"Hello?"
"Good afternoon, I'm sorry to disturb you, but is this Jane Adams, the author?" a gentile womanly voice asked.
"It is…" I replied hesitantly.
"Wonderful. Is this the Jane Adams who is dating Dr. Brian Chase?"
"Um, yes?"
"Oh, I am so glad I finally found you! I have been trying to find you, dear. I am Brian's mother, you see."
"Has something happened to Brian? Is he okay?" I asked, sitting up straight on the sofa and letting the bag of chips fall to the floor.
"Oh, no, yes he's fine. It's you that I'm concerned about, my dear."
I frowned. "Me?"
"Yes, I'm actually calling to warn you. You see, my son, I love him dearly, but the boy is a nefarious philandering cheat. The hospital has reprimanded him numerous times for becoming involved with patients; romantically, I mean. It's why his wife left him, but you see, she's trying to get him to go to marriage counseling so they can work on their marriage. He can't do that if he doesn't come clean and tell the truth."
"But… Brian told me he was divorce, and his ex was the one who cheated," I said slowly, trying to process what this woman was saying.
"It's called projection, my dear. Of course he told you that, you poor dear. I am so sorry, I only wish that I could have gotten to you sooner, but Brian has kept you a complete secret from us. I only found out about you from one of the nurses at the hospital, such a dear girl."
I had no idea what to say. I had been waiting for a flaw to show up and here it was in glaring vibrant color. I gulped air but I wasn't breathing, my throat was tight, and I thought I was going to be sick. He'd lied. Everything was a lie. The last five months had all been a lie. He was still married.
"Thank you for calling," I barely managed to whisper.
"Oh, you're welcome, my dear. Again, I am so sorry about all of this."
"Goodbye," I murmured and hung up the phone.
Shaking I dropped the phone in my lap. I couldn't believe it. One simple phone call had shattered my entire world and I couldn't think of what to do next. All I knew was I could never see him again. He was a lying cheat. Just like Aaron. I should have known.
Suddenly I felt icky. Like I needed a shower to wash all of his lies off of me, so I got up and went into the bathroom, stripping from my clothes, I stepped beneath the spray. I stood there, crying until I felt numb.Chapter 18BrianI had a surprise for Jane that I could not wait to share with her. I had found a man who worked with wood making custom furniture. I was going to take her to his shop to have that desk she wanted made for the curved room she wanted to turn into an office. The man, Bill Waters, had agreed to meet with us this evening after I got off at the hospital.
For the next hour, while I checked in on patients, Jane and what kind of desk she might like occupied my mind. Finally, I'd seen my last patient and gone over my last report, so I headed over to Jane's. When I got there, I knocked on her door, but she didn't answer.
Frowning, I knocked again, a little harder. Maybe she has her headphones on and couldn't hear me? I thought. I pulled out my phone and dialed her number, but it just went to voicemail.
"Jane? It's me. I'm standing at your door, wondering where you are? Call me back when you get this," I said into the phone.
I tucked my phone back in my pocket and tried knocking again.
A moment later, Jane said through the door, "You need to leave, Brian. I… I can't… tonight."
She sounded like she'd been crying. "Jane, sweetheart, what's the matter?"
"Just… just leave me alone… please…" she ended on a sob and I could tell she was moving away from the door.
I put my hand on the wood. "Jane? Please, tell me what's wrong? Why won't you talk to me?" My heart raced in my chest as I struggled to figure out what was going on, but I was coming up empty. "Is it Aaron? Has he been back?"
She didn't answer me.
Sighing, I decided I should respect her wishes and leave, but I wanted her to know that I would be there to listen when she was ready to talk. "Jane? I'll go, but please… when you're ready, call me. I'd like to know what's going on and help in whatever way I can. You're not alone, Jane, I will always be here for you."
She didn't reply, so I couldn't be sure she even heard me.