Beneath the Scars

I knew what he saw. Jared holding me, surrounded by a crowd he thought I’d sent to find him. I shook my head, tears filling my eyes as I struggled to get free from Jared’s constricting grasp.

There was only indifference in his gaze: blank, unforgiving, cold. He looked at me as if I was a stranger.

No second chances, his voice murmured in my head.

My head fell to my chest as I sobbed.

The squeal of his tires would echo in my head for days.* * *Hands tore Jared’s painful grip away from my arms. An arm wrapped around me, pulling me into the safety of the gallery. Stumbling blindly, I sank onto the floor, shaking and crying. Voices talked around me fast and panicked. I caught only snippets of words.

He said…

She did this…

She wouldn’t…

And one word that kept repeating.

Zachary.

I wept until there were no tears left to cry. When I opened my eyes, I realized I was in Jonathon’s office. The only other person in the room was Ashley, who was regarding me with anguish. “Tell me you didn’t do what he says you did. What he told Zachary you did.”

“I love Zachary,” I rasped, holding out my hands in supplication. “I didn’t do anything.” A wave of nausea ran through me and I clapped my hand over my mouth, my shoulders heaving. In sympathy, she pointed to a door and I rushed into the washroom, retching until there was nothing left. Washing my face and hands, I avoided looking in the mirror, knowing what I’d see—what Ashley saw when she looked at me.

Guilt.

Because of me, Jared came after Zachary. I might not have done anything, literally, but I caused it to happen.

She was waiting for me when I came out. “Sit down.”

“I have to go. I have to find—”

She shook her head. “Jonathon is dealing with the police and chaos out there. You can’t go anywhere right now. The gallery is closed.” She shuddered. “I hope Zachary is safe. He isn’t answering his phone.”

My stomach lurched again and I wrapped my arms around my torso to try and stop the shivers that kept running through me.

She drew in a deep breath. “I want the truth, Megan. Who was that man?”

My voice shook as I told her. I told her everything. About my book and what Jared did. How I met Zachary. I told her all of it. When I was finished, she was quiet, her fingers tapping out a fast rhythm on the arm of her wheelchair. “What did he say?” I asked, knowing the answer, but wanting to hear it.

She shook her head, disgust written all over her face. “I didn’t hear or see the start of it, but what I did witness was awful. There were people in the gallery keeping both of us busy and he cornered Zachary in the office. He told him you had set him up. You became curious about Karen’s reclusive neighbor, did some checking and thought you’d found a great story. You were using him to write a book on his life—a real exposé. He went on and on about how you contrived meeting him, your innocent act. He said the whole story about him stealing your book was only a cover to get you sympathy.” She met my eyes. “He took great pleasure in telling Zachary the two of you were lovers, but you had gotten greedy about not sharing the book with him, so he decided to speed things up.” Her voice dropped. “He also said you were getting tired of keeping up the act of being in love and letting Zachary touch you like he was”—she hesitated—“normal.”

I whimpered. Without even knowing it, he hit all of Zachary’s weak spots. “What happened?”

“Zachary hit him. Only once, but it was hard. He went down and Zachary bolted.” She shook her head. “That’s when he ran out the door and into the mess back there. Jonathon called the police and went out back and grabbed you.”

I shut my eyes as fresh tears gathered. So easily broken. The fragile bond I knew would take time to strengthen had been so easy to break. Small cracks had been forming, and today, the final blow had been delivered.

“I didn’t do this, Ashley. I’m not writing a book about him. I didn’t expose him.” The tremor in my voice grew stronger. “But, it is my fault.”

“What?”

“Jared heard me say his name and where I was staying. I thought I covered it up, but obviously I didn’t. He was looking for a way to discredit me so no one would ever believe me about my book, or anything else.” Bill had been right. A sob erupted from my chest. “It worked.” I met her eyes. “Zachary will never listen to me. He’ll never give me a chance to explain.”