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The Truth Comes Out
Candice sat restlessly, her gaze fixed on him as he lay still but peacefully.
And then, AJ's eyes fluttered open slowly, and he instantly saw her at his hospital bedside.
"Hey," she said with a slightly uncertain smile. "How are you feeling?"
The man blinked, smacking his lips as he found his voice.
"Sore... A little sore," he replied. "But not too bad."
"The doctor said the soreness would linger for a few days... But you should be back to normal within a week or two," the brunette explained.
AJ stared at his ex-girlfriend. He was so touched that she'd been there for him all the time while he'd been in the hospital for his surgery.
"By the way, the doctor said everything's looking good down there."
Candice suddenly became very aware as the man reached for her hand and just held it. So many emotions were whirling through her head. But, most importantly, she was relieved that AJ was fine.
After a few long minutes, he finally managed to speak again.
"When can I get out of here?"
"Oh," the lawyer said, "you'll have to ask the doctor about that."
AJ opened his eyes and fixed them on her lovely face.
"Soon, I hope... I hate hospitals," he admitted. Then, "So, I'm really okay, huh?"
She nodded.
"Yes, AJ... You gave me a tiny scare earlier, when the doctor told me you had a slight reaction to the anesthesia... But you pulled through with flying colors." She gave him a soft smile, not minding that he was still holding her hand.
"Will you come pick me up when I can go home?" AJ asked.
Candice nodded again. He sounded so much like a little boy to her right now.
"Of course I will."
*
Lisa Marie was back to being her usual exuberant self that afternoon, when she was preparing for the party. Exactly as she had predicted, the 80 Park Avenue West deal had gone through swimmingly.
Lisa, Trish and I were doing some last minute shopping for the gala that night. Two of us found new dresses, and the other ended up with a new pair of shoes and an adorably matching bag.
We were just passing a dining hotspot on Madison Avenue when it happened. Lisa Marie suddenly received a call from her boss - a private one - so she left us standing in front of the establishment as she edged down the block.
"I have the most perfect strappy black dress for the party," Trish was saying.
I was barely listening to her as I suddenly spotted a familiar face inside the restaurant, which was called Landy's. My breath caught, and I could swear that my heart stopped for a moment.
"Oh, my God..."
"Amy? Are you okay? You're as white as a sheet!"
I turned back to Trish and gestured with one hand. She followed my line of vision and gasped.
"Oh, no... Let's go down the block," she suggested.
"No... No, you know what? I'm going inside," I told her.
"What? You don't mean...?"
Ignoring my friend, and noticing that Lisa Marie was still on the phone farther down the block, I went inside the restaurant. And I strode directly to the table in my sights, seating myself in the empty chair across from the person I'd spotted.
"Hi," I said, noticing their facial expression drastically go from neutral to shock, to anger in the span of about five seconds.
"I'm going to scream," Barbie murmured. "What the hell are you doing here?"
"No, please," I pleaded. "I'm sorry to intrude. I was just shopping in the neighborhood and saw you, and..." I took a deep breath, feeling incredibly awful. "I just wanted to apologize... The affair was a mistake, I know that. If I could go back and undo it all, I would, but I can't. I am just awfully sorry about everything."
The young blonde eyed me silently for a beat, then folded her hands and spoke.
"I'm sorry, too."
I felt momentarily perplexed.
"You are?"
"Yes," Barbie said with a nod. "I'm sorry for it all. I'm sorry I ever met him... I'm sorry we fell in love... I'm sorry we ever got married." She kept her stern green eyes on me as she continued. "I'm sorry the two of you had an affair. I'm sorry that I broke my tooth and had to have painful dental surgery. And I'm really sorry this tooth will never be the same color as the rest of my teeth." She pointed to the top front tooth in question.
I felt my heart hammering in a most uncomfortable manner as I looked into the younger woman's eyes.
"And most of all, I'm sorry I'm getting divorced at the ripe old age of twenty-two. And thank you..."
I eyed her sadly, confused by her last words in relation to the ones prior.
Not only did you ruin my marriage... You also ruined my lunch." Barbie shoved her plate of appetizers aside and scowled at me.
That was clearly my cue to go. Feeling horrible, but without another word, I rose and stepped out of there. As I departed, I noted there was a handsome young man headed straight for the table. Lo and behold, he took the seat I had just vacated. It was odd to think that, because of me, Barbie Blank was already back on the market.
As I made my way back outside, I saw Trish peering in at me, a curious look on her face.
"What happened?" she asked.
I shook my head.
"I apologized. She hates me, and I deserve it," I said.
"Oh, forget about her!" my friend said. "We have better things to concentrate on!"
*
Later, I was rushing around in preparation to leave for the big party, but my mind was working overtime.
I knew I was thinking way too much, but I couldn't help it. Seeing Barbie that afternoon had really pushed me over the edge.
"Hey... I'm back bearing a gift," I heard Jeff say from the doorway. He had just let himself in and was wearing a nice dark gray suit with a white shirt underneath. I'd never seen him look quite so sharp. He smiled as he inched closer to me, a bottle of champagne in his left hand.
"Oh... Hi," I mumbled. I could barely even look at him.
"All ready to go?" he asked, seemingly oblivious to my mood.
"Yes... No... Wait," I said, wringing my hands nervously.
He frowned as he studied me, suddenly getting a clue that something was not right.
"Amy? What's wrong?"
"Jeff, I slept with my ex-boyfriend," I blurted. I didn't let him reply as I plundered on. "It started after the furniture show, when he turned up, but it's over now. I didn't mean to lie or hurt you, but I thought you should know."
My boyfriend stared at me wordlessly for a moment, his facial features changing as I watched. He took a slight step back.
"You... slept with that guy?"
I could practically feel my heart stopping for the second time that day.
"Yes," I admitted. "But it's been over for almost two months... I'm so sorry."
Jeff didn't say anything. His face looked ashen, stricken. Slowly, he placed the bottle of champagne on a small end table nearby.
"Go to the party without me," he said.
"Jeff?"
"I just..." He eyed me for a beat. "... I just need to be alone for awhile." With that, he turned away from me and opened the door, leaving.
I felt horrible, but I had no right to protest or stop him. I didn't even have time to cry, as I was expected at the bash in a short while.
Too bad I was in no mood to party.