I Buried Him for Five Years, Then He Came Back with Another Woman Chapter 14

I Buried Him for Five Years, Then He Came Back with Another Woman Chapter 14

It buried the woman who had spent seven days grieving beside Adrian’s memorial photograph.

It also buried five years of devotion.

Caleb’s team had already taken Wesley out through the treatment center’s fire exit.

The fire destroyed only the fraudulent records the facility intended to hide.

The real evidence had been delivered to Hale Group’s board inside the hidden compartment of the urn.

Wesley asked,

“Do you regret any of it?”

I looked at the lighthouse glowing in the distance.

“No.”

His voice softened.

“Not even loving him?”

I smiled.

“Not even that.”

“Loving someone wasn’t the mistake.”

“The mistake was believing a selfish man could ever be my home.”

Wesley was quiet for a moment.

“Do you hate him?”

The sea breeze carried the damp scent of flowers.

I considered the question for a long time.

“Not anymore.”

“Hatred takes energy too.”

“I need mine for repairing boats, watching the ocean, teaching the children, and helping you recover.”

Wesley’s eyes filled.

“Maren.”

I took his hand.

“The Caldwell family is no longer part of our lives.”

“From now on, there is only the Hale family.”

The sun disappeared beyond the horizon.

The lighthouse sent out its first beam.

I raised my eyes to the earliest star in the darkening sky.

Years ago, Adrian had held my hand and sworn that the stars and sea would witness our life together.

I had believed him.

Later, I learned the truth.

The stars and sea testified for no one.

They only lit the way for those willing to sail again.

Outside the Port Sterling prison.

Rain fell on the day Adrian was released.

He was much thinner, and his hair had been cut close to his scalp.

No one came to meet him.

He stood beside the road holding an old box.

The heirloom sapphire lay inside.

He had polished it every day for three years.

No matter how brightly it shone, no one would ever wear it.

A cab stopped in front of him.

The driver asked,

“Where to?”

Adrian opened his mouth.

He wanted to say the Caldwell house.

But it no longer belonged to his family.

He wanted to say the docks.

But every port in the city had barred him.

Finally, he said quietly,

“The beach.”

The cab stopped near the waters where the boat had sunk.

The sea was gray blue.

Waves struck the rocks again and again.

Adrian stood in the wind and took out his phone.

A video was stored inside.

Maren had recorded it three years earlier.

He had watched it countless times.

In the video, she sat in her office with shelves of financial records behind her.

She said,

“Adrian, if you’re watching this, I’ve already left Port Sterling.”

“You always said I made it hard for you to breathe.”

“That won’t be a problem anymore.”

“I will recover every dollar the Caldwell family owes mine.”

“I no longer want what you owe me personally.”

“You could never repay it.”

She paused for a long time.

Then she smiled faintly.

“I hope you enjoy your freedom.”

The screen went black.

Adrian dropped to the sand.

He buried the ring beneath it.

The tide rushed in and drew back.

Soon, the sand was smooth, without any trace of what lay beneath.

Maren’s name had receded from his world like the tide.

It took the light with it.

And every road home.

He whispered, “I’m sorry, Maren.”

The wind roared over the ocean.

No one answered.

Thousands of miles away, I raised the sail on a new boat.

A fresh name had been painted on its hull.

Homeward Tide.

Wesley sat on deck and waved to me.

“The wind is rising!”

I looked across the open sea.

The wind came from ahead.

The sky was high, and the ocean stretched without end.

I tightened my hands around the wheel and smiled at him.

“Then let’s go.”