25. Olivia
I’m still on a high from a rather successful weekend, one that I didn’t expect to turn out the way it did. Not only did I secure four of the six clients, all of whom don’t care how long it will take me to paint them a piece of my artwork since they’re casual collectors, but I’ve also secured a deal with Jennifer, who agreed to display my sketches in the meantime until I can provide her with paintings. It still feels surreal, but I’m no longer nervous or hesitant about this.
I’m excited. I didn’t think I would get this excited over a side gig, but it’s like a distant dream making its way to the center of my life and reminding me that it’s still achievable even if I’m already achieving another dream. It makes me feel invincible—because if I can conquer this, I can conquer anything.
Like telling Luke how you truly feel about him.
Yes. Exactly that.
“Liv? Good, you’re early. I’ve been told you need to go to the director’s office right away. Something about your tenure.” Rose Sutton smiles at me. We’re more acquaintances than friends, but she’s always been friendly and supportive of the medical assistants under her. “Go now. Dr. Sanders is already waiting.”
Curiosity sparks inside me. I know the director chats with employees from time to time, but it’s mostly with doctors, and I glance at the calendar and startle when I realize I’ve been working here for more than six months already. Does this mean he’s going to make me a permanent staff member of the hospital?
“Oh. Okay. I’ll go now.”
Rose seems to have the same thought process as she continues smiling. “Good luck.”
“Thanks, Rose.”
I’m more excited than nervous, which is why I’m practically flying through the steps leading to his office on the upper floor. I check my phone on the way. Luke hasn’t texted since last night when he confirmed that he will be flying home today after staying to monitor his patient the whole weekend.
I can’t wait to see him again and tell him the good news…two good news, hopefully, if what I think James is about to tell me is right.
Well, three good news if I count how I want to talk to him about my feelings, but the last one depends on his reaction.
Keep calm.
The words wash over me like a balm, reminding me that things fall into place when the time is right. When I enter James’s office, my smile is bright and perky, ready to receive his news with a grateful thank you.
But as soon as he spots me, he doesn’t smile at all. Instead, James flicks a glance at me before he gestures at the seat in front of his desk.
“Come in, Miss Davis. Take a seat.”
Weird. James is friendly with everyone, even the newbies that he has no reason to be friendly with. He also calls most of us by our first names.
Wondering if he’s in a bad mood, I keep my smile in place.
“Good morning, Dr. Sanders. Rose said you called for me?”
He nods, still not looking at me. He opens a drawer beside him, takes something out, and spreads it all over the desk without a word.
And now he looks at me, expression watchful and frown deep.
I wish I could say I look back, but my eyes are already busy on the desk, taking in every little thing I see spread out before me. At first, it doesn’t make sense…and then it does. Horror washes over me when I see the printed photos of two figures in a tight embrace, two figures caught in an intimate stance…two figures kissing so heatedly that even the camera can’t hide the passion brimming from the action.
It’s grainy and dark except for the porch lights, but there’s no mistaking who the faces are. There’s no mistaking that the figures are kissing in the car—two shadows locked in a compromising position that sends me reeling.
“Dr. Sanders…”
He clears his throat.
“Based on your expression, I think it’s safe to say you already know who these two figures are. Not that it can be denied, considering there’s a picture of the car’s plate number and the porch number, which happens to be your address. Your faces are also pretty clear.”
I finally look up, but only because I can’t bear looking at the photos any longer. It’s like seeing my private and most intimate moments invaded so thoroughly, leaving me raw and open for gutting. James doesn’t look pleased, either.
In fact, he looks like he’s in pain and would rather look anywhere else—anywhere but at me.
“Dr. Sanders, it’s not what you think.”
He raises a brow. “Do you mean to tell me those pictures are just two co-workers—no, boss and assistant—being friendly with each other?”
My stomach churns. I can’t say that. James persists, too.
“And do you mean to say that you and Dr. Jennings aren’t sleeping together, Miss Davis?”
I can lie, but I have a feeling James won’t take it kindly if I do. Still, a multitude of questions fly in my head, starting with one.
“Who took these photos?”
His brows furrow at my question before he waves a hand. “It doesn’t matter who took these photos. What matters is they’ve been handed discreetly to me and not spread all over the internet or this hospital, which I can’t say the same about you and Dr. Jennings. How long has this been going on?”
Seven years.
“Not long. But we knew each other before we met again here.”
