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With that, she walks off, and I thank my lucky stars that she didn’t look.
Because what the absolute fuck? How on earth did he do this? Giving a quick search, I find myself alone in the hall and pull the pictures out. I scroll through them at a rapid pace and then shove them back in the bag, crinkling it up tight.
Those are pictures of me having sex with a woman I’ve never seen before. A woman I’ve never met before. But that’s my body in those images. My face. It’s me on top of someone.
And Cayden handed those images to Cricket with the intent of either her seeing them, Katy seeing them, or me seeing them. Or more likely all three. My heart starts to pound in a way it never has before.
If he’s been watching me, then he knows I’m with Katy. And if he showed up here right after I left, there’s a chance he heard me on the phone with my mom when I told her I was stopping by before heading home. Jesus Christ. This is the most fucked-up thing I’ve ever experienced.
Katy is working a night shift tonight. Her plan was to sleep in as late as she could and then go swimming. I need to talk to her, but I don’t want to do it over the phone. This has to be an in-person conversation.
I rub my forehead. How will I ever get her to believe me? I know how this looks and how it seems, and she has no reason to believe me other than the faith we have in each other. But is it strong enough for this? I don’t know. If it were reversed, would I even listen to an explanation when pictures of her having sex with another man are right in front of me? Pictures dated last week at that. Probably not.
I can’t do this. Not again. Never with her. I can’t lose Katy. It’s not even an option.
But I can’t hide this from her either. Hiding them is worse. It looks guilty when I’m not. And I won’t lie or keep things from her.
For now, I rush back into the locker room and stuff the bag in my locker. Closing it with a resounding bang, I head back out onto the floor. I text Katy, asking if she can come in thirty minutes early so we can talk. She doesn’t reply, and I slip my phone back into my pocket. I do my best to shake out the restlessness that’s been dancing in my limbs since Liz called and head for the nurse’s station to get report from last night’s staff when my boss intercepts me.
“Bennett, do you have a minute?”
Nothing good ever happens when your boss asks if you have a minute. Fuck.
“Of course.” I force a smile and a calm demeanor despite the next round of nerves rioting through me.
“Perfect.” He slaps me on the back. “Walk with me.”
We start to stroll down the hall but quickly find ourselves entering an empty OR. The room is dark and cold, and I fight the urge to shiver and fidget. My skin prickles with awareness. We’re alone, far from the ears of others for a reason.
“What I’m going to talk to you about is delicate.”
Oh shit. “Okay.” I let my arms fall casually in front of me.
“Cayden Craw came to see me yesterday evening.”
My jaw automatically clenches. “I see.”
“He had before, so at first, I didn’t think much of it. A few weeks back he came to see me, asking about a position on the neuro team. I told him I didn’t have any openings at the time, but if one popped up, I’d keep him in mind. Last week, I learned that one of our neuro staff is going to be leaving and I called him, asking him to come in for a series of interviews.”
My hands climb to my hips, and I bluster out a heavy breath. “Evan, if I may?—”
“Just let me finish,” he interrupts, and I harden my stance as well as my expression. “He came in yesterday evening even though his first round of interviews isn’t until next week to tell me that you’re having a secret affair with one of your staffers and that you got her pregnant.”
That filthy, slimy, weaselly motherfucker. When I get my hands on him, I will end him.
“He was trying to get me fired for sexual misconduct. Again.”
He nods and then pauses. “Again?”
“Yes.” I fold my arms over my chest. “I learned just this morning from a hospital administrator at Mayo that Cayden paid the women to come forward with false allegations against me. He was released from his position there once that truth came to light. That’s been kept a secret by the hospital for obvious reasons.”
He doesn’t look surprised by this, which shocks me a bit. He runs his hand along his jaw. “Originally when he came to see me, he told me how close the two of you are. How he’s been your best friend for years.”
I shift, looking briefly down at the floor. “He was. He’s also the one who slept with my now ex-wife.”
He nods as if it all makes sense now. “I see. Well, yes, he came in to try to get you fired.”
“Do you mind if I ask what you said to him?”
