He wanted it to be a mistake. No, in fact, he needed it to be a mistake for he wasnât prepared to confront her tonight in such a public space. To say he hadnât thought about this moment would be an understatement, heâs thought about this moment, right here, ever since he came home to found she was no longer there. The divorce had been quick and Hunter had lived in a state of disbelief for the next weeks after before his walls had eventually come crumbling down. The group of people looked at them as they step away, their faces wondering why the tension had choked all life from the air before they carried on with their conversation. Once alone, Hunter didnât bring himself to look at her instead, he stared off into the distance until she replied to his question which sent a chill down his spine. If this was a different story, he would have laughed at the straightforward answer, however, he felt angry at the lack of response. Inevitably his eyes latched on to hers, not looking away for a moment. âIs that supposed to be funny?â He snapped back, he didnât often do that, but this was no ordinary conversation.
Throughout their marriage, Cora had never given him any reason to doubt her but after the way she left, Hunter wasnât sure if he still knew the person standing before him. In fact, every word she said felt as if she was twisting the knife over and over. âSo you thought that the best idea would be to move here?â Hunter replied followed by a humorless chuckle. She wasnât wrong, though. Catalina was the place he once swore never to return to, but life always found a way to bring him back. âHow did you even think this was a good idea? My family lives here andââ He paused and wondered if she already knew about his parents which also made him wonder how long had she been in town. âHold on⊠how long have you been here?â He finally asked, a frown encroaching on his forehead. There was an unsettled movement in his stomach willing him to back down and leave, but he wasnât going to miss the opportunity to get some well-deserved answers.
âNo,â the internal churning of her stomach played itself across features with a grimace that she couldnât quell. Hues closed, she shakes her head, as if perhaps she might be able to quieten the now almost entirely inappropriate buzz within her veins to. âNo, of course I donât.â Truthfully, sheâd have liked to kick herself for allowing something so callous to slip through her lips, Hunter deserved far better than some half arsed, taunting response from her after so long, but where a truthful explanation might have existed, the uncertainty in allowing him to understand the very reason sheâd disappeared from their life together swallowed her whole. Lips pursed tightly, her tongue slipping out to run across her lesser. The room seemed hotter now and her lungs felt infinitely smaller than she knew them to be. âIâm not saying it was a good idea,â but, at the time, it was the only one that sheâd had -- the only one that put her out of his reach and perhaps, altogether closer to him in the same breath. Torturous as it was to leave him, she knew that her own wounds and heartache would exist endlessly with the near constant reminder of the man she loved so unconditionally. âI know they do.â And sheâd done everything possible to steer clear of them, which, perhaps one day sheâd point out, wasnât such an easy thing to do.Â
A whole new wound, added to those already festering came the realization that, Hunter wouldnât be here unless he absolutely had to. The slight crease that pressed the space between her eyebrows holding more concern than Hunter could likely believe she could still manage for him. Words caught in her throat and the slight back step she took begged her to leave. Cora had never been overwhelmingly pleased with what sheâd been forced to do; no matter how hard sheâd fought with the authorities at their doorstep two years prior, the very idea that something irreversible could befall her husband because of her was simply too much to swallow. âSince I left.â She muttered, sheepish beneath the cascade of honeyed tresses as she averted her gaze once more. âIâve been here since I left New York.â Since I left you - the double edged sword of admittance something that Cora wouldnât dare force upon them before he did.  It was the closest thing to home she could find, without inadvertently disappearing to a place that might have been expected of her. âI should.. I should go, Hunt--â Like ash on her tongue, the swell of her chest and his name alone broke something well beyond the shattered pieces that nobody knew about. An apology touching lips that knew he deserved far more than a few scantily placed words without the explanation he might have sought out as her heel clicked against the marbled floor with another uncertain step as the same fear that found her in the living room of their home encroached like a category five storm cloud.
