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There’s no way that Amanda would have done that interview unless she was telling the truth. Right?
That only leaves one explanation. Jake lied to me. He was cheating the entire time. And he had the audacity to act so hurt and angry while he was engaged to another woman the entire time. I was wrong for what I did, no doubt about it. But nothing compares to this.
“That lying, dirty snake,” Jess bursts out as she finishes the article. “I would never have guessed him to be the type to do this, Lana. I’m so sorry, babe. The article goes into detail about their weddingplans and how he used her traveling and his long work hours as an excuse for why he couldn’t see her. They have all kinds of photos of you and Jake together. They must have been following you for a while.”
“What am I going to do?” I hug my legs tightly to my body as I stare up at my best friend, wishing she could make all of this go away. “Everyone is going to see those photos of me. They’ll think I got the job because I was sleeping with him. They will think I broke up the engagement. How can I ever show my face again?”
Jess waves her hand in the air as though none of this matters. “No one even reads that crap. It’s not even a real news story, just some gossip page. It will blow over.”
“This isn’t going to blow over!” I practically yell. “Do you know that people are hungry for gossip about him? He keeps his private life under wraps. They have been hovering, waiting for a juicy story like this.”
As though to prove my point, my cell phone rings. Jess reaches over to grab it before I can even think to do it myself and answers on speaker. “Hello?”
“Hello. Is this Ms. Lana Jacobs?” the male caller asks.
“No. What do you want?” Jess spits out.
“I am calling to get a comment from Ms. Jacobs about her relationship with Mr. Anders. We’d like to get her side of the story. Can we talk for a moment?”
“Get lost.” Jess punches the end call button, and the phone immediately rings again. “Well, shit. You might have been right,” she says, looking at me in pity. She turns off my phone and throws it onto the other end of the couch.
“How can my heart be breaking at the same time that I want to punch him in his face? Or his balls. Yes, the balls would be far more satisfying.”
“Punching him in his balls is far too good for him.” Jess glares. “I say we roast them like hot dogs over the fire.”
That actually makes me break out in the smallest of watery-eyed smiles. “That’s really sick, Jess. But also really creative.”
“If you think that’s sick, I have so many more thoughts I’ve been holding back. Wanna hear them?” she asks eagerly.
“No, definitely not. I just want to sit here in misery and eat some ice cream and pizza while I cry myself to sleep.”
“That sounds very depressing.”
“After what I did, I probably deserve everything that’s happening.”
“Wow. You are deep into the pity party today. No worries, I’ll give you one week to mope around, and then we are going to work on getting you a new job.”
“Who’s going to hire me? I’m Jake’s homewrecking ho.”
Jess rolls her eyes at me. “You’re taking the drama a bit far. No one will know or care about that. Why don’t you go back to working at the women’s shelter full-time?”
“They’ve already replaced my full-time position. They might allow me to get a few more hours, though. They always need extra help.” I shrug. “And I do miss my work there. Maybe I’ll ask about it when I go in on Saturday. Now can you go away so that I can pity myself in peace?”
“Nope! Lucky for you, I have the entire day off. I plan to sit here and annoy you all day long,” she says with a cheeky grin.
“I probably shouldn’t be alone anyway,” I say as I fluff up the pillow behind me. “It just really hurts, Jess. He wasn’t even interested in hearing my side. And to find out that I was just his other woman all along? That hurts the most.”
“I know, babe. Maybe he just isn’t the guy you thought he was.” Jess shakes her head sadly as she talks. “I guess we were both duped by the guy.”
Chapter Twenty-One
Lana
It’s been almost two weeks since the horrible day at Jake’s office. I still feel the crushing sadness in my heart every time I think of him. Even after the article and after the horrible things that he said to me, I am having a hard time letting go.
Instead, I’ve stayed as busy as possible so that I can avoid thinking about him. I started working back at the women’s shelter on Saturday. It turns out that they were recently awarded a huge grant by an anonymous donor, which made it possible to hire me back full-time. Not only was I hired back, but I was given a promotion. Apparently, the donation came with the stipulation that they hire someone full time to specifically handle the disbursement of funds within the shelter organization. With the added responsibility and new funds at my disposal, I will be able to help far beyond what I ever imagined. My job at the shelter was always a salvation to my battered heart, and I can only hope that it helps me through my heartache now.
A lump forms in my throat every time I picture Jake. I focus on getting through my day an hour at a time. Work will help. I’ll stay busy and won’t have time to think about him.
