“Abram.”
The pleading edge in Mona’s voice had me looking at her.
“I wanted to tell you.”
A shock of something unidentifiable, but that felt dangerous, had me standing and pacing to the large window. It was the furthest spot from her.
I don’t need to think about this.
This new information changed nothing. Mona had pretended to be someone else, and then she’d left. Lisa being in jail and Mona covering for her sister explained the initial lies, but it didn’t justify the rest of it, and it didn’t change the fact that the woman I’d fallen in love with didn’t actually exist.
“Abram, I—”
“Why’d you do it?” I turned to face her. My feet were carrying me across the room while her confused stare moved over me. Again, nothing she could say would make me forgive her, so I wasn’t sure why I asked the question.
“Like I said, she needed my help.”
“No. Not that. I’m not asking why you stepped in for your sister. I get that. What I want to know is . . .” I needed to stop advancing, but my feet had a mind of their own. Soon I was upon her, inches away, and this time she didn’t retreat. She lifted her chin to maintain eye contact and seemed to sway forward just as I asked, “Why did you pretend. With me?”
Mona shook her head, her attention dropping for a split second to my mouth and then darting back to my eyes. “I didn’t.”
“You did.”
“I didn’t.”
“You left.”
“I promised Lisa I would protect her! You don’t know, you don’t know what it’s like to have parents who don’t care about you except as an extension of their reputation. I wasn’t going to be another person who let her down.”
“I get that, Mona.” Her name came out sounding like an expletive. “That’s not what I’m asking. Why talk to me at all if you knew you were just going to leave.”
“I tried to avoid—I didn’t—I don’t know.”
“You don’t know.”
“No. I don’t know what I was—I didn’t think—”