At 7:00 am the next morning—Sunday morning—Matt found himself staring out the window in their kitchen. Fresh, hot coffee pouring down his throat. It was something he’d find Lizzy doing on weekends when she couldn’t sleep in.
Perhaps sleeping wasn’t his problem. Perhaps it was who he was sleeping with. And how unfair it was. Truthfully, it was unfair to all three of them.
To his missing wife, his Lizzy, who was being kept away somewhere until he did all the right things, in the right order and at the right pace to bring her back. Exactly how the doctor ordered.
It was unfair to the woman Liz sent in her place, who lay upstairs in their bed at that very moment, innocent to the deception. Confused with his mixed emotions of care, love and resentment. He should have been fair to her from the start. And what happened a few short hours ago was a mistake.
But mostly—at least at the very moment—unfair to him. How could life throw him this cruel curve and then not even give him a day to deal with it? Why did he have to be forced to put his anger and hurt aside? It was too soon to test his love. And downright unfair.
The doorbell rang, interrupting his thoughts. Matt frowned, glancing up at the time display on the oven. He pulled open the door to find Ben on the other side of the frame. His look was tentative and unapproving. Matt glared at him, waiting.
“Is Liz around?”
“She’s asleep,” Matt said flatly.
Ben glanced inside and quickly licked his lips. “Can we talk?”
Matt sighed. He knew this wasn’t good, but something told him his brother wasn’t going away. Matt glanced upstairs before stepping out of the apartment and closing the front door behind him. He stood there—arms crossed, waiting.
“You can’t go on like this,” Ben breathed.
Matt glared at his brother. Not bothering to ask why he thoughtthishad anything to do with him. Or why he of all people thought he was in any place to give advice. He was just as much to blame for Liz’s situation as Matt was. Matt threw his arms in the air and tried to keep his voice down. “What am I supposed to do? Tell her what happened between the two of you and that I’d just found out about it? That I decided I couldn’t live with it, so she’s on her own?”
“No, of course not. But you can’t lead her on either,” Ben insisted.
“Stay out of it,” Matt hissed.
“And you’re not doing much to make her remember,” Ben went on, ignoring Matt’s threat. “That hypnosis stunt was...” he paused, looking up at Matt. “You’re not sleeping with her, are you?
Matt glanced away.
“Matt!”
But before Matt had a chance to shoot him another warning look, Ben held up his hands. “Look, I’m not going to tell you that you should wait until you resolve your issues, but if you still plan on giving up on your marriage then you can’t do that.” Ben flashed a disgusted look. “It’s just wrong.”
“Don’t talk to me about morals.”
“I’m not saying that what we did was okay, and keeping it from you was unjustifiable, but what’s going to happen when she gets her memory back, and asks you what that all meant?”
Matt was getting frustrated and angrier by the second. But he couldn’t risk Liz overhearing. Frustration building and annoyance at his brothers’ sense.
“You do realize this is the same woman, right? Liz isn’t just going to come back to us and forget the last few weeks,” Ben pointed out.
Matt stayed silent. He should throw him out, punch him, anything—but a part of him locked in the burning outrage because he knew, bone deep, he needed to hear this. He knew it, but he wasn’t ready. He wasn’t ready to follow doctors’ orders; taking her to familiar places, under no pressure, talking with her, answering her questions, showing her objects of meaning. Everything she’d been begging him for, but he selfishly avoided.
Telling her that she picked out the right mug would help too. When you tell them that they are headed in the right direction, it builds confidence and open mindedness. It triggers a possibility for them, instead of fear of never recalling a single memory. If only to himself, he’d admit it.
He wasn’t ready to face Lizzy.
“Get out.”
Ben sighed. “Fine. But she’s going to get her memory back. And when she finds out that you’ve been holding her back because of selfish reasons, this decision you made to end your marriage might no longer be yours to make.”
Chapter 32
LIZ
The car door opened for Liz as soon as they pulled up to the circular driveway of the venue. Her long black dress fit well with the formally attired crowd by the main entrance. Liz eyed and admired the lavish entrance. She wondered if they came to these types of events often.