Surprise fills him at that revelation. But it doesn’t change his obvious disapproval. I wait for his wrath to show up and for him to throw harsh words at me.
Hell, a part of me is even prepared to tell him that we have a kid, if only to alleviate the severity of the damning evidence—because a kid connects us in a way that will explain this more than words. But putting Riley in the middle of this also feels wrong.
So, I try to repeat my words from earlier.
“It’s still not what you think, Dr. Sanders. I really can explain this.”
He lifts a hand, stopping me in my tracks. James glances at the photos again before he returns his gaze toward me. A chill washes over my spine at how steady he looks now.
“I don’t think I need to remind you that liaisons between hospital colleagues are prohibited, especially if there’s no equal power…especially if it’s between a doctor and his medical assistant, both of which we employ.”
“I understand…”
“And when I say it’s prohibited, Miss Davis, I mean that it is grounds for a lawsuit against Luke, who has abused his power and taken advantage of you.”
The chill intensifies until I’m shaking deep inside. Shock slams into me as I stare at him and absorb his words.
“But he didn’t take advantage.”
“It doesn’t matter. It’s what everyone will think once they find out.”
Once they find out?
“You’re revealing this to the public?”
For the first time, annoyance flares in his expression. “No, I’m not. I have to maintain the hospital’s image, don’t I? But if you’re this blatant and someone has already spotted you, it’s bound to be public knowledge soon. People will start questioning whether you two disgraced the hospital during or after office hours, especially if this behavior occurred in other professional areas.”
I can feel the blood seeping from my face at everything he’s saying. “Dr. Sanders…he didn’t take advantage. I swear.”
“So you seduced him?”
“No!”
Silence. James studies me thoroughly, scrutinizing every second of the reactions I can’t hide.
“HR doesn’t know. Yet. Beyond a lawsuit, this is also grounds for Dr. Jennings’ termination, considering he’s the older party and the one in authority. And when he’s terminated, people will talk. They will speculate. Whether I want to hide it or not, Miss Davis, the truth will come out.”
“Dr. Sanders…”
“But there is another way.”
My plea leaves my mind as I observe him back and realize there’s a light of anticipation in his eyes. It’s not gleeful, but it’s almost hopeful. Dread curls in my belly, but I force myself to ask.
“What’s the other way?”
“You hand in your resignation, Miss Davis. Quietly. You clear your desk and leave without causing a stir, and we might be able to salvage this situation. If it’s you leaving, people might still wonder, but not as much as when it’s someone as brilliant as Dr. Jennings leaving the best facility for the kind of doctor that he is.”
He says more. He’s saying a lot of things, but I hear what he’s not saying: that if I don’t agree to the alternative, Luke will be ruined. Professionally.
Personally, too, because this is his dream job and something he worked so hard to achieve.
The idea of giving up this job and leaving before I can even make my mark hurts, a devastation that makes it hard to breathe and take it all in. I will need to find another job and I might not have the best of luck, especially if James refuses to give me a good recommendation.
But the idea of Luke stuck in a lawsuit? Of Luke falling from his top position after giving everything up for it—his marriage, his relationships, even his life at some point?
It breaks something inside me. I have a feeling it’s my heart as I can practically sense it cracking bit by bit until my chest is hollow. That hollowness extends to my stomach, then the rest of me as I realize that while I’ve been given choices, there’s only one that will save the man that I love.
Because yes, I love Luke with my whole heart.
And I’ll be damned if I’m the cause of him getting ruined.
“I’ll do it, Dr. Sanders.”
As soon as I agree, it doesn’t take long for James to discuss the rest, including giving me a good recommendation as long as I keep our conversation a secret. I take it. I’m more than relieved when Luke still isn’t in the office when I get there, allowing me some reprieve as I pack my stuff in a bag and sneak out while everyone is busy.
On my commute home, I lament the fact that I didn’t get to tell Wanda, Jasper, and Maria about my exit, and they will be left wondering because I can never explain the truth to them. Then tears are forming in my eyes as my heart breaks all over again, realizing there’s also one other person I can’t tell the truth to.
Luke.
I promised James, and I fear what will happen if I break that promise. But that’s not the most heartbreaking.
It’s the fact that I can’t be with Luke after this, not with all the secrets I’m hiding. He will know. He will fight for me.
And we will both end up losing.
Still, I might have salvaged his career, but in doing so, I ruined mine.
And I need to survive on my own two feet before I can ever feel worthy of anything, including him.