Page 43 of The Mountain Echoes

“You can keep the ring,” Hudson continues, “I’ll buy Celine a new one.”

I look at Papa, waiting for him to say something.

He doesn’t look at me when he declares, “I’ll pay for the wedding.”

My heart cracks. My fiancé just admitted he cheated on me with my sister. My father wants to reward them.

Celine rests her hand on her belly like it’s a damn trophy.

“Papa—” I start.

“She’s pregnant with my grandchild,” Papa cuts me off. “This is good news.”

He puts an arm around Celine and kisses her forehead. “We should give Hudson and Aria a minute.” He looks at Hudson. “Congratulations, son.” Then, he takes Celine inside the house, as if to protect her from me.

I’m shaking now. I don’t know what’s up or down.

Papa just called Hudson son. He didn’t do that when I introduced him as my fiancé.

Why was he not acceptable for me, but is for her?

“How could you?” I want to scream, but it comes out hoarse, low.

Hudson sighs as if I’m being difficult. “Look…it happened. I love her.”

I want to say, “You also said you love me,” but the words don’t come out.

“She’s soft and….”He runs a hand through his hair. “Just seeing you here, Aria…I feel as if you’re a day laborer…not a wife.”

I look at him. Tears that I never shed because Papa says it’s a sign of weakness, flowing down my cheeks.

“Come on, Aria. You’re just…you’re you, and I feel like Celine and I are better suited.”

“Why?” I want to know, even though the words will slay me.

Hudson groans like I asked him to do something he doesn’t want to. “Aria, come on.”

“Tell me,” I persist as self-loathing swarms inside of me.

“Fine.” He flings his hands in the air. “She’s all the things you’re not. She’s beautiful. Soft. Feminine. She knows how to dress like a woman. She’s good in bed…is that what you want to hear?”

Some words that you hear you forget, but some stay inside you forever.

I knew these would.

“Just don’t make a scene. Let’s try and be friends, alright? We’re going to be family.”

I nod and slowly walk away.

I go through the barn, out the back, into the open field to drown out his words—the ones I insisted he tell me.

I don’t know how far I go, or how long I sit in the dirt, sun baking into my skin.

No one follows me.

The next day, I refuse to talk to my sister and the next and the next.

After a week, Papa’s had enough. “You couldn’t keep the man, take it on the chin like a big girl and move on.”