by Daisy Allen
My eyes start to glaze over as I click obsessively through the photos. I don’t know why I’m torturing myself like this. Maybe I’m looking for some evidence that there was more between them than there really was. Something, anything, to explain him suddenly pushing me away.
But there aren’t any picture of her with him.
Just her with friends and family. She seems quite obsessed with tagging and captioning though.
There’s one with a big group of her family.
“Kerry, Joe, Gail, Devon,” I read through the names.
And then one face looks slightly familiar. I zoom in. Where do I know that face from? I zoom in closer. Oh, it’s the man who came to do the installations at the library. Emerald Earring Man. I hadn’t realized he was Jemima’s cousin.
“Xavier? Did you know Jemima’s cousin works for ASH Industries as well? Has someone asked him if he’s heard from her?”
“We don’t have any of Jemima’s cousins working here. Not that I know of, anyway. I can’t be sure but I sincerely doubt it. It’s not like any of them need to work.” His voice gets louder as he comes out to talk to me.
“What do you mean?”
“Well, Jemima’s a Pearlman. Of the Pearlmans. Actually, she is in line to be the main heir of the Pearlman line.”
“Oh my God, of Pearlman Fashions?”
“Yeah. Everyone in the extended family works there.”
“Then why does she work here?”
“Apparently the Pearlmans were pretty close with Neil, Kaine’s adopted father. And they wanted her to come get some experience working in another Fortune 100 before she takes over the reins there, I guess. They’re psycho, the lot of them. She’s the most normal out of all of them.”
“But this guy, he came and did the installations at the library.”
“Him? I’ve never met him before. He doesn’t work for Ash. It can’t be him.”
“No, Xavier, I swear it was him. He was wearing that emerald earring when he was there. Over two days, he was in and out.”
“You’re positive?”
“100%.”
He frowns and I can’t make out what he’s thinking.
“Xavier? Who would’ve booked the installation person for us?”
“Well, there’s a whole department for that, but since it was a priority job, and a big one. So Kaine would’ve been involved and... he probably got... Jemima... to do it. Oh my god.”
It dawns on us at the same time.
“OH MY GOD!” I turn and the look of horror on his face must mirror mine.
“Tell Kaine now!” I yell at him as I run to the elevator, wondering if we’re too late.
Chapter Forty-Nine
HIM
I’m drifting in and out of sleep. They’ve given me some sort of steroid and morphine concoction to help with my lungs and the pain in my hands and it’s making me loopy.
I see doctors and nurses coming in and out, and they tell me things but I can’t quite make them out.
Through it all, though, the only constant is this ache in my chest.
And the ache’s name is Jade.
It’s been almost a day since I sent her away, and the only thing I’m grateful for, the only thing getting me through it, is the thought that she’s better off.
They’ve rewrapped my hands and they don’t look too bad. They’ll scar, the doctor said. But they’ll heal. Scars I can live with. Have lived with. Open wounds that won’t heal are what I’m dreading.
There’s a buzz on my nightstand and I turn my head slowly, my neck stiff. The cell phone’s screen is lit, but I can’t read it. I reach out to grab it, but before I can, someone else’s hand grabs it, wrenching it away from me.
I turn to the surprise visitor.
“Jemima,” I greet her. Through my haze, she seems to look okay, so she wasn’t injured in the fire. I am confused about why she’s here now though.
“Kaine,” she says and she leans over me, presses her mouth against mine.
I turn my face away, trying to push at her with my bandaged hands, they scream with pain but it doesn’t stop me.
“What are you doing?” I gasp at her.
“I came to say good bye. I didn’t think a kiss was out of the question considering it’s the last time you’ll ever see me.”
The drugs must be having a stronger effect than I thought, I can’t understand what she’s saying. Why is she saying goodbye? “Where are you going?”
“Away. Don’t try to look for me, you won’t be able to find me, I’ve made sure of that.”
“What’s going on?”
“You know, Kaine. For such a smart man, you sure aren’t so good at seeing things that are right under your nose.”
“What? What are you saying?”
“I’m saying, I told you that you would regret it.”
“Is this about the other night?” I ask, a faint memory forming in my head as I try to focus.
“Yes, it’s about the other night. And that night one year ago when you rejected me.”
“Jemima, I’m sorry about what happened.
“No. I don’t want to hear it. It’s too late.”
“Too late for what?”
“For you. I’ve already done my damage to Ash Industries, no one’s going to trust your precious new product now. All your work down the drain, just because you didn’t make the right decision about us.”
It all suddenly becomes crystal clear.
Oh my God, it’s been Jemima all this time. She’s right, she was right there under my nose and I never ever suspected her. She would’ve had full access to all my files, access to me. There’s no question of her ability to do it, the only question is why.
“You... you’re J? Why?”
“Because men like you need to be taught a lesson. You can’t just toy with women and throw them away. You knew, you had to have known when I came to work for you why I did it?” Her eyes are wild, and I realize she’s crazy. She built up this fantasy about us in her head and when it didn’t happen, it pushed her into this insanity.
“You father asked me to, Jade. You know that, I was helping him out.”
