Lured into Love (Blossom in Winter #2) - Melanie Martins Page 0,45

loyalty.”

I never talk to anyone about my fiancée or her medical state. This is not only private, but also very personal to me. Especially when it comes to her mental health. I don’t discuss it, not even with Roy. But keeping such heavy secrets inside can be quite a burden and even damaging to one’s health. So, taking a deep breath, I tell him, “According to her physician, Petra hasn’t been able to move on yet. She has what’s called survivor guilt.” And I see the change in him as my words sink in. “And, um, we’ve had a few arguments because of the pill. She’s been trying to skip days, and I couldn’t figure out why, but it’s probably to fill the void of our loss.” Talking about something so damn personal is hard, but it feels incredibly satisfying and liberating to do so. As I see the landowner looking in our direction, I nod at him, and say, “Alright, let’s go. Mark is waiting for us.”

“She’s also very skinny to get pregnant,” Sebastian comments before I can open my door. “Does she eat properly?”

“Um, from time to time,” I disclose, a bit surprised that he would touch on such a delicate matter. Although one would have to be blind not to see that she’s lost a few pounds. “Petra has agoraphobia,” I tell him. “She can keep it under control with Xanax, but this kind of disorder can also affect eating habits.”

“Oh… And is this curable?”

“It’s like any mental illness,” I answer. “Treatment helps you to get better, but it can come back and get worse.”

“Thanks for telling me all this.” Sincerity fills his eyes and voice, bringing a quick smile of appreciation to my lips. “We haven’t had a proper talk in such a long time,” he points out.

I know Sebastian perfectly well. And I know the hunt was just a pretext to have a “proper talk” and cover all the delicate subjects we couldn’t discuss by phone. Subjects like those my Mom brought up yesterday…

I put a hand on his shoulder, returning the gesture before getting out of the car in a quick move. Then we go and shake hands with Mark, who gives us a map of his five hundred acres of land along with a brief explanation of the trails and fauna.

“We’ve spotted a male bear right here.” He points on the map where a red dot is. “It’s near the stream. There is plenty of food around, and he tends to go there at this time of the day. I suspect there is a den nearby too.”

“Thank you, Mark. I really appreciate it.”

“Good luck. And if you manage to catch him, don’t forget to call me.”

“Will do.” I shake his hand once more. “Thanks.”

We go to the truck and grab our rifles and jackets. And without further ado, we head into the woods.

After a couple of minutes marching through the trees and following the path Mark had indicated, Sebastian asks, “Did your Mom tell you about the interview?”

Ah, I was starting to wonder when he’d bring this up. “Yes, she did,” I reply, keeping it short.

“And, um, did you see it?”

“I haven’t, no. She just said that Tess made some remarks about Julia.”

“And the media is loving it,” he confesses. “They are following every bit of the case.”

“The case?” I feign my interest in it.

“Margaret didn’t tell you?”

“No…” Although I didn’t even bother to ask her.

“Jan and his wife are divorcing,” he announces. “She’s being represented by a lawyer that works with Tess.”

And I stop walking for a moment. Jan is a longtime friend of our families, a member of several clubs we are part of, and a close friend of Sebastian and me. Needless to say, knowing he’s going through a divorce makes me want to call him straightaway. “No way? Are you serious?” As he nods, I add, “Fuck… They used to be so in love.”

“It’s a messy divorce.” Sebastian stops walking too, and, as he looks me in the eye, he says, “He’s been convicted of marital rape, and Julia is now reviewing his appeal.”

I gape in total awe. “What?” Talk about a messy divorce… “You can’t be serious. How do you even prove that?”

“No idea. I think the judge just wanted to make a point. It’s most likely political. But if Julia doesn’t do something, Jan will serve two years in prison.”

“I can’t believe it,” I tell him, shaking my head as I draw in a breath. “Well, I’m