That Thing about Forgiveness

By Candice Christian

Allyson discovers her lover for several years had been cheating on her with another woman. The breakup was ugly and even though her lover begs her forgiveness, Allyson's heart is hardened to the point that revenge is clouding her judgement and forgiveness is out of the question. So both former lovers isolate themselves from all social interactions except work.

 

Allyson's friends do their best to console her, and even try to get her mind off of her former lover and get her to go out and party. Even Allyson's sister is trying to put the pieces of the relationship back together since she is worried about both of them. In her role as mediator, her sister has to listen separately to both Allyson's and Kehli's side of the story and try to convince them to patch things up.

 

The futility of the situation has Allyson's sister at her wits end and tries to bow out. At the same time a work friend convinces Allyson to come to a co-worker's birthday party with her. At first she refuses fearing she'll run into Kehli there, but she is promised there is no way Kehli will be there because it's a party at the home of someone Kehli doesn't even know. 'What could go wrong?' her friend asks Allyson.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Tenth Muse
• Release date: Jul 29, 2024
• ISBN: 9798227394163

Candice Christian

Candice was born in Paris KY on 9 January 1988. Her parents, George Bertrand Christian, an attorney who once aspired to be an actor, and Frances Hollowell insisted that Candice and her sister Simone, be sent to a Catholic school. Candice was deeply religious as a child, at one point thought of becoming a nun.

Book preview

That Thing about Forgiveness

Copyright 2024 Candice Christian

Published by Tenth Muse at Smashwords

Smashwords Edition License Notes

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18+

'Author's note: All characters depicted in this work of fiction are 18 years of age or older.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

About Candice Christian

Other books by Candice Christian

Connect with Candice Christian

Acknowledgment

Gina Kell

Chapter One

Stop... As your mouth opened to form more empty words I held up my hand. Just words, all pointless now. An excuse. The last thing that I needed was an excuse from you.  I said don't. 

Allyson, sweetie... 

Dammit Kehli! Don't you Sweetie me!  Don't you insult my intelligence! 

I stood up and stormed around the couch needing some barrier from you before my hands obeyed my head and slapped you.  They listened to my heart instead and clenched into tight fists. You stood with your hands outstretched.  They dropped empty at your sides.  I watched the tears fall from your eyes.

They fell from the moment you answered your cell phone.  They started from the moment I asked you who in the fuck Lacey was.  I didn't even give you a chance to say hello. 

Lacey, to my irrational mind, sounded like the name of a whore.  A whore, who touched you, kissed you...those soft lips that I touched mere hours ago.  My lips.  My Kehli.  You were crying but my eyes were dry.  I cried myself out before I called you.  I cried enough. 

How could you Kehli?  My voice was dead, like the rest of me. 

I saw you moving towards me, but it was as if I watched from the outside.  I looked into a future now that could never be, or at the very least the remnants of that future.  The plans, the dreams, they were all gone now.  Just an empty space as desolate as an abandoned playground. 

You touched my hand hesitantly, as if worried I'd fall apart, or hit you. That ax could have swung either way at that moment, but instead I chose to feel you, the old you.  The you that didn't break my heart. 

Allyson, I'm so, so, so sorry... 

Your broken cries met the silent ones inside of me.  I was screaming out in pain, wondering how I was going to love like this again, how I could allow myself to be vulnerable to this again. 

I'm so sorry...  You held my face and stepped closer. 

I felt the steadiness of your hands.  I closed my eyes to their gentleness.  You were always consistent in your handling of me.  You are precious sweetie, you'd say as you settled your solid frame over my body and show me just how precious. 

Not precious enough, I thought, as I stood like a woman hypnotized while your hands moved over my stony face.  Finally I focused on your eyes again. The dark green orbs were glazed with tears; regret.  That was one thing that I prayed to never feel.  I should have prayed for you instead. 

Please forgive me? Please?! 

I turned my eyes away.  How could I watch you beg me?  No.  I couldn't and wouldn't, so I closed my eyes and let you kiss my cheek, gently, then my neck as you pleaded with broken sobs.  I never liked to see you cry but hearing you was just as bad.  I let you walk into me until I collided with the wall that stretched into the hallway and turned into our bedroom. 

I could walk our hallway without bumping into a table tucked into some corner in the dark. I could be in our home at night and not feel that familiar fear I told you about when we first began dating. I could be at home because I knew that you would be home any second, or I'd know that you were in the basement tinkering around with one of your cameras or tools, or I'd see some reminder of your presence lying around the house.  I wanted to cry at the fact that none of it would belong to us anymore. How could it? 

I'm a fool sweetie...please Allyson...

You kiss my eyes as you slowly unbutton my shirt, then your hands begin to shake and I watch your beautiful face cloud in fear as you strip me of my clothes.  You know that I can't stop you.  I never could stop those fingers once they begin unzipping and unclasping.  Tonight is no different.

I gasp as