“Oh, come on, Kaine! My father was just using me, he thought I could seduce you and we’d eventually take over your company as well. I’m the one who told him I wouldn’t. Because I loved you! I was trying to protect you! And you just reject me... for a complete... nobody!”
Something rings a warning bell in my head.
This isn’t just about me.
“Who are you talking about, Jemima?”
Her laugh grates in my ears and I struggle with the urge to cover them with my bandaged hands. I have to focus, focus on what’s happening here.
“Your precious, Jade. She thinks she can just strut into our lives and break us apart? No. If I can’t have you, she can’t either.”
She walks towards the door and even through the throbbing ache in my skull, I know I have to keep her here as long as I can. She hasn’t just mentioned Jade for the fun of it. It must mean something.
“Jem. Please. Wait.”
“It’s too late, Kaine. You had your chance.”
I have to play this smart. I’m already at a disadvantage, me in a hospital bed, pumped full of drugs. But if I’ve ever needed to concentrate, this is it.
“Jemima, stay Please. Don’t leave me like this, you wouldn’t... not if you really do love me.” I want to retch saying the words, but when she stops and spins around, I know the tactic is worth it.
“Don’t play me, Kaine,” she says, but her voice wavers.
“I’m not. I just... I don’t think I realized until now, at the thought of you leaving and me never seeing you again, that something is happening between us. Maybe I’ve been suppressing these feelings all this time,” I say, reaching out my bandaged hand in her direction, deliberately flinching in pain.
A frown flits across her face; it’s barely there, but I catch it. Insane, yes. But it seems her deluded affection for
me is real.
I lay back on the bed, hissing between my teeth and pressing my hand against my chest, taking an exaggerated breath.
“Jemima... please. At least, can you get me some water. Please. My throat is so dry.”
Her whole body tenses and she looks at me, trying to read my real intentions. I try to empty all ulterior motives from my mind and lock my eyes with hers. She’s hiding something. Something she hasn’t admitted yet. I need to find out what it is before she walks out that door.
Her shoulders slump and she exhales, cursing under her breath as she reaches for the glass of water on my night stand, holding it up to my mouth.
I sigh, thankful, as I take a long, slow sip, trying to plan my next move.
“Thank you,” I exhale, letting go of the straw, smiling appreciatively up at her. She looks down at me, her eyes softening as she strokes the side of my face. I will the muscle in my jaw twitching in disgust to relax.
“I would’ve done anything for you, you know that?” She coos, and her fingers stroke the scar on my face. “I didn’t care that half of your face was so ugly, I would’ve loved all of you.”
“You still can. Stay, we can work this out.”
“What about Jade?”
“What about her? If you’d been around, you would’ve known, I sent her away yesterday, I told her I never want to see her again.”
“You did what? Why?”
“Yeah, I did. When I woke up from my coma, I realized I didn’t want her. You’re right, she was just a lying gold digger, just wanted me for my money. I should’ve listened to you earlier.”
“Yes, you should’ve. You were wrong. I was right.”
“You were.” I nod and she smiles, her eyes growing wider with trust.
“It’s a good thing I’ve taken care of it then. Taken care of her.”
My hackles rise instantly. I take a deep breath to keep my voice calm. “Oh, um, what do you mean? What did you do?”
She just shakes her head and there’s an unreadable look in her eye, erratic, wild. “You just don’t need to worry about her bothering you ever again.”
I open my mouth to ask another question when she leans over and kisses me again.
There’s acid in my throat and I can’t hide my disgust, shaking my head back and forth, thrashing against the pillow, pushing her away.
“You bastard!” She yells and lifts her hand, ready to strike me. I lift my arm just in time, blocking her hand as it comes down and jarring both of us. My hand shrieks with pain, and I bite down hard on my tongue, to stop from crying out. She lifts her hand again, and I cringe at the thought of having to block her again. I catch a crazy grin on her face as she readies her strike, and just as her arm swings down I see her body pulled back, her hand missing me completely as it clangs against the bed rail.
“Get down, you fucking bitch!” I hear Xavier growl, and the sound of Jemima screaming and thrashing in his arms. “Henry!” Xavier calls out and this time I hear the sound of footsteps and a loud tussle. I struggle to sit up, pulling the tubes and wires off my body, to see what’s going on. There’s a flurry of arms and legs and hair as Henry and Xavier wrestle Jemima to the ground.
Xavier stands up, running his hands over his hair and shirt, straightening up as he watches Henry lay a knee onto Jemima’s back keeping her down, a hand pressing down on her snarling face.
“Hey, Kaine. Fancy seeing you here,” Xavier says to me, wiping sweat from his forehead and inexplicably grinning at me.
“What the fuck is going on?” I ask him, unable to properly process what has happened in the last few minutes.
“Well, Jemima has been behind this whole J thing the whole time,” he explains, infuriatingly too late.
“Yeah, that I know.”
“Oh, well, isn’t that enough?”
“You fucking bastards, you’re going to pay for this!” Jemima hisses from her spot on the ground. “This isn’t over, Kaine. I told you you’re going to regret how you treated me, and I mean it.”
“What is she talking about?” Xavier asks, turning to me
I shake my head. “I don’t know.”
