I take a deep breath. “About a week after we started playing and talking. I had the pill bottles and a glass of water. I wrote a note. I was so frustrated because things were just too confusing, and I couldn’t work or remember people or situations. I felt like it would never be okay again. I was ready to end it all, and your message popped up.”
Shocked, she puts her hands on my face. “Xander, you’ll kill me if you ever do anything like that.”
I pull her on my lap. “I won’t. I told you I was in a dark place. I’m out of it. But you saved me. If you hadn’t lied to me, I wouldn’t have talked to you.”
“You wouldn’t have?”
I shake my head. “No. But now that I know it was you, I know how much deeper I hurt you. I know whatever happened between you and Damon, my words caused it.”
She closes her eyes and tears fall. “I only wanted you, and you didn’t want me. He showed up, out of the blue. You had just toldme about Billie, and I wasn’t thinking clearly. I had isolated myself from everyone, and he was the first person I had any contact with in weeks. I shouldn’t have let him in. I shouldn’t have drunk with him. I shouldn’t have done what he told me to do.”
I pull her in close to me. “This isn’t your fault.”
“I made those choices.”
“Shh. It’s not your fault.”
“What am I going to do about that video?”
“You’re going to tell HR the truth and let them handle it. I’m going to call my attorney, and we’re going to go after him.”
She pulls her head back. “What do you mean?”
“It’s illegal to record you in Illinois without your permission. I already looked it up. I’m going after the bastard, and we’re going to make sure it doesn’t go any further than those who have already seen it. He will pay.”
She shakes her head. “Damon makes more than I do. He’ll keep me in legal battles for years, just to screw with me.”
“The attorneys will handle it. And you don’t need to worry about the bill. I have more money than I know what to do with.”
She squints at me. “I know you make good money as a surgeon, but Damon probably makes as much as you do, possibly more. He’s been with my company longer.”
“Can I tell you a secret?”
She nods.
I lean into her ear. “I’mfilthy rich.”
“I don’t understand.”
“I didn’t, either. Trust me. It was confusing when Noah told me. But I invested with him when we were paramedics, and I own a lot of different companies. I reinvested almost everything, and I only work because I love it. So I have all these zeros behind my name, and nothing will make me happier than to use them to take Damon down.”
She looks at me. “You’re serious right now?”
“Yes. No one will mess with you.”
“This doesn’t make sense.”
“What?”
“You saw the video, right?”
“Yes.”
“But you aren’t mad at me?”
“No.”
“And you know I lied to you for months, but you aren’t mad at me about that, either?”
