“No.” I nodded my head and grinned. “I’m very positive I’d like to stay.” We walked over to the far side of the room and took our reserved seats. They were in the perfect location for what I had planned for the evening.
I tightened the grip on my champagne glass as Tamara took the stage a second time. I scanned the room, resting my eyes on a couple in the front row. How had I not noticed them before? How had we not run into them as we were mingling this evening? Leo and Susan Blackredge. They live right next door to Corbin, or at least they lived there the last I knew. We hung out almost three to seven times a week. Had they known something was different with her? Kassie? Had they noticed anything? Surely, they would have noticed something off or different? I could feel the questions jumble around in my mind as I struggled to focus.
Susan and I did everything together. She knew I had an identical twin sister. Surely she would have noticed something different. She never missed anything. She had to have mentioned something to Corbin. Susan wasn’t very shy, and did voice her opinion and thoughts instead of keeping them to herself. I watched as they smiled and chatted with everyone around them. I wanted to run and wrap my arms around Susan and tell her how much I’ve missed her, how much I’ve thought about her over the years and how much I need her help. Yes, I could use Susan’s help. She would understand. If anyone would understand, it would be Susan.
I kept my eye on Susan and Leo as Tamara continued talking. I wasn’t listening to a word being spoken, but I did my best to smile and laugh with the crowd. I could feel Jonah watching me intently. I knew very soon he’d realize that, all these years, I’ve been telling him the truth. I’ve tried many times to get him to believe me, but it was always the surrounding doctors who would pull him aside and bring him back into their sick and twisted world, making him once again believe that I was the messed up one; that I was insane.
I sat up straighter and eyed the stage. I knew I was minutes away from seeing the woman who stole my life. I knew that, despite all those years I’d tried my hardest to hold on to her, I was now ready to not only let her go but let her get what she deserved. I was more ready than ever to get right in her face and tell the world what she had done, what she continues to do, and how she’s been lying about who she really is.
I brought my hand up to my mouth and gasped.
Corbin!
Now I really couldn’t focus on what Tamara was saying. I focused my attention on Corbin as he took his seat on the side of the stage. He still looked the same: tall, dark, stocky, muscular, and downright handsome. Even though now his hair was mostly gray-peppered throughout, he was still the sexy Corbin Shepherd I had met almost a decade ago. The same Corbin Shepherd I had pledged my vows to, and the same Corbin Shepherd who was the father of our daughter, Hailie.
I could feel my love for him overflow inside me. Seven years had passed since I last laid eyes on him, since I last hugged him, kissed him, and told him I loved him. Seven years. The man of my dreams, my husband, the father of my daughter... my everything. I tried to hold my breath to keep my tears from falling. I felt like I was being punched repeatedly in my stomach, and could feel my heart shattering into a million pieces that only he knew how to put back together.
Memories flooded my mind as the tears welled up in my eyes. It was hard to see the stage, and I knew if I blinked I would somehow resemble Niagara Falls with everything I was holding inside. It’s true what they say: Don’t forget to tell someone exactly how you feel about them. You never know when that last time you see them will be. Life doesn’t wait for you. Sometimes you don’t get second chances. Sometimes you have to live with the regrets as a painful reminder of what you should have said and what you should have done. Well, I’m getting my second chance at my life. And nothing and no one is going to stop me this time.
The crowd clapped and brought me back to the moment at hand. The lights lit up over the stage as I dabbed the tears away with the palm of my hand and stared with piercing eyes at the woman gracefully walking across the stage to the podium. Everyone clapped around me. I was almost sure I was the only one in the room not clapping. I hoped no one noticed, but at the same time I didn’t care.
I watched Corbin and the expression on his face. He was full of pure joy and admiration for his beloved Alaina. I remember the way those eyes looked when they looked into mine. And the way it felt to have him by my side. I remember the way his arms held me like I would blow away in the next strong gust of wind and he may never see me again. I remember it all... Yes, I remember it all. And there she stood... smiling back at him. There she stood, wearing a sapphire-blue floor-length gown that I know Corbin picked out for her for this very event. Her soft blonde hair was swept up into a curled updo that left a few strands around her face, showing off her delicate features.
