Chapter 6

Chapter 6

It was as if the act of Eric sitting me down in the back seat of the car triggered some kind of switch in me. I immediately started using every insult in my well-stocked vocabulary to degrade him.

"How could he do this to me? I thought he loved me. I should have known. I would have known if I had known Cody as well as I thought I did. But I don't know anything about him. And now I can't even kick his a*s for cheating on me."

"Maybe," Marie began in her gentlest voice. "Maybe he just made a mistake. Mistakes are perfectly human. Don't condemn him to hell for just this."

"Do I have a choice? Am I supposed to just accept it and move on? I can't even ask him what he was thinking. I can't even do that."

I curled into a ball and sobbed the entire way home, Eric and Marie exchanging concerned glances the entire time.

*  *  *

As soon as I walked in the front door, I went in my bedroom leaving Marie and Eric with the silent but understood fact that they needed to leave me alone.

How? I thought. How, how, HOW? The sweet, adorable, smart Cody cheated on me for THAT? He didn't love me. He couldn't have loved me. I knew it was too good to be true. I just knew it. But did I listen? Nope! Never. NOW look what I have gotten myself into. Will I ever get over this? Please, someone tell me that this pain will go away.

"Anna?" Marie gently knocked at my door. "I know you don't want to be bothered, but I think you might want this. Cody's mom gave it to me as we were leaving. I read it. I'm sorry, I know I shouldn't have. I just didn't want anything to hurt you more."

In my revolting, watery, congested voice I said, "You mean that's possible?"

She handed the plain white envelope to me and quickly left the room.

I flipped the envelope over in my hands and noticed his mother's elegant handwriting covering the back. It read:

"Dear Anna,
I'm sorry about the pain you have been through. I have a feeling that it has been close to the
pain that I have been through. There is no other girl I would have liked to have seen my son with more.
I found this in one of his suitcases next to a picture of you. The original envelope said "Things Anna Should Know."
I read it and I can tell that his words are genuine. I hope this eases the pain for you.
~Mrs. Philips"

I pulled the off-white stationary paper out of the envelope. I found myself looking at Cody's barely legible handwriting. I wiped my eyes before my tears could smudge the ink and began reading.

    "I'm not quite sure how to write this because I'm hoping no one will ever read this but me. So here it goes.
    My Dearest Anna,
    I can't beat around the bush because there is no way of sugar-coating what I have done. I cheated on  you. And I'm sorry. Really really heart-breakingly sorry. But I can't bring myself to tell you. I know you will     find out eventually. You are too smart for me to hide it from you forever. I just can't tell you. I wouldn't be able to stand the pain in your eyes. I would rather you be more angry at me than you have ever been in     your life. I would rather you break my heart than to have to see that hurt in your eyes. It was a mistake and I want to take it back. I would give anything to go back and change things. But what is in the past is     in the past and I hope that when you find out, you will see that too and find it in your heart to forgive me. I'm sorry.
        Love,
        Cody"

I was stunned and confused, but, deep down, I was strangely relieved and happier than I should have been at the moment. After rereading the letter more times than I could count, I fell backwards on my pillow and slipped into a blissfully dreamless sleep.