Callum glared at him, and
Jack could tell he was on the right track.
“The answer is no, I
didn’t. But why the hell didn’t you? You were there, you knew.”
“Because it wasn’t my place
to tell her – it was yours.” Callum snapped.
“Jesus, Callum! You just
let her think God knows what, all this time?”
“What the hell do you care
what she thought! You weren’t here, remember? I didn’t tell her because what
the hell would be the point?”
“What would be the point?”
Jack repeated indignantly. “She would have known!”
“Known what? That you were
a coward? She figured that one out for herself when she woke up and you were
gone!”
Jack opened his mouth to
speak, but Callum cut him off.
“Don’t you dare come back
here and start blaming me or anyone else! No one told you to go – you made that
choice yourself.” Callum hissed, eyes blazing. “You did the wrong thing then
and by coming back now and stirring it all up again, all you’re doing is making
it worse. You’re here for your own selfish reasons, not because of Tom or
because of her!”
“I’m trying to make it
right!” Jack insisted, heart racing.
“And how in the hell do you
think you’re gonna do that?”
Jack stared at him
dumbfounded, knowing that he had asked himself that question a million times
and come up empty.
“She doesn’t need you
anymore. The best thing you can do now is just crawl back into whatever hole
you crawled out of and leave her be.”
Jack shook his head
determinedly, his heart pounding. “No. I’m not going anywhere, not this time.”
Callum laughed scornfully.
“That’s your master plan? Seriously?”
Jack glared at him in silence,
his anger mounting.
“Oh come on – you gotta
admit, that’s a reckless statement, especially for you.” Callum snorted
derisively. “You disappear when the going gets tough, remember?”
Jack clenched his teeth so
tight his jaw ached. “That’s not what happened and you know it.”
“Do I? Because that’s what
it looked like from where I was standing!”
“You know damn well why I
left!” Jack blurted out, his voice thunderous and desperate. “You knew what I
did – you were there!”
“Yeah, I knew what you did
- big deal! You were trying to save her life - she wouldn’t have blamed you!”
he said hotly. “You did the wrong thing, Jack – you should’ve stayed.”
Jack stared at him, his
heart racing. He thought about the relationship they used to have – how close
they were. Like brothers. And now this; strangers - worse than that; enemies.
“I made a mistake.” he
choked. “I won’t make that mistake again.”
Callum shook his head. He
stood up straight and took a step backwards, eyeballing Jack as he forced his
hands back into his pockets.
“Here’s the thing – you
made your choice. Now you have to live with it, just like the rest of us. You
can’t change what happened and if you stick around, you’re only gonna hurt her.
Is that what you want?”
Jack opened his mouth to
reply but Callum didn’t give him a chance.
“She
was just starting to get her life back together, after everything she’s been
through. Don’t rip it all apart again.” he pleaded quietly, clearly emotional.
“Do the right thing this time - leave.”
LORIE'S REVIEW
Hands down, one of the best books I have read…… EVER!!!! It
is absolutely BRILLIANT. There are not nearly enough stars to adequately rate
this. It’s overwhelming how much I truly
love love love this book!
This book made me feel……. Everything. It weighed heavily on my heart. It's full of
loss, pain, and regret. My heart broke for everyone involved. The pain was present right from the very
beginning. I could feel the hurt and
feelings of resentment and regret that have been harbored for years. I
certainly cried on more than one occasion. But underneath all of the pain, also
lies a story of healing, forgiveness, and learning to moving on.
Jack shoulders an enormous amount of guilt over the accident
that drove him to suddenly leave four years ago. But there's more than what can
been seen on the surface. Unspoken truths hold the key to why he left in the
first place. Jack and those he left
behind know that a lot happens in four years, but it’s not always as simple as
what you’ve always imagined in your head.
What they discover and learn about each other and themselves sets each
on a path to acceptance, second chance, and absolution. Courage many have many faces, but so does love……
There’s just so much I love about this book…..from the
writing, to the chapter quotes, to the characters, and right down to the story
itself. Everything about this book is
simply B.E.A.U.T.I.F.U.L. I was sad when
I read the last word. It was so wonderful I didn't want it to end. A book like this doesn’t come around
often. It’s one of those very special
stories that not only brings us an emotional read, but also teaches us
something (well, a lot of somethings) along the way.
The writing is beautiful and definitely adds to the flow of
the story. The blending of the past with the present is wonderful. I loved that the story was told with
flashbacks as opposed to straight from the beginning to the end. And, the quotes at the beginning of each
chapter just add to the specialness of this book. It’s hard to fathom that this is Amanda Dick’s
first book. Absolution is beyond
incredible for a debut offering. It’s
beyond incredible PERIOD!!!
This book is simply phenomenal. Do yourself a HUGE favor and pick this one
up. READ IT, READ IT, READ IT!
5+ STARS!
AUTHOR BIO
Amanda Dick is a night-owl, coffee addict, movie
buff and music lover. She also writes.
Born in Opotiki, New Zealand, she is rather partial to dark chocolate and
believes in the power of a good vanilla latte. She has a passion for the
colour green (particularly in clothes and gemstones) and insists there is
nothing sexier than a man in a kilt.
She spent several months traveling around Europe in her late 20’s (there’s a
story there – she’ll get around to writing it one day). After ridding herself of her wanderlust, she met
the love of her life (while working to pay off said wanderlust) in Edinburgh,
Scotland. They moved in together the
week after their first date – so yes, she believes in love at first
sight. She also believes in Women's Intuition and following your
heart.
She writes on her trusty laptop, predominantly late at night, when it's quiet
and interruptions are few. Most of all, she enjoys writing about human
behaviour - love, loss, joy, grief, friendship and relationships in
general. She loves to put normal, everyday people into situations that
will test their boundaries. She is passionately curious about how we, as
human beings, react when pushed to the edge.
After living in Scotland for five years, she has now settled back home in New
Zealand, where she lives with her husband and two children.
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