Chapter 182 The Truth That Set Them Free
POV Maya:
Sitting on the couch, I look at the woman in front of me, and a possessive jealousy grows inside me. She was the first woman to be with Sebastian, just like the girlfriend of my other men, and as if breaking his heart weren’t enough, she made him and his brothers’ relationship fall apart. I glance toward where my cowboys are standing and see the angry expressions on their faces. I grab my phone and snap a picture—I’m going to enjoy using it to tease them later.
“Dominic and Luca have serious Neanderthal issues, and I even asked my mother-in-law if she ever had their heads examined, because something completely insane goes on in those sick brains,” I say, trying to justify why my two possessive brutes are practically storming the room. But then I remember she’s not my friend and doesn’t deserve any courtesy from me. “What do you want to talk about?”
“I imagine you don’t like me, but I want to explain my reasons, and maybe you’ll understand me.”
I doubt it.
“First of all, I hate you, and second, why do you want to explain yourself to me?”
“Dominic and Luca wouldn’t listen to me, and they wouldn’t let Sebastian listen either. And I don’t want to disrespect you.” She’s right on every point. “Before I start explaining, I need to say something. I loved each of them deeply. I loved them equally. There was no difference in my love…”
“Really? That’s not what I heard.” I interrupt her, jealousy seeping into my veins and intensifying the pain in my belly.
“I lied, Maya. I lied about everything. My father…” I shift in my seat, uncomfortable at the pain on her face. “He caught us together, and after he beat me as if I were the worst person in the world, he forced me to choose.” I swallow the knot forming in my throat.
“Choose? Choose what?” I hear myself ask.
“Choose between the Morettis or my mother with cancer. Choose between the men I loved or my mother, the person I loved most in my life.”
The truth tears through my chest. Even though I’ve hated her since I found out what she did to Sebastian, the truth is clear before my eyes. She had to give up the men she loved to stay with her mother. And I know that if the Morettis had known, they would have stood by her. Does Scarlett know how much Sebastian loved her? Does she have any idea he would have given up everything to stand by her side?
“You chose your mother,” I state, and she nods.
“I did. And I would choose her a thousand times over. Now do you want to hear my story?”
Benjamin stirs inside my belly, and I stroke it, trying to calm my baby. His movements make the cramps unbearable. I look at Scarlett, who is still waiting for my answer.
“I do.”
...
I feel Scarlett’s pain in every word that leaves her mouth. She suffered—a lot—and for a long time it was just her. Fighting. Not giving up. I wipe my tears away, not wanting her to think I pity her, because I don’t.
When our conversation ends, I walk her out to her husbands. I no longer feel anger toward them; they seem like incredible men, and I hope they become happier every day.
“We’re done. We can go,” Scarlett announces, and her husbands stand, looking from her to me. “Thank you, Maya, for listening to me. I wish all of you happiness, and that this little baby comes into the world healthy.”
“Thank you. I wish you double.” Scarlett starts to leave, and I know I can’t let her go without telling the cowboys the truth. She can’t be the villain of the story—especially when there is no villain. “Tell them,” I say.
She looks at me, shocked.
“Tell them. It’s the right thing to do.”
Scarlett stares at me for a few seconds, and my heart races. I wonder if she’s going to tell them the same thing she told me. I hope she does. They deserve closure—no half-truths.
She turns her gaze to the Moretti brothers, and a soft smile curves her lips before she looks back at me.
“No, it isn’t. It took me a long time to understand, but now I do.” She looks at her husbands, and her love for them is written all over her face. “I’m home. For the first time in my life, I’m exactly where I want to be. I found my home, Maya, and I wouldn’t change anything to prevent that. What’s past is past. Now I understand that the one who needed closure was me. I see how happy you all are. My choice was the right one. It’s because of it that we are where we are today. For that reason, I wouldn’t change a thing. And I believe you wouldn’t either. Or would you?”
I think about everything that had to happen for us to be here, and it’s impossible to say I would change it. I’m sad about how Scarlett’s story with the cowboys ended, but it had to be that way. I just wish it hadn’t left scars on Sebastian’s heart. My incurable romantic deserved more than having his heart broken by the first woman he ever loved.
“No,” I confirm. “I wouldn’t change a fucking thing.”
...
The pain doesn’t lessen; it seems to have grown since Scarlett left. I don’t know if it’s karma for knowing the truth and keeping it to myself, or something else. I look at my cowboys, and I know I have to tell them. They need to know she truly loved them, and that love only brought her pain and loss. After suffering so much, she found her happiness. She deserves respect. She deserves to have her name cleared.
“She didn’t leave because she wanted to,” I say, and five pairs of eyes turn to me. “She loved you. And she had to choose.” My eyes burn. “She had to choose between staying with you or staying with her mother who had cancer.”
“Little pepper, what are you talking about?”
I take a deep breath and, in a few minutes, repeat everything Scarlett told me. The cowboys stare at me in shock, and I urge them to go after her. The five of them immediately mount their horses and ride after the car Scarlett left in.
Even in pain, I saddle my horse, Thunder, and mount him with some difficulty. I ride slowly, staying a little behind the cowboys. My cramps worsen, but I won’t let my pain stop me from being by their side.