Ingrid freezes and all the color drains from her face.
“Excuse me?” she whispers.
Gabe’s mouth opens and closes several times, speechless.
“It’s true. Gabe assaulted me,” I finally admit aloud. “Jack saved me before it went all the way.”
My words that gut me. Jack saved me.
And I ended things like he meant nothing.
Gabe draws in a deep breath, then clears his throat once more. This time, his uneasiness fades into something more stoic and chillingly calm.
“I am sorry you still think our intimate moment was anything but consensual. A moment that was violently interrupted by a deeply disturbed man.”
“It wasnotconsensual.” I gasp, incredulous. “And Jack is not a disturbed man.”
Ingrid grabs my wrist. “This really happened? Gabe tried to rape you?”
“No,” he barks. “If I had, why didn’t Morgan call the police? Why would she hide it from you, Ingrid. She was obviously ashamed that she kept coming onto me. I tried to tell her we needed to slow down.”
“You liar!” I yell.
“Morgan, I know this hard for you to accept. That man brainwashed you. He has put the devil’s words into your soul and re-wrote history. The truth remains the truth. You and I had an intimate relationship. Jack entered your life and now...” He holds up the picture. “Now you have transformed into someone unrecognizable.”
I can’t believe he has the audacity to twist that night into something it wasn’t. When I glance at Ingrid, her eyes carry doubt, as if she needs a moment to digest these two wildly opposite stories. Whether she means it or not, that doubt stabs. I didn’t expect my best friend to respond that way. I don’t know what I expected, but not that.
Panicked and feeling ambushed, I grab my purse and run out of the room.
Gabe follows.
With tears coating my cheeks, I run to escape because I don’t want him to see how he still affects me. I don’t want him to know his little plan just blew up my already crumbling world.
“Morgan, wait. Please!” he calls out.
I don’t.
I won’t.
“I spoke to your dad.”
My body no longer responds to my will. My feet plant and my heart stops beating. Slowly, I turn to face him.
The words scrape out of my throat, my voice shaky.
“You toldmy dad?”
“Just about the photo.”
“How convenient. You left out—”
Gabe holds up his hands. “Father Montgomery is deeply concerned about his daughter’s salvation. He told me about your lover showing up at the airport with no regard for optics. He thinks it’s best we spend some time together.”
I know what that means.
“Are you seriously suggesting we go on a date?”
“Not me, Morgan. Your dad suggested it. I told him no, but he insisted. How could I say no to my boss?”
