Page 11 of Second Chance Summer

“Excuse me?”

“You heard my question, Henny.”

“Yeah, I did, but I won’t justify it with an answer.”

“Why not? If you have nothing to hide…”

He wipes his mouth, and just when I think he’s going to implode, he says, “There has never been anyone else. I break my back night and day making sure we have a comfortable life, and this is what you think of me?”

“You’re hardly around. What else am I supposed to think?”

I hold his angry gaze, but in his eyes I see pain. I think I may have actually hurt the man who hides his emotions behind expensive suits, banter, and board meetings.

His eyes fall to his plate. He looks defeated. He says, “I’ve never cheated on you, Nai. It never even crossed my mind. Is that why you were so quick to leave? You conjured up this story in your head, thinking I’m out here cheating on you.”

“All I know is, you weren’t giving it to me.”

He stands, drops his napkin on his plate of half-eaten food, and walks away from the table.

My breath hitches.

Dr. Makalua says, “You need to unpack that.”

“Doc, speak to me in real terms here. I’m already stressed.”

“It sounded to me like he was being truthful, and if that’s the case, you need to dig deep and figure out why you’re having these trust issues.”

She’s right. Gosh. I could see the hurt in his eyes.

She says, “Apologize and make it right. That’s what marriage is, really. Fixing little issues as they come along. When things go unresolved for so long, that’s when they compound and become bigger than what they should be. I’m not asking you to sail off into the sunset—we are still working through your therapy here—but you can at least apologize for something you got wrong.”

“You’re right, and I will. As a matter of fact,” I say, then wipe my mouth. “Let me go ahead and do that before it gets too late. I’ll see you in the morning.”

“Have a good night, Lanai.”

“You as well.”

I walk to the elevators and take one up to the suite. I’m not sure what I’m going to walk in on, but I feel I owe it to him to apologize.

I use the resort’s app on my phone to unlock the door, and when I step inside, I see Hendrick standing outside on the balcony. His back is to me while he stares out into a darkened paradise.

I say, “Hendrick—”

He turns around. His unbuttoned shirt falls open, showing buttery brown abs that I can’t seem to tear my eyes away from, but I do. I look up at him, holding his vision while seeing the hurt in his eyes at the same time.

“So, all the while I’m out there working,” he says, “Trying my best to do what I need to do as a man for you, you’re thinking I’m stepping out on you? Is that what this separation is really all about?”

“No. It’s about all the things I said—”

“No. You think I’m cheating on you.”

I stand frozen in place because he’s right. That was a big part of my reason for wanting this separation. But should it have been?

Chapter 4

“How could you think I would do something like that, Nai?” I ask, pain hindering my breath.

I’ve been standing out here in silence, replaying every word in my mind while feeling anger and disbelief all at once, colliding with a feeling like my actual heart is breaking. Being accused of cheating by the woman I love cuts deep because it means she doesn’t trust me. And this comes after we kissed in the bathroom at the restaurant – a kiss that gave me a glimmer of hope that we could be us again. After we returned to the table, the accusation came. It never came up in any conversation we ever had prior to the separation. Why now?