Our Wicked Lies by Gledé Kabongo (books for new readers TXT) 📕

Alicia laid out the complete story in truncated bursts. The length of the affair, Eliot’s continued denials, and the final confrontation at Kat’s office yesterday.

He raked his hair back repeatedly. When his hands landed in his lap, his hair was sticking up.

As she took in his distressed appearance, a terrible thought occurred to her. “Jack, what if Kat asked you to be her gynecologist for a specific reason, other than the obvious? I thought it was strange, but like everything else having to do with her, I dismissed it.”

“What do you mean?”

“Of all the doctors she could have picked, why you? If her plan all along was to convince Eliot to leave me by pretending she was pregnant—”

“What better person than a doctor on whom she had leverage,” Jack finished.

“Yes. That’s what I was thinking.”

“She’s a user then.”

“I didn’t see it before, but that’s who she turned out to be, a user and an opportunist. Can’t you dump her as a patient, make up an excuse, and have one of the other doctors in the practice take her on?”

“Frankly, Alicia, if she’s capable of blackmail, not to mention the heinous way she treated you, then I don’t want her anywhere near my practice. Period. If she’s still determined to lure Eliot away from you, we can’t predict what she’ll do next.”

When they’d finally spoken about his betrayal and about the abortion, Alicia hadn’t asked Eliot whether or not he’d ended the affair. She’d been too caught up in the emotional pain of the moment. But when she’d gone to see Kat in her office, she’d made it sound as if the universe had predestined them as a couple and that they were still together.

Eliot hadn’t addressed his infidelity. He’d been too busy interrogating Alicia about the abortion. She hoped he didn’t think he was off the hook, that he would get away with cheating on her so easily. He had blindsided her that night.

Soon, it would be her turn to ask the tough questions. Why? How often had they met up in their little love nest in Chestnut Hill? What promises had he made to Kat? And the big one… Did he love her? Scratch that. She wouldn’t make that mistake. It was an open invitation to more lying, and she couldn’t handle any more of Eliot’s lies. Two years. That told her everything she needed to know.

“Actions have consequences, Jack. Even for Kat.”

“They do,” he agreed. “I could be brought before a medical ethics committee. I provided a fake sonogram. Not to mention that I treated a patient and sent her to recover in a hotel suite booked in my name. If Katalina tells all, I’m done. The practice is already struggling financially. Any additional pressure, well...”

“Jack, I had no idea,” she said gently. “Is that why you were vague when I asked for a job a while ago?”

“Yes. I wanted to help, but I simply can’t afford to hire anyone, not even part-time. Things are tight enough as it is.”

Alicia felt her insides deflate like a trapped hot-air balloon. If she ended her marriage, she would need a job to support herself. She’d been counting on Jack to help her out until she finished her degree. Although Wes George had assured her that she could walk away with a huge settlement, she couldn’t stake her future on that possibility. She knew Eliot. He had a mean streak. He could make things difficult for her if he wanted to, especially now that he knew she had aborted his son.

She didn’t have a vast network of friends or former colleagues she could tap. Jack was it, and he had problems of his own. It was a terrible ordeal for someone like Jack who had made a career out of serving others.

“There’s a solution to every problem, Jack. Don’t give up. You’ll—we’ll—find a way to come out of the red and make the practice profitable again.”

She would take her own advice. There was a solution to her current dilemma. If Eliot caused her more problems, she would reach out to Arnie Tillerson. She didn’t care if it made her look vindictive. She was way past that now.

CHAPTER 39

A few minutes after ten the next morning, Alicia leaned against the kitchen island, popped her earbuds in and scrolled through the audiobook library on her phone. She’d downloaded a book on the art of negotiation, and she wanted to listen to the first few chapters of the book while she had the house to herself.

After she left Jack’s office yesterday, she’d realized how inadequately prepared she was for the looming battle with Eliot. Eliot had been a lawyer for twenty-plus years; negotiation was his bread and butter. There was a fair amount of negotiation skills one needed to bring up two strong-minded girls, but it was nothing in comparison to beating a titan at his own game. She needed to do some homework.

She hit the ‘play’ button, but the author’s voice was immediately interrupted by her text-notification tone. She opened her text app.

Rina: Something’s up at the DeLucases.

Alicia: What do you mean?

Rina: Police cars everywhere.

What?

Panic and horror licked at Alicia like the greedy, destructive flames of an all-consuming fire. Chaos. That was the only way to describe the scene before her as she scrambled down the street. Emergency vehicles were everywhere. Red lights flashed. Neighbors gathered on the lawn, pointing and whispering. Uniformed police officers and EMTs hurried toward the front door. Any lingering thoughts of a good outcome vanished when the officers began applying yellow crime-scene tape around the parameter of the property.

Spurred by pure adrenaline, Alicia marched past several vehicles.

“Ma’am, stop right there.” A young, uniformed officer held up his arms to slow her advance.

“My friend lives here. What’s going on?” She tried to sound normal—whatever that was anymore—but the questions came out in short, frightened breaths.

“This is officially a crime scene. Please step back.”

The donut and coffee she had for breakfast earlier were