After My Divorce, His Enemy Claimed Me.

Questions and lies

(Sloane)

I was in the middle of reviewing a patient's chart when my phone vibrated.

An email from Vaughn.

I almost deleted it without reading it. Almost.

But curiosity got the better of me.

*You think Kieran Ashford is a good man? Ask him about Johns Hopkins. Ask him about the patient who died. Ask him why he really left Baltimore.*

I stared at the screen, my heart racing.

Johns Hopkins. A patient who died. Baltimore.

What was he talking about?

I put my phone down and tried to focus on the chart in front of me. But I couldn't. The words kept replaying in my head.

Vaughn was desperate. He was saying anything he could to get under my skin, to make me doubt Kieran.

But what if he wasn't lying?

I grabbed my phone and did a quick search. Kieran Ashford, Johns Hopkins.

Nothing came up. No articles, no news reports, nothing about a patient death or a scandal.

Either it never happened, or it was buried.

I put my phone down and rubbed my temples. This was exactly what Vaughn wanted. To make me question everything. To make me doubt the one person who'd been there for me through all of this.

But I couldn't just ignore it.

I needed to know the truth.

I finished my shift and headed to Kieran's office. It was almost seven PM, and most of the administrative staff had gone home. The hallways were quiet, just the sound of my footsteps on the tile floor.

When I reached his office, the door was open. He was sitting at his desk, reviewing something on his computer.

I knocked on the doorframe.

He looked up and smiled. "Sloane. What are you doing here? I thought you'd be home by now."

"I need to talk to you about something."

His smile faded. "Come in. Close the door."

I stepped inside and closed the door behind me. Then I walked over to his desk and pulled out my phone.

"Vaughn sent me an email," I said, showing him the screen.

Kieran's expression didn't change as he read it. But something in his eyes shifted. Something I couldn't quite name.

"What is he talking about?" I asked.

Kieran leaned back in his chair. "I have no idea."

"You worked at Johns Hopkins before you came here, didn't you?"

"Yes. For three years."

"And?"

"And nothing. Vaughn is making things up because he's desperate."

"So there was no patient who died? No investigation?"

Kieran's face remained calm. Too calm. "Sloane, patients die in hospitals. It's part of the job. But if Vaughn is implying that I did something wrong, he's lying."

"Then why did you leave?"

"I left because I got a better offer here. Simple as that."

I studied his face, looking for any sign that he was telling the truth. But his expression was unreadable.

"Kieran, if there's something I should know, you need to tell me."

"There's nothing to tell."

"Then why did Vaughn bring it up?"

"Because he's trying to turn you against me. He knows you're moving on, and he can't handle it. So he's digging into my past, making up stories, hoping you'll believe him."

"Is he making it up?"

Kieran stood and walked around his desk until he was standing in front of me. He took my hands in his.

"Sloane, I need you to trust me. Vaughn is dangerous. He's not going to stop until he destroys both of us. If you start believing his lies, he wins."

"I'm not asking you to tell me your life story. I'm just asking if there's any truth to what he said."

Kieran's grip on my hands got firmer. Not painful, but firm enough that I noticed.

"There's no truth to it. And I need you to leave it alone."

"Leave it alone?"

"Yes. Vaughn is playing games. If you keep digging, if you keep asking questions, you're giving him exactly what he wants. He wants you to doubt me. He wants you to push me away. Don't let him win."

I pulled my hands away. "This isn't about winning or losing, Kieran. This is about the truth."

"The truth is that I care about you. And I'm not going to let Vaughn destroy what we have."

"We don't have anything yet."

The words came out harsher than I intended, but they were true. Kieran had told me he wanted me, but we weren't together. We weren't anything.

Kieran's expression darkened. "Don't say that."

"It's true. You told me you wanted me, but I never said I wanted you back."

"You didn't have to. I can see it in the way you look at me. The way you smile when I'm around. The way you let me protect you."

"That doesn't mean I'm ready for this."

