“I can drive.” I nod, putting the key in the ignition, but I need to remember where I live first.
“Okay. Text me when you get home. I’m going to go in there and poison the bastard’s food with rat poison and watch him take his last breath.”
I know she wouldn’t actually follow through with that threat, but the look in her eyes feels like she’s being dead serious. She shuts my door and watches me as I drive out of the lot before she turns and walks back inside. The entire last year is replaying in my mind. The texts. The excuses. Him always coming to my place instead of wanting me to go to his. Him always being on call on nights and weekends. The hours and hours I waited for him to text. To call. All the time wasted. All the lies. Lies upon lies.
He’s married.
My phone buzzes with a text, but I can’t even look at it. I know it’s him and I don’t want to hear anything that asshole has to say. I don’t want to hear any more lies or excuses. I don’t even want an apology. Somehow, I just want to figure out how to forget he ever existed.
I pick up my phone, ignoring his message, and dial Shayna, needing her support to help get me home.
“He’s married, Shay!” I shout into the phone as soon as she picks up. My entire body is shaking. It’s a wonder that I’m staying in my lane.
“Who’s married?” She sounds confused. Who else would I be talking about?
“The doctor!”
The man who called me his special girl and told me he’d never wanted to commit himself to anyone until he met me. I was the one who made him want to settle down. I was the one and only love of his life. Lies. All of it was a fucking lie.
“Like married and separated or likemarriedmarried?”
“Married as in she walked into the steakhouse today and kissed him on the mouth. Married as in she was talking aboutbuying cookies for his mom and scotch for his dad. Married as in she told me not to spill the water on herhusband’s lap. Married as in her diamond was blinding me. Married as in they’re planning to start a family. He’s been lying to me this entire time, Shayna. Every fucking thing that came out of his mouth has been a lie.”
He’s not going to a medical conference this week. Apparently, he’s going to visit his family. He was probably with his wife last night and that’s why he couldn’t stop by to see me. I should’ve asked her while I was there. Everything has been a lie. I don’t even know if there was a single truth in anything he said.
“Oh my God. That fucking bastard. I’m so sorry, Izz. So damn sorry. So, what happened? What did you do?”
“I left. I left him and his bitchy wife, and I got in my car. Now, I’m driving home, and he keeps texting me.” Another one just came in. I think that makes three based on the number of times my phone has buzzed in my hand.
“What’s he saying?”
I pull up to a stoplight and chance a look at my phone, feeling my stomach twist further as I read them.
Doctor D:It’s not what you think.
Doctor D:Please let me explain, Izabelle.
Doctor D:I don’t love her. You’re the only one I love.
“He says he wants to explain.” I ignore the rest. What I think is that he was caught red-handed and now he’s trying to come up with some lame reason. I know the truth. He wanted to have his cake and eat it too. Let’s just be real. He has a wife at home and a young “little girl” on the side who waits around to suck his dick whenever he has the urge. Why wouldn’t he try to get away with the lie for as long as he could?
“Explain what?” Shay asks, sounding as pissed as Viv.
“I don’t want to hear anything he has to say. I trusted that man. I trusted him and he lied. That’s all I need to know.” Hebetrayed me. There is no explanation for that. Nothing that’s going to make me forgive him. All the I-love-yous in the world won’t do it.
“I’m so sorry, Izz. I know how much you cared about him.”Cared about him?I’d already picked out our freaking kids’ names. All I was waiting on was for him to pop the question and ask me to be his wife.
“It hurts, Shay.” And here come the tears again. Tears he doesn’t deserve. “I thought he was the one.”
“I’m coming to see you.”
She can’t do that. She lives too far away.
“I can’t ask you to do that. It’s almost a two-hour drive.”
“I’d drive twenty if I needed to. Let me just tell the guys and then I’ll be on the road. Give me a couple of hours, okay?”
“Thanks, sis.” The words barely make it out of my mouth.
