout and subsequent breakup with Caden, she has realized that what she wants and needs is to be with someone who accepts her for exactly who she is. She wants to be with someone who will love her whether she works as a waitress or if she is unemployed. The next person that enters her life will be someone that loves her just as she is, good and bad.
As painful as it is, what happened between her and Caden has taught her a valuable lesson. She has learned that she is valuable, even though she doesn’t come for money. She is valuable just because she is alive and breathing. She doesn’t need to put on airs or impress people. She is amazing just the way she is.
She has also learned that she can’t treat people the way that she treated Caden – ever. What she did wasn’t right and people deserve to be treated with respect. She has learned that telling people the truth is one of the purest forms of showing them respect. It really is something that she already knew, but had a temporary lapse in memory and in judgment.
For a moment, she lost herself in all the madness. She was so caught up in the bright lights and the shiny things that she lost her moral compass. She became so focused on money and how she appeared to the outside world that she strayed way off track, but she’s righted herself now and she’s found herself again.
The cost of her personal derailment was much, but she knows that there is a silver lining to everything. She is not sure what good can come out of losing Caden, if anything, but she is hopeful one day that she will discover it.
Losing Caden has taught her some things about herself, but the pain and the loneliness overshadows all the lessons. She misses him every second of every day and she clings to the memories that she has of him. Her memories are all she has left and she holds them dear to her heart. Even though he is gone, she is still glad for the time that she was able to spend with him. He will continue to be one of the best things that has ever happened to her.
She has tried calling him to apologize again, but he won’t take her calls or return her messages. She’s pretty much given up all hope of getting him back or ever seeing him again. He is a part of her history now. There is nothing more she can do to repair what has been done. All she can do now is move forward and never make the same mistake doesn’t happen again with the next person that enters her life.
She thinks about the next person that will enter her life and she doesn’t know how they will ever measure up to Caden. She is sure that she will always be comparing him against Caden, so having another relationship may be useless. She doesn’t know if how she is going to ever fully get over Caden and the impact that he’s had on her life. It may be impossible to replace him.
She decides that it’s too soon to think of such things. The wounds that she feels over the loss of Caden are still too fresh. She needs time to mourn and there needs to be time for healing before she can even begin to think about the next phase of her life.
As she gathers her things near the front door of Olivia’s apartment, she doesn’t feel sad to be leaving the apa
rtment. It contains too many memories of Caden – both good and bad. She wants to go home, which a place where everywhere she looks doesn’t remind her of Caden and everything that she’s lost.
Chapter 9
“Caden? Caden? Are you listening to me?” Bill Mason asks, frustrated by his son’s lack of attention.
“What? Sorry, Dad. What were you saying?” Caden asks, shaking his head and trying to bring his focus back to the meeting he’s having with his father.
“What’s been going on with you? I’m trying to go over these figures with you and you’re off in outer space somewhere,” his father says and puts down the piece of paper in front of him.
“Sorry. I’ve just been a little preoccupied lately,” Caden says, looking at the figures in front of him and trying to absorb them, but it’s no use. His concentration is no good these days.
“I’ve noticed. Is it this new woman that you are seeing?” Bill Mason asks, reclining in his chair and waiting for his son’s answer.
“How did you I was seeing anyone?” Caden asks his father, confused because he never mentioned that he was seeing anyone to his father.
“Madison came to see me and she told me all about your new girlfriend,” his father replies with disgust evident in his voice.
“I should have known. Madison is forever interfering in my life and it’s got to stop,” Caden says angrily, but not surprised in the least by Madison’s actions. If he had given it any real thought, he would have predicted that Madison would make known to his father the information that she had found out about Harper, but he’d been too busy trying to absorb what Harper had done to him and trying to get over it.
“Son, this woman is no good for you. As you’ve found out, she’s dishonest, obviously not loyal, and she doesn’t come from the same life as you do. There is no way that she could ever possibly understand you or make you happy,” Bill Mason says, searching his son’s face to see if his words are having any impact.
