As Sadie gushed about Saul, Dani's mind whirled, struggling to process the bombshell she’d dropped. She nodded and smiled at the appropriate moments, but inside she was seething. How could Zack have lied to her like this? After everything they'd been through, after all his pretty words about trust and honesty? It just proved what she’d always thought. Words were meaningless. It was actions that mattered. The way a person behaved. And what did Zack’s behavior say about him?
She’d been through this before with him. Did she really want to go down that road again?
Except… last time she’d run without hearing him out, and there had been reasons. Were there reasons now? And more importantly, did she want to make herself vulnerable enough to find out?
Loving someone means giving them the opportunity to explain when things look bad. Not running as soon as things get tough.
Damn, she hated that little voice inside her head sometimes. She was so freaking confused.
The waiter arrived to take their orders, providing a brief respite. Dani seized the opportunity to excuse herself to the restroom, needing a moment alone to collect herself.
Once inside, she gripped the edge of the sink, staring at her reflection in the mirror. Her carefully applied makeup couldn't hide the hurt and anger in her eyes. She took several deep breaths, trying to calm the storm of emotions threatening to overwhelm her.
"Get it together, Dani," she whispered to herself. "You can't fall apart here."
She splashed some cool water on her face, careful not to smudge her makeup. As she dried off, a plan began to form in her mind. She'd get through this lunch, keeping up appearances. Then she'd confront Zack and demand answers. No more lies, no more half-truths. Wasn’t that what he’d said? She deserved the full story, and she was going to get it.
With renewed determination, Dani straightened her shoulders and exited the restroom. As she made her way back to the table, she caught snippets of excited chatter from her friends. They fell silent as she approached, guilty looks flashing across their faces.
"What?" Dani asked, sliding back into her seat.
Mia bit her lip, exchanging glances with Natalie before blurting out, "We were just saying how amazing it is that you and Zack worked things out. I mean, after everything that happened..."
Dani's stomach clenched. "What do you mean, 'everything that happened'?" she asked, her voice tight. Dear God, don’t tell her there was more. That really would be the last straw.
The others shifted uncomfortably. Sadie cleared her throat. "Well, you know. You told us he had a wife and that’s why you walked away all those years ago. Even though you haven’t explained yet, we just think it's great that you two were able to move past it. It takes a strong person to give someone a second chance after finding out something as huge as that.”
“So… are you going to tell us about it?" Mia asked, her expression intent. “I assume this other woman’s no longer in the picture if you’re getting back together.”
The other woman.
Mia’s words seemed to ping-pong around her head like the projectile in a pinball machine, and each time they hit, it bruised a little. Because whatever way she looked at it, whatever the circumstances,she was the other woman.
Maybe the first blow, finding out Zack’s true reasons for being on the island, had left her too vulnerable, but Dani felt the blood drain from her face as the realization hit her as if she’d never known it. She was the other woman. The very thing she despised and had sworn she would never become. Her chest tightened, making it hard to breathe.
"I... I need some air," she managed to choke out, pushing back her chair abruptly. She stumbled away from the table, ignoring the concerned calls of her friends.
Once outside, she gulped in deep breaths of the salty sea air, trying to quell the nausea rising in her throat. How had she let this happen? How had she allowed herself to be so blinded byher feelings for Zack that she'd forgotten everything she stood for?
She leaned against the railing, her knuckles turning white as she gripped it tightly. The waves crashed against the shore, mirroring the turmoil in her mind. She had been so quick to judge others in the past, so certain of her moral high ground. And now here she was, no better than those she had looked down upon.
She had turned into her mother.
A gentle hand on her shoulder made her jump. She turned to see Sadie standing there, concern etched on her face.
"Do you want to talk about it?” Sadie asked softly, her expression tentative. Dani knew the other woman had been accused in the past of trying to head shrink her friends’ relationships because of her job as a psychologist and was a little cautious about offering help as a result. But Dani knew Sadie was only trying to help.
And honestly? Perhaps a second opinion would help. God knew Dani was struggling to make sense of everything.
22
Nodding numbly, Dani allowed Sadie to guide her away from the restaurant. They walked in silence along the beach until they reached a secluded spot shaded by palm trees.
"Okay, spill," Sadie said gently. "What's really going on with you and Zack?"
Where did she even start?
She took a shaky breath. "I thought... I thought we were starting over. I guess I had some romantic notion that he came here for me, and the excuse about updating the mainframe was just a cover. It never did make any sense that someone like Zack would come here to do that. He’s a damn venture capitalist, not an IT lackey. And now I find out he's been lying about why he's here all along. I was right. It was nothing to do with the mainframe… and it was nothing to do with me, either.” She laughed bitterly. "God, I'm such an idiot."
