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Five weeks later
“Dr. Mathews, I cannot,” admonishes Susanna as I travel down the highway.
“Yes, you can. I give you my permission,” I counter, increasing the volume on my Bluetooth.
“No matter, I simply cannot walk up to Mr. Blackburn and…kick him in the genitals. He’s your patient.” Regardless of the fact he’s my patient, he’s still a major pain in my ass.
I slap my hand on the steering wheel, cackling in humor. “No, I suppose you can’t,” I rejoin, wiping the tears from my eyes. “But it would be a rather hilarious sight, don’t you agree?”
Susanna clucks her tongue at me, but I can sense she’s biting back her smile.
“I’ll be back in Manhattan on Monday afternoon. Please call if I’m needed,” I say, putting my serious face on.
“All will be fine, Dr. Mathews. You just focus on winning that award,” she replies, referring to the Gerald Harriet’s Awards ceremony, which will take place tomorrow night.
“I’ll try my best, but I’m up against some solid contenders.”
“There is no one better than you,” she says kindly.
I smile, touched by her loyalty.
If it weren’t for Susanna, I dare say I would be unemployed. She saved my ass and my practice after I went into hibernation with no intention of ever resurfacing. But the day my father woke was the day I pulled my shit together and realized that if he can do it, then so can I.
Things with Dad are going well. Although the doctors think he’ll never fully “recover,” he’s so much better than the unresponsive man he was months ago. Our conversations are short, and sometimes we don’t converse at all. But it’s nice to have him listen and to actually acknowledge that I’m there.
I know he misses Madison. Every time he hears a female voice, his eyes dart to the door, excitedly awaiting her arrival. But she never appears. He’s not the only one; I miss her so incredibly much that it hurts to think of her name. But I’ve stuck to my word, and no matter how hard it’s been, I haven’t given in to temptation and called her. I’ve left her alone—hence my father calling me a fucking idiot.
I really do believe she’s better off without me. Me, on the other hand, I’m still a fucking mess. But I go on. I take each day as it comes because that’s the only way I know how to survive.
Returning to the here and now, I reply to Susanna’s comment. “Thank you, Ms. Vale. You are biased, however.” She chuckles and wishes me good luck before ending the call.
I’m almost in Boston, and I’m glad I left Manhattan early to miss the standard horrendous Friday afternoon traffic.
Chad Turner has touched base with me over the course of the week, pretty much hinting at the fact that I’ve won the award. However, he’ll most likely change his tune once he finds out what I have planned. I intend to reveal to my colleagues what a complete and utter fraud I am.
I wasn’t lying when I told Juliet I would tell everyone about the sins of my past. Although these past five weeks have been Juliet-free, I’m not an idiot. I know she’ll be back. So to remove her from my life for good, I need to destroy any leverage she may have over me, which is my sordid affair with her and my patients.
I know it won’t be pleasant, but neither is living in fear that Juliet is lurking in the shadows, waiting to strike.
I pull up at the Marriott, leaving my car in the capable hands of the valet as I grab my backpack and garment bag. Once I’m checked in, I round the corner to ride the elevator to my floor. However, I’m surprised when I bump into Dr. Maxwell Wellington and someone I presume is his lovely wife.
Dr. Wellington is my old college professor. And as chance would have it, he’s Madison’scurrentcollege professor. Yeah, screw you, irony.
“Dr. Wellington?” I query, as I hadn’t realized he would be in attendance. “What a pleasant surprise.”
“Dixon, hello. And I thought I told you to call me Max,” he responds, smiling happily. “I hear congratulations are in order.”
I smirk. “Thank you, although I haven’t won yet. But honestly, to be nominated is an honor in itself.”
“If these judges have any sense, they’ll see you’re the best man for the job.” He winks while I attempt to hide my shame as I wish that were true.
There is a short silence before Max introduces the stunning woman by his side. “Dixon, this is my beautiful, angelic wife, Aiko.”
“Always the charmer,” Aiko teases playfully while shaking my hand.
It’s obvious that these two are still very much in love with one another. I remember Max revealing in his inspirational speech at the Gerald Harriet’s Fellowship Award night that they had been married for fifty years, which is quite an accomplishment in this day and age. Their devotion has me instantly yearning for Madison, and it must show on my face.
“Will Ms. Roberts be joining you this weekend?” Max asks, none the wiser to my fuckup.
