A Broken Forever(121)

"I meant to tell you about him sooner, Richard. It's just that … " I looked to Amy for a better way to explain.

"Why don't you start at the beginning, Grey? You want to tell him everything and that's the best way to explain."

I nodded, sighed and began. "I met Stefan in high school. He was a grade older than me and right from the start I loved him. He was everything I ever wanted and that was before I even knew what I needed. We did everything together. My days were spent with him by my side and my nights were filled with him in my dreams. He was my whole world. When I turned 18 and finished high school, we got married. No one thought we would last and they were right, but for a completely different reason than they all anticipated."

Richard's stern expression remained in place but a glimmer in his eye told me his fury was beginning to soften.

"What happened?" He asked as an encouragement to move forward.

"I got pregnant. It wasn't planned but as soon as I found out, we became incredibly excited. Everything felt right between us and nine months later I gave birth to the most beautiful little girl. We named her Allie, and never in my life had I been happier." From my purse I pulled out a manila folder that contained the documents I grabbed from my locked cabinet that morning. I pulled out my marriage certificate and a newborn picture of Allie, I and Stefan in the hospital. My hands shook as I handed them to him.

He must have sensed my discomfort with finally talking about everything as he gently took them from my hand. His eyes only scanned my marriage license for a few moments before he moved his attention to the photograph. The stern expression immediately faded away as a remorseful look to its place.

"She's absolutely beautiful, Grey." I nodded, as I frantically tried to hold back the onslaught of tears making its way up. "What … what happened to her?"

Richard was in no way a stupid man, and right away he caught onto where the real trouble lied.

"She was six months old and it was Christmas Eve. We had been at a family party and were ready to go home. She was fast asleep and I was exhausted. I had been worried that Stefan couldn't get us home okay, but he promised me he was okay to drive. Apparently he hadn't been. I woke up to the sound of a car honking, he had fallen asleep at the wheel and we got into a major car wreck. I blacked out and when I woke up at the hospital you work at, I learned that Allie had died." 

I swiped away the tears and tried to power forward. "For the next year I tried to make everything work, and hold onto all we had. But Stefan let it all go. I hardly recognized him and during that time we started coming to therapy sessions with Amy. They did nothing to help us and finally one night I decided I had to walk away. We got a divorce and went our separate ways. I was wounded, battered, broken, and nothing made it better. In one single night I lost everything I ever wanted. My daughter, my husband, my best friend and the life I longed for." Richard pressed a hand against my knee and Amy passed over a box of tissues.

I struggled to maintain my clear mind but it was becoming more difficult with each passing moment. "For six years I didn't see him, hear from him, nothing. I tried to move on and it worked well for a while. I went to beauty school, met Kacie, met you, and opened Bella Donna. I moved on and that was something I had never imagined I would do."

"How did you start talking again?"

"It was a coincidence, honestly. The day I ended up at the hospital with the concussion was the first time I saw him. Since that moment he did everything he could to stay around in my life and I found myself doing the same."

Richard butted in. "He still loves you." It wasn't a question but I clarified.

"I don't think he ever stopped."

"And you love him?"

I nodded, slowly; looking to Amy for her support. She reached a hand out and wrapped it around the top of mine. It was exactly what I needed to answer the thing I had been dreading.

"With all my heart. But that doesn't mean I ever stopped loving you, Richard."

He reached over and lifted my left hand so all three of us had a clear view. "If that's so, then where is your ring, Grey? Did you suddenly misplace it after the year or so it has been on your finger?"

This was the first time I realized it wasn't there. I knew without a shadow of a doubt that it was at Stefan's house and from the look in Richard's eyes, so did he.

"What happened with Stefan last night, Grey?"

"Richard … " He shook his head before I got anymore out.

"No, don't sit here and try to soften the blow, Grey. I want to hear the goddamn truth. Treat me like an adult for once and let me in. You're in love with him, he's in love with you. You purposely hid all of these pieces of your life from me and there has to be a reason why. I'm pretty certain I know it, but I need to hear it from you. So, why don't you start by admitting what happened last night?"