Mason is a distraught young man who seems to make the wrong choices at every turn in matters of love. He goes through heartbreak after heartbreak and at one point really brings the "love is blind" phrase to life. Friends and family are so frustrated by his lack of judgement, but there is something deeper rooted in his heart that leads him to all these failed relationships. After years of wrong choices and failed relationships, he stalls to make another wrong choice, but this time the wrong choice might just be the choice he doesn't make. Years after failing to make that choice, he runs into the path that will lead him to happiness. Katy always gave too much of herself to everyone. She never took the time to think that people were taking advantage of her. She has endured the same wrong choice for years, and one day after a harsh encounter with her boyfriend that left her with a bruised lip, she is involved in a fender bender with a man who knows nothing but failure. The next day she shows up to work to find the man is a new hire in her department. Even though breaking away from toxic choices, people, and patterns may be hard, some people just need one good thing to make them realize that they can in fact turn their backs on those things that have plagued them for years.
Chapter 1 Betrayal 1
"Is this Mason?" I heard a quivering voice on the other end of the line. I was getting ready for work, and my phone would not stop ringing. I rushed out of the shower to grab the phone and listen, while a woman gathered her composure to speak to me.
"Yes. Who is this?"
I heard the woman's voice go from quivering to a full blown sob, "Ummm, I, uh, hate to bother you, but I think you should know." I was able to make out through her cries.
"Are you okay? Who is this?"
"This is Blanca, Ramon's wife."
When I heard that, my heart stopped. Ramon was my best friend. We started working at the jail together and bonded over training. He was more ambitious than I was, so he went to school and got a degree to move up in rank. He was not only my best friend, he was also my boss.
"Is he okay? Did something happen?"
"Oh no no, he's fine. It's not like that. I am sorry that I broke down like that. I didn't mean to scare you," she said quickly.
"Okkkk, so what is it?"
"I really don't want to do this over the phone. I was wondering if we can meet."
"Well, I am scheduled to go in to work in a couple of hours. I am actually getting ready, so I can run some errands before work."
"Please, can you please just meet with me before work?"
"Does Ramon know you're talking to me?" I was curious to know since in all the years we had been friends, he never really spoke to me about his wife.
"No, he does not and please do not tell him," she sounded nervous, so I decided I would meet with her just to see what in the world was going on.
"Okay...I can meet you at the coffee shop downtown next to bus station in about 15 minutes, is that okay?"
"Yes, of course."
I spotted her as soon as I walked into the coffee shop. She was wearing a black t-shirt dress, a cap, and an incredibly sad look on her face. Her eyes were clear indicators that she had been in deep pain. I went up to the table and could see she was lost in thought.
"Hi, Blanca?"
"Yes, please, sit down."
She sounded so wounded.
"Are you okay? I don't mean this in a bad way, but you don't look so good."
She used all her strength to give me a slight smile.
"Mason, you're engaged to Lily, right?"
"Yes, actually we are planning on getting married in 6 months," her question caught me off guard. I didn't see the connection between what she was asking me and Ramon.
"Okay, well before you take that very important step, I want to show you something," she pulled her phone out of her purse and put it down on the table. The waiter came by and asked if we would like to order. I ordered a strong coffee, and she asked for liquor, which they don't serve there, but just by looking at her, I could understand why she wanted a drink. She hadn't said much to me yet, but I could tell this was not going to end well. After the waiter walked away, she swiped to her photo application and showed my screenshots of a social media page, in which photos of Lily and Ramon hugging, kissing, holding hands, laughing in L.A. were posted. She showed me screenshots of conversations between Ramon and Lily planning not only the trip to L.A but the trip to Colorado, which she had told me was a family trip. The trip to L.A. was supposed to be a girls' trip. She said her friends were taking her on a final trip as an unmarried woman. I didn't see anything wrong with that, but I guess I should have.
My heart sank, and I felt like my lungs had collapsed. I started coughing and gasping for air. I stepped outside, but I could feel my tears invade my eyes. My whole world was spinning until it went dark for a second, and it took me a couple of minutes to regain focus. When I came back inside, Blanca was sitting there with the largest amount of pity in her eyes I had ever seen.
"I know. I know exactly how you feel. And I am sorry that I had to be the one to tell you and bring you so much pain, but it is better that you find out now and not years down the road after you've married her. Will you be okay?" I looked at her and asked, "Will you?"
Looking back at all the red flag I should've picked up on, I couldn't understand how I could have been so stupid.