Chapter 4 - The Coffee Shop Meeting
"Caleb?" I said, my heart pounding against my ribs. "Are you okay?"
A long, weary breath came through the speaker. "I don't think I've slept a single hour since yesterday, Tessa. How... how is your shoulder?"
"I'm having emergency reconstructive surgery on Tuesday morning," I said honestly. "The labrum is completely detached."
Caleb went silent for five full seconds. When he spoke again, his voice was choked with emotion. "Jesus, Tessa. I am so, so sorry. I should have stepped in earlier when she was making those comments near the terrace."
"You couldn't have known she would push me, Caleb," I said.
"Can I come see you?" Caleb asked. "Not at your parents' house. I don't think I can see your mother or Lena right now without losing my temper. Can we meet somewhere quiet near Lakewood?"
I looked at my father. Dad gave me a firm nod.
"There's a quiet coffee shop near the medical center on 4th Street," I told Caleb. "Dad can drive me there in thirty minutes."
"I'll be there," Caleb said. "Thank you, Tessa."
Forty minutes later, Dad pulled the SUV up to the side entrance of The Roasted Bean, a quiet, dimly lit coffee shop tucked behind the medical complex. Dad offered to stay in the car, giving me privacy.
I walked inside slowly, my left hand holding my sling securely against my waist.
Caleb was sitting in a corner booth, wearing jeans and a dark hoodie, staring into a cup of black coffee. He looked completely shattered. The confident, handsome thirty-six-year-old software executive I had known for two years looked like he had been dragged through a war zone.
When he saw me, he stood up immediately. His eyes dropped to my black shoulder sling, and a look of acute pain crossed his face.
"Tessa," he said gently, helping me slide into the booth with my good arm.
"Thanks for meeting me, Caleb," I said, leaning back against the padded seat.
Caleb sat down across from me, folding his large hands on the table. "I need to tell you what happened after I walked away from the pool, Tessa. I need you to hear it directly from me before your family spins another story."
"I'm listening," I said.
"When you were in the house getting wrapped in towels," Caleb began, his eyes fixed on his coffee cup, "Sophia came up to me near the garden archway. She was crying. She told me that Lena had planned the pool thing twenty minutes before it happened."
My blood ran cold. "Planned it?"
"She told Sophia that you were ruining the aesthetic of her wedding party with 'that stupid black strap,'" Caleb said, his voice shaking with anger. "She said if you got wet, you'd have to change out of the bridesmaid dress and sit in the back with the regular guests so you wouldn't be in the professional photos."
I sat in the booth, the air completely leaving my lungs.
It wasn't just a reckless prank. It wasn't just a silly, impulsive joke.
It was a premeditated, cruel act designed to humiliate me and remove me from her wedding photos because my medical injury was an eyesore to her.
"I didn't want to believe Sophia," Caleb continued, tears glistening in his eyes. "So I walked up behind Lena when she was talking to Sophia near the terrace. That’s when I heard Lena say... 'She won't be able to lift her arm to catch herself anyway, so she'll go straight in.'"
Caleb buried his face in his hands, his shoulders trembling.
"I looked at the woman I was about to marry," Caleb whispered through his fingers, "and I realized I didn't know her at all. She was willing to physically harm her own sister—a sister who has done nothing but support her—just for a photo shoot. What kind of person does that, Tessa? What kind of mother would she be to our future children?"
"She has always been like this, Caleb," I said softly, the realization washing over me like ice water. "My mother protected her from every consequence, so she never learned that other people feel pain."
Caleb looked up, wiping his eyes. "I officially broke off the engagement this morning through my attorney. I had my team pull our joint venue deposits. I'm moving out of our apartment in Denver tomorrow while she's at your parents' house."
He reached across the table and gently touched my left hand. "I am so sorry, Tessa. If there is anything you need for your surgery—any medical expenses, any help—I want to pay for it."
"No, Caleb," I said gently. "You don't owe me anything. You were a victim of her deception too."
"We both were," Caleb said solemnly. "But I'm done being quiet about it. If your family tries to blame you for this, I will release the venue security footage."
I blinked. "Venue security footage?"
May you like
Caleb offered a dark, grim smile. "Alder House has high-definition cameras covering the terrace and the pool for insurance purposes. I spoke to the owner last night. He gave me a copy of the video. It shows everything, Tessa. It shows her walking up behind you, smiling, and shoving you with both hands while you had your back turned."
The weapon was forged. And for the first time in my life, I wasn't going to shield my sister from the blade.