“What are you talking about you psycho?” Xavier directs his question to Jemima, who is still struggling but is easily restrained by Henry.
“You’ll have to just wait and find out. Don’t worry, you’ll be spending the rest of your life thinking about it, you should enjoy not knowing for as long as you can,” she says, suddenly calming down, a smirk spreading across her face.
“It’s over, Jemima. You’re done,” Xavier threatens her, as I try to figure out what she’s planned.
“I don’t care. As long as I know that Kaine’s never going to be happy. When he could’ve been... with me.”
“Jade,” I say and Jemima’s face slides into an ugly mask. “What’ve you done to Jade?”
She just laughs in response.
I slide out of the bed, unstable on my feet but I don’t care. Xavier helps steady me as I walk over to Jemima. “Tell me what you’ve done to Jade?!”
“Go to hell, Kaine,” she spits.
“Tell me, Jemima. Tell me and you might come out of this alive,” I demand, going crazy with frustration at not knowing.
“I’m sorry I can’t say the same about Jade,” she says and turns her face away from me.
“Where is Jade, Xavier?”
“She was with me, when we found out about Jemima but... I told her to go home, I didn’t know if you’d want me to bring her back here yet.”
“I’ve got to go find her!” I squeeze my friend’s arm.
“You can’t, you’re not ready to leave the hospital, man. Let me go.”
“No. No, I did this. I’ve got to go make sure she’s okay.”
I see him fight the urge to tell me it’s not a good idea. And it’s why he’s my best friend.
“Where are you going to go?”
“To her apartment first, you stay here, take care of the Jemima situation.”
“I’ve already called the police, they should be here soon.”
I give him a quick hug and wonder where I’m going to get the energy to do what needs to be done right now.
“Go,” he says, “before a well-meaning nurse comes in and stops you.”
“Thanks, man. I’ll let you know what happens.”
I pat Henry on the shoulder, ignoring the woman who’s ruined my life, the one he has restrained under his knee, and I limp out the door.
Please be okay, Jade. I’m coming.
Chapter Fifty
HER
My home doesn’t feel like my home anymore. It feels like a giant storage space that’s holding all my kitchenware, my clothes, my old life. There’s nothing here that reminds me of the life I’ve been living for the last month. Well, except for the glass paperweight I have standing on the coffee table in the middle of my tiny living room.
That reminds me of Kaine.
Probably because I swiped it off his desk when I left his office with Xavier barely an hour ago.
Has it just been an hour? It feels like I’ve aged decades sitting here waiting for Xavier to call me with an update. We agreed that I would come back to my apartment and wait while he goes and tells Kaine what we found out about Jemima.
My face scrunches up into a tight ball at the thought of her. Of the damage she’s caused. To my beautiful library, to Kaine’s company, to Kaine. I wonder where she’s hiding and if we’ll ever find her and make her pay for everything she’s done.
My heart twists at the thought of Kaine lying there in that hospital bed. But maybe that’s the best place for him. Someplace he’s being watched over, with people there to help him rest and recover.
And maybe one day, ready to accept me back into his life again.
I cringe at the thought that I ever even remotely suspected anything going on between him and Jemima. But I didn’t know. And he didn’t know that this was what she wanted all along.
My head drops into my
hands. I miss him so much. All the things he’s done for me, and not just me, but Gabriel, my grandparents. All the meaning he’s brought into our lives. And what have I done for him except put him in one bad situation after another?
When all I want is to be a part of his life.
We’ll get through this, Kaine. We’ll get through it together.
There’s a ding on my phone and I snatch it off the coffee table, tapping the message to open it. It’s from Xavier.
“Kaine knows about J (Jem). Is on his way to your apartment now. Good Luck xx”
Tears immediately spring to my eyes. My whole body floods with relief. He’s okay, and he still wants me. I jump up and unlock the door, ready for him.
I look down, and I’m still wearing clothes from yesterday, and I run back into my bedroom, flinging my T-shirt and jeans off as I count the seconds until he’ll be here. Pulling a cotton dress over my body, I hear his footsteps down the hallway and rush out into the living room to greet him. My Kaine. My love.
The door flings open and I run to him, my heart pounding with joy.
And then I freeze.
It’s not Kaine.
It’s Emerald Earring Man.
“Hello, Jade,” he sneers and he’s uglier than I remember. Because now I see all the evil in him.
I suddenly feel cold, I’ve broken into an instant sweat and the breeze from the open door is making me shiver.
“What do you want?” I ask, taking a step backward but my apartment is so small, it doesn’t put that much distance between us.
He senses my fear and the sneer widens into a psychotic smile. No wonder Jemima was able to get him to do her dirty work, he probably enjoys it. Sick fuck.
“Aw, come now, you were so nice to me while I was working at the library, installing your precious smoke detectors. I was your hero then. Where’s the love now?”
“It burnt in that fire you started.”
“Oh, love, no. I didn’t start that fire and there’s nothing to prove I did.”
“I’ll find something. You can bet your life on it,” I challenge him, some of my fear transforming to hate and fury, the image of that beautiful building up in flames, of Kaine passed out in the ambulance.