2 #3
“Well, we just thought you deserved better. He seemed to take over everything.” Chloe smiled nervously as she watched her sister’s brow furrow.
“It doesn’t matter what we thought, anyway.
We only ever wanted you to be happy. It’s down to you, Dani.
Were you happy with him?” Chloe got back up again and started to empty the dishwasher.
Dani leaned back in the chair and took a deep breath.
Had she been happy with Jez? She really couldn’t answer.
She’d met him when she was going through a rough time.
Her mother was terminally ill and she’d gone to work for him at his bar.
Jez had only had the bar a few months and was finding it hard work.
When Dani started working for him, he soon realised she was more than just a bartender.
Within a few weeks, Dani was helping him with the day-to-day running.
Jez didn’t waste any time, and within those same few weeks, they were seeing each other.
After Dani’s mother died, they moved in together.
Their relationship moved at a fast pace, all initiated by Jez, and Dani had been sure that they would eventually get married.
As time had passed though, he never seemed to make that final commitment.
Looking back, Dani tried to see if he’d ever shown her any signs that marriage was on his mind.
She knew she was blindsided by his good looks and charm, and he seemed to be able to say the right things to her, whenever she felt that maybe he wasn’t marriage material.
Was she happy with him though? She sighed deeply as she looked at Chloe’s expectant face.
If she had to think about it, she thought to herself, maybe she hadn’t been that happy after all.
She’d fallen into the relationship feet first. A combination of her mother’s condition and Dani’s need for companionship had pushed her towards Jez.
Chloe had moved two hundred miles away, leaving Dani lonely.
They had always been close and Dani had practically done everything with Chloe and Adam prior to their move.
Jez was devastatingly handsome, in a rock star kind of way, with his shaggy dirty blond hair and effortless, edgy sense of style.
He could charm anyone with his seductive manner, women and men alike.
Jez was always the centre of attention and one of the reasons his bar was so successful was purely down to his personality.
Dani loved watching him in action, and he played his role perfectly.
Everyone was made to feel special as he lavished them with attention and stroked his clientele’s egos with just enough vehemence to ensure they’d want to come back for more.
He was also calculating and shrewd, and every action he undertook was ultimately to benefit him.
Dani’s heart sunk. Even down to her. He’d needed her, she’d known that, but she really had hoped their relationship was more than his need for a reliable and loyal bar manager.
Now that she’d extracted herself from him, from his overpowering influence, she could see that she was obviously nothing more than a very good member of staff with fringe benefits.
“I was happy sometimes, when we worked together. He was great when we worked together,” mumbled Dani.
“What about when it was just the two of you?” Chloe’s eyebrows rose.
Dani rubbed her face. They hardly spent time alone together, only in bed. They were always surrounded by people, staff or customers. They were always at some event; they rarely had time for just the two of them. Dani hadn’t really noticed that until now.
“We didn’t spend that much time alone. I suppose that’s not a good sign either.
” Dani huffed air up her face as her eyes pooled with tears.
How had she been so blind? She’d been swept away by him, totally.
The signs were there but she hadn’t seen them.
She put her head in her hands. Why hadn’t she seen them?
She’d loved him. She’d overlooked everything and believed in the lie he’d convinced her she was living.
“Oh Dani, don’t get upset. He’s not worth it.” Chloe crouched next to her, pulling her hands away from her face.
“I can’t get that damn image out of my head, Chloe,” Dani sniffed. Chloe got up and pulled off some kitchen roll. “God knows how many more he’s been with. I need to go to a doctor too.”
Chloe’s eyes widened.
“He never wore a condom, Chloe.”
“Shit! Dani!” Chloe’s face showing her horror at what that implied.
“I know. I can’t believe how stupid I am.”
“I’ll get you into Adam’s dad’s surgery tomorrow.”
“I don’t want him to examine me!” Dani said, horrified that Chloe’s father-in-law would know all her sordid details.
“No, silly. There are other doctors there. It’s a large surgery. I go to Doctor Evans. She’s a woman. She’s really nice. Try not to worry.”
Dani screwed her eyes up and shook her head. She felt so unbelievably stupid and let down, used in the worst possible way. She vowed to herself that she’d never let anyone make her feel so low about herself again.