Page 30 of Not Until I Found You

Maxinne’s brows knit together as she studies me for a beat too long. Her gaze falls back toward the fire, and with it, her smile.

“Ain’t that the truth,” Wren says, blowing out her flaming marshmallow before sandwiching it between a Reese’s Cup and two graham crackers.

“Yeah. Actions always prove why words mean nothing.” Maxinne’s voice carries a sharp edge to it.

“It sounds like you’re speaking from experience,” Wren says before licking marshmallow from her fingers.

Maxinne shrugs, but the silence that follows says more than anything she could’ve admitted.

“Do you want to talk about it?” Wren reaches over and squeezes Maxinne’s hand. “You’re in good company here.”

It’s subtle, but I see the way Maxinne’s shoulders loosen, as if she needed someone to give her permission to vent. And then her words come, a bit hesitant at first, then spilling out. She tells us about the gala, about Derek ending their engagement after three years together, and how that night sent her tumbling here to Covewood.

“I’m sorry you went through all that.” Wren hands Maxinne a roasting stick then nudges her chin toward the chocolate spread in front of her. “You deserve one of these.”

“Thanks.” Maxinne’s voice is small, fragile even. “For letting me vent a little. It’s been a lot to carry on my own, especially after I checked his social media, and I saw that he’s telling everyone I cheated and left him. Like he didn’t suggest we break up and kicked me out.”

“Are you kidding me?” Wren nearly shouts.

“I wish I were.” Maxinne pulls out her phone, her fingers moving quickly across the screen before she hands it over to Wren.

I lean forward without even meaning to, my chest tightening as if I already know I’m not going to like what I see. Underneath a professionally posed photo of a man in a tailored navy suit is a lengthy caption.

Three years ago, I met someone I thought I’d spend forever with. Unfortunately, life doesn’t always work out the way we plan. Sometimes, people grow apart and loyalty isn’t enough. While this chapter didn’t end the way I hoped, I’m choosing to focus on the future and the opportunities ahead. Here’s to new beginnings.

The comments underneath are just as bad.

Sorry, man.

She didn’t deserve you.

Her loss.

Stay strong, brother.

My pulse pounds in my ears because Derek carefully crafted a version of the story where he’s the heartbroken victim left standing in the wreckage. And judging by the comments, everyone is buying it.

Wren gasps, tapping the screen. “What a⁠—”

Sven barks from where he’s curled up by the fire, his timing so perfect it pulls a small smile from Maxinne. It’s faint, but it’s there. She bends down to give him some attention.

“You gave this man three years of your life,” Wren fumes, waving the phone like it’s Exhibit A in a trial. “Promised forever with him, only for him to put the blame on you?”

“Yup.”

“Can you believe this?” Wren whirls toward me, her eyes daring me not to agree.

But I do agree. More than that, I’m angry that Maxinne is being treated like this. I don’t even know the guy, but I already want to shake some sense into him.

“Well,” I manage, forcing my voice to stay even, though it’s tight in my throat, “clearly ending things was the right choice.”

Maxinne lets out a low chuckle, but there’s no humor in it, only weariness as she stares into the fire. She swallows hard, blinking fast as if to hold back tears. Her voice trembles when she adds, “I gave way too much of myself to Derek. I will never get those years back.”

Her voice cracks, and it slices right through me. I want to do something, anything, but I don’t. I’ve not met someone that I’ve had this strong urge to want to take care of their heart, but that’s exactly what I want to do for Maxinne.

“Something I learned from my divorce…” Wren says gently, leaning her elbows forward onto her knees. “You need to be secure enough in your own identity that when someone walks away from you, they don’t get to take you with them.”

I add, “You might not be able to get the time back, but now you can focus on rediscovering yourself.”