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Chapter 23
The Truth
Deciding what to wear to a meeting with my nemesis was no easy task. I didn’t want to give him the wrong impression by trying too hard, but I also needed to feel confident. In the end, I selected dark denim jeans, a burnt-orange chunky sweater, and topped the outfit off with knee-high brown boots. I left my long waves loose around my shoulders and took a deep breath in front of the mirror.You got this, Carolina.
Fall had barely begun to turn the city umber, but the chill was already prominent. Hector had coffee waiting on the table by the time I arrived at the café. He wore a thin, grey sweater that clung to every muscle of his torso—not that I noticed—with jeans and white sneakers.
“Carolina,” he said. “Thank you for coming.”
“Dr. Medina,” I said curtly.
“I can get you a different coffee if you’d like. This one is probably cold.”
I’d intentionally shown up twenty minutes late for our meeting. He needed to know who had the upper hand here. I held the cards, and that had to be clear.
“This is fine,” I said, without tasting the coffee.
“You are never late,” he noted.
“I’m never late when it’s somethingimportant.” I took a sip and tried to ignore the smile playing at the corner of his lips. “Dr. Medina, I’m a busy woman. You said you have a lot to say to me, so I suggest you get started.” I glared at him.
“Can we start by using first names?”
“No.”
He drew his hands up in defense. “Okay. This will do for now.”
“What do you want? Why are you here?” I shot each question at him rapid-fire.
“I’m here for you.”
I scoffed. Was he trying to pull this same old shit again? He couldn’t bethatstupid.
“I am,” he repeated. “I stayed away as long as I could, but I figured it had been long enough.”
“Speak clearly. I don’t have time for games.”
“I’m not trying to play any games. I swear.”
“Then,please,tell me why you are here.”
“I think it’s time you heard my side of the story.”
“Are you talking about what happened when you were last at Heartland Metro?”
He nodded.
“The right to tell your side of the story passed you by nearly seven years ago, Doctor.”
He closed his eyes at my cool tone. “Just as well,” he said. “I’d very much like to tell you what happened from my point of view. I owe you that much.”
“You have no idea exactly how much you owe me.”
Hector leaned back in his chair. He cleaned his glasses once before putting them back on his face and started speaking again.
“I’ll get to it then. I submitted the paperweworked on after the last edits you sent me. At the time, I didn’t realize Chief Stuart had apersonalrelationship with someone from the editorial staff at the medical journal.”
“That son of a bitch,” I hissed.
