Through a curtain of tears, she walked to the front door and held it open. A canyon of pain registered in his eyes, which she could barely see through the misty veil of her own.
Pain rose like a banshee cry on the winds as deep guttural sobs worked their way up and out. A groan from his throat unlike any sound he had ever uttered filled his car as tears came in torrents. He drove having to continually swipe at his eyes to clear his blurred vision and arrived home not sure how he got there.
He fell on his bed and punched his pillow. A spike of anger rode his spine. How could he have been so stupid as to meet with Tamara without telling Anna? Why hadn’t he insisted Anna at least listen to his side of the story?
A sad truth drove that decision. She didn’t trust him or love him the way he loved her, and it bit like a venomous snake whose poison leaked slowly into his brain. There was no other excuse for the way she had so easily dismissed him.
In a fit of rage, he lurched his body off the bed and slammed the front door behind him on the way back to his car. He was done waiting … the police had better have an update on the Tamara situation, or he was going to come unglued. She had successfully damaged his most treasured relationship, and it had to end.
His hands turned white as he gripped the steering wheel in outrage. All the prayer Pastor Harry had suggested he do had done little good, and disappointment ran through to the bone. The more he thought about the situation, the angrier he became. His tires squealed around the corner, which didn’t change a thing, but it sure felt good. Adrenaline roared through his veins as the needle on the speedometer soared.
Anna didn’t have the energy to call the wedding planner—she assumed since Carla was a friend of Matt’s that he would make the call.
The next day, Anna opened the door to find Carla sweep in with her arms loaded with bags and a bolt of sheer fabric.
“Anna, look at this chiffon I found to decorate the head table and hang between the pillars and ceiling.”
Her voice so chipper and light mocked the sorrow Anna felt.
Carla dropped the bags on the counter and held up the material with triumph. “What a find. These tiny rosettes are divine and woven right into the—” One look at Anna, with tears streaming down her cheeks, stopped the conversation dead.
“The wedding’s off, Carla,” Anna gulped between sobs. “I’m sorry, I thought Matt would’ve called you.”
Carla’s eyes bulged large beneath arched brows. Her mouth flew open forming a perfect circle. “Oh my, no. That can’t be. Why ever would you two break off the engagement? I’ve known Matt since we were kids, and I’ve never seen him so happy or in love.”
Anna’s chin quivered but she held onto control enough to say one word. “Tamara—”
Carla dropped everything and wound her arms around Anna in a warm hug. She pulled back and concealed her expression behind a mask of professionalism but not before Anna caught the pity pooled there.
She gathered up the shopping bags over her arms. “Tamara’s a real piece of work. I’ve known that witch for years now, and all she does is create havoc wherever she goes.”
Anna blanched at her words.
“I’m going to hold onto your goods and all the arrangements for a bit. I have a feeling you two will work out whatever happened here.”
Anna shook her head.
“Now don’t you shake your head, Anna. I’ve noticed the way Matt looks at you, and I’ve never seen any man look at his bride that way. You two have something special. Trust me when I say, I do a lot of weddings and I know what I’m talking about.
“And heed my words, Anna. Tamara has been trying to get her hooks into Matt for years to no avail. If this is due to anything she told you, don’t believe a word.”
A shaft of pain pierced into Anna’s heart like the blade from a twisted knife. If only Carla knew.
No sooner did Anna have Carla out the door when her cell rang.
“Anna, it’s Faye, Matt’s mom.”
Anna didn’t want to be rude, but Faye was the last person she had energy for at the moment.
“I got your number from Matt when we visited but haven’t had the nerve to call you. I want to thank you for being so kind to me in spite of my bad behavior, and well, I’m curious. I’ve noticed such a big change in Matt … Oh, excuse me—”
Faye sounded like she was next to tears. Anna could hear a sniffle and Faye clear her throat.
“Anna. I can’t believe Matt calls me regularly and he’s so kind. He’s told me he forgives me—”
Between sobs she admitted. “I was a terrible mother, Anna, not like you at all. I resented poor Matt for disrupting my selfish life, and I paid others to raise him.” A soft wail slipped from her lips.
Anna didn’t know what to say, but she remembered how cathartic it felt to have Rita just listen and show empathy.
“Faye, I’m sure Matt truly does forgive you.”
“Yeah, but I can’t forgive myself.”
Anna remembered that battle all too clearly. “Faye, I know all about that. You can’t forgive yourself, that’s not your job, it’s God’s.”
“I guess that’s my point,
