Silent Scream (29 page)

“Careful,” I whispered.  “Are you okay?”

“Yeah,” she said in a breathy voice.  Lifting a hand, she touched my face.  “I know this isn’t what you want, Matt.  But right now I’m all Rachel has, and I’m afraid that if we get married, she won’t even feel she has that.”

Realizing she’d made up her mind, I stepped back and caught her hand.  “So that’s it?”  I kept backing up, wondering how the hell four years of our lives had ended up like we’d thrown them over the side of the Bluff.  “Damn you, Ariel.  And damn Rachel, too.”

A small voice inside of me kept telling me to wait, to listen, but I didn’t.  I wanted a life with Ariel more than I had ever wanted anything, but I didn’t see that as a possibility anymore, so I left her there along with the engagement ring, which I hurled out over the Bluff.  A few ripples cast out from its landing before the water stilled again, swallowing the last symbol of love for a woman who understood loyalty better than I ever would.