Reckoning
1184 Words
Chapter 8
Reckoning
(Maya’s POV)
It was easy to avoid David at home. I’d grown good at moving silently, slipping from the room and out the back door. If I heard the sound of his keys in the front door, I would disappear upstairs. If he was already home, I’d find an excuse to be anywhere else …at the hospital, the gym, running meaningless errands. Anything to keep from looking him in the eye. Because if I did, I was afraid I’d either start crying or start screaming.
David didn’t even notice. Either he thought I was working to finish up all my work, so I could focus on the family I had promised him. Or, more likely he was to busy with his mistress to notice.
But at the hospital, there was no escaping the man.
I saw him from across the cafeteria earlier today, chatting with a group of residents. They were young and beautiful and looked completely mesmerized by his words. He wore the same smile he used to give me. Confident, charming, magnetic. A smile I thought belonged only to me.
I stood with my lunch tray clutched tightly in my hands, trying not to glare. My stomach twisted as I watched him lean in toward one of the young nurses, his hand brushing her arm in a way that was far too familiar. My appetite vanished and nausea took over.
Was that her?
Was she the one?
The one he was risking everything for?
Here in the hospital we had met and made so many memories?
The feeling intensifies.
Did everyone here know about David and his affair? Were there affairs?
What would stop a man from cheating more than once?
I closed my eyes and tried to take a deep breath, then I turned quickly, not waiting for confirmation. I didn’t want to know. Not here. Not when my chest already felt like it was splintering in two.
How long had it been going on? Months? A year? How many times had I rolled over in bed to find it empty and believed his lies about night rounds and emergencies? I thought I was smart.
I thought I could read people. But I was wrong.
Stupid.
Embarrassed.
Humiliated.
I sat down at my desk and stared at the patient files on my computer screen. But the words blurred together, my thoughts still stuck on David’s smile and that woman’s laugh.
A soft ding from my phone pulled me out of my spiral.
Appointment confirmed: Axel Hendrikson – Thursday, 10:30 AM.
I stared at the screen for a moment.
Axel again?
A strange feeling fluttered in my stomach. I couldn’t quite name it.
There was something about him—his eyes maybe. The way they burned with intensity every time he looked at me. Or maybe it was the way he spoke to me, like I was someone important. Someone he saw.
He was young, yes. But there was something deeply grounded in him. A quiet confidence. A kindness.
Stop it, I told myself.
He was a patient. Nothing more.
Still, he was better than David. That much I was sure of.
I needed to get a grip. I needed my mind back in the game.
And more than anything, I needed a drink.
- - - - - - - - - -
By eight o’clock that evening, I was seated across from Kinsley Moore at a quiet wine bar a few blocks from my townhouse. The place was mostly empty, which was perfect for what I had planned.
Kinsley, my best friend and conveniently also my lawyer, sipped her cocktail and gave me a pointed look. “You look like hell.”
“Thanks,” I muttered, downing the rest of my glass of merlot. “Exactly the confidence boost I needed.”
She flagged the waiter. “Another for her. And keep them coming.”
“I’m not trying to get trashed,” I warned.
“Oh, honey,” Kinsley said, her voice warm but firm. “Yes, you are.”
I exhaled slowly. “He’s still lying to me. Still pretending like nothing’s wrong. Like we didn’t spend the last ten years building a life together. And now he’s out there... smiling like he’s not ripping my heart out of my chest.”
“Piece of s**t,” Kinsley said under her breath.
“Total piece of s**t,” I agreed.
The drinks kept coming. I didn’t even know what number I was on. The warmth had spread to my cheeks, to my shoulders, to the corners of my mind. My voice was looser, lighter, but my chest still burned with betrayal.
“I loved him, Kins.”
“I know you did,” she said, her eyes softening. “But you loved a version of him that doesn’t exist anymore. If he ever did.”
“I thought I was so smart,” I whispered, fingers tightening around my glass. “I’m a doctor. I’m trained to spot symptoms, inconsistencies, lies. I should’ve seen it.”
“No,” Kinsley said, shaking her head. “Don’t do that. Don’t blame yourself because he’s a selfish bastard. You trusted him. That’s not a flaw, Maya. That’s love.”
I scoffed. “Love makes you blind, apparently.”
“Yeah, but now you see. And now we plan.”
“Plan?” I raised a brow.
Kinsley’s smile turned wicked. “Oh, sweetheart. Did you think I was just here to drink wine and listen to you rant?”
“…Yes?”
She laughed. “I’ve already got half the paperwork drafted. You just say the word and we’ll burn him to the f*****g ground.”
I choked on a laugh. “God, I missed you.”
“I missed you too. You’ve been playing house with a fraud while I’ve been waiting for you to finally call it quits.”
My heart twisted again. “I’m not ready.”
“You don’t have to be,” she said gently. “But when you are, I’ve got your back. Legal, emotional, psychological - hell, I’ll s***h his tires if you want.”
I snorted. “Let’s not go to prison just yet.”
She leaned forward, her voice low. “Maya, he doesn’t deserve to walk away from this clean. You’re a badass surgeon. A brilliant woman. And you’re gonna be fine.”
“I don’t want to be fine,” I admitted. “I want him to hurt.”
Kinsley raised her glass. “Now that’s the spirit.”
We clinked glasses.
I felt better. Still angry, still grieving. But less alone.
Kinsley leaned back in her seat. “You’re not going to let him get away with this, right?”
“No,” I said, staring into my wine. “I won’t. I let him lie to me once. Never again.”
And I meant it.
This time, I was the one keeping secrets. And when the time was right, David was going to learn just how much damage a broken heart could cause.
- Writer