"Then what do you need? Because I'm here, Sloane. I'm doing everything I can to show you that I'm not like Vaughn. That I'm the kind of man you deserve."

"I need honesty. And right now, I don't know if you're being honest with me."

Kieran stepped back, his face hardening. "You think I'm lying to you?"

"I don't know. That's the problem."

We stood there in silence for a moment. The air between us felt different. Colder.

"I'm not lying to you," Kieran said finally. "But I'm also not going to let Vaughn dictate this conversation. If you want to believe him, that's your choice. But don't expect me to defend myself against baseless accusations."

"They're not baseless if they're making me question things."

"Then maybe you don't trust me as much as I thought you did."

His words stung.

"That's not fair."

"Isn't it? I've been there for you through everything. I've protected you from Vaughn, supported you, made sure you felt safe. And the second he plants a seed of doubt, you're in my office demanding answers."

"Because I have a right to know if the man I'm spending time with has something to hide."

"I don't have anything to hide."

"Then why won't you just answer the question?"

"Because there's nothing to answer!" His voice raised, and I flinched.

He noticed and took a breath, running a hand through his hair.

"I'm sorry," he said, his voice calmer now. "I didn't mean to yell. But you have to understand, Sloane. Vaughn is trying to destroy me. And if you keep listening to him, he's going to succeed."

I didn't know what to say.

Part of me wanted to believe Kieran. To trust that he was telling the truth and that Vaughn was just being manipulative.

But another part of me couldn't get rid of the feeling that Kieran was hiding something.

"I should go," I said.

"Sloane, wait."

"I need time to think."

"Don't let Vaughn get in your head."

"This isn't about Vaughn. This is about you and me. And right now, I don't know if I can trust you."

Kieran's face went blank. "So that's it? You're just going to walk away because Vaughn sent you an email?"

"I'm walking away because you won't give me a straight answer."

"I did give you an answer. You just don't want to believe it."

I turned and walked to the door.

"Sloane."

I paused but didn't turn around.

"If you walk out that door, you're making a mistake."

I looked back at him. "Maybe. But it's my mistake to make."

Then I left.

I walked down the hallway, my mind spinning. I didn't know what to think. I didn't know who to believe.

Kieran had been so good to me. So protective, so supportive. But the way he'd reacted just now, the way he'd refused to answer my questions directly, made me wonder if Vaughn was right.

What if Kieran was hiding something?

What if the man I was starting to trust wasn't who he said he was?

I got to my car and sat there for a moment, staring at the steering wheel.

My phone vibrated. A text from Kieran.

*I'm sorry for raising my voice. I just don't want to lose you. Please don't let Vaughn come between us.*

I didn't respond.

Instead, I started the car and drove home.

When I got there, I poured myself a glass of wine and sat on the couch.

I needed to figure out what to do. I needed to figure out who to trust.

But right now, I didn't trust anyone.

Not Vaughn. Not Kieran. Not even myself.

I pulled out my phone and opened a browser. Then I typed in Johns Hopkins, patient death, investigation.

Pages of results came up. None of them mentioned Kieran by name.

But that didn't mean it didn't happen.

I clicked on a few links, skimming through articles about medical malpractice cases, hospital cover ups, and investigations that went nowhere.

Nothing concrete. Nothing I could use.

I put my phone down and finished my wine.

Tomorrow, I'd talk to Mara. Maybe she could help me figure this out. Maybe she'd have some perspective I was missing.

But tonight, I just needed to be alone.

I went to bed early, but I couldn't sleep. My mind was racing with everything that had happened.

Kieran's reaction. The way he'd brushed off my questions. The way he'd told me to leave it alone.

People who had nothing to hide didn't react like that.

And that scared me more than anything Vaughn could have said.

Because if Kieran was hiding something, if there was any truth to what Vaughn had written, then I'd been falling for a man I didn't really know.

And I didn't know if I could handle that.

Not after everything I'd already been through.

I rolled over and stared at the ceiling.

Tomorrow, I'd figure it out. Tomorrow, I'd get answers.