ADDY SIMON 11
Addison
I was thrown into darkness when the door slammed shut behind me.
As I staggered forward, tears streamed down my cheeks, and the sensation
of something breaking in my chest left me gasping for air. I stretched
out blindly for the shelves in the storage room I'd wandered into,
grasping them and followed them around the room to the far side. I
ducked behind a metal shelf full of paper towels and plopped down on a
box full of rubber gloves as my blurry, tear-stained eyes adjusted to
the darkness.
I knew I shouldn't be in there, but I also knew there was no way I'd be
able to get out before I collapsed. So I went into the storage closet,
which was the first private space I could locate.
I sobbed and shook my head as I lowered my face to my palms.
You're a complete moron.
And I was well aware of it. Any of it - his seductive words, the way he
looked at me, the way he touched me - had made me an idiot. Before I
came into the bar, he undoubtedly knew I was a patient.
He'd most likely tracked me down to play a sick game of seduction.
I remembered Heidi's remarks, and I remembered the other girl he'd had -
the one he'd concocted. My gut heaved and my heart fell as it dawned on
me that I'd been duped hook, line, and sinker.
When I heard the doorknob turn and the door wrenched open, I was still
crying. As a weak overhead light flickered on and footsteps entered the
storage closet, I panicked, falling off the box and hiding down in the
dark shadows behind the shelf full of paper towels. The door slammed
shut with a satisfying click.
"Are you sure this is happening?"
The man's voice had a whiny, nasally tone to it. But it was the other
person's response that caused my jaw to drop.
"Oh, it's happening," says Heidi. He's no longer here."
My eyes widened. The second voice was her, the scumbag who had just
ruined my life in the corridor. Heidi.
"You're really ready to do this, aren't you?"
"To assist my younger brother in completing a task that should have been
his?"
Heidi sneered. "Absolutely. Plus, Doctor Perez is an arrogant jerk in
the first place."
The man, who appeared to be Heidi's brother, laughed. "It's personal,
then?"
She let out a snort. "Maybe? "
Oh, my goodness.
My hand reached for my handbag, and I slid my phone out as gently as
possible. I was well aware that I wouldn't be able to see much without
exposing myself, but that didn't deter me. I turned on my camera,
switched to video, and pressed the "record" button.
"How do you feel about him?" Don't get me wrong: I'm thrilled you're
doing this for me, but what's the deal with that? "
"It's nothing, he's just a jerk," Heidi said to her brother.
The man let out a snort. "Did he reject you or something?" "
After a little pause, the man burst out laughing. "Is that all there is
to it? You were turned down by him! "
"Kevin, be quiet!"
With a chuckle, the man exited the room. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry. Whatever
it is, if you say he's a jerk, he'll be a jerk."
Heidi snarled, "Believe me, when this is through, he'll be gone." My
fury began to boil, and for a brief moment, I considered storming out to
confront her. But I waited, my phone continuing to record.
"Those are the charges you have against him. They're not going to hold
up in a court of law or anything."
Heidi let out a snort. "Of course they won't," she said. But the
accusation will remain nonetheless, and once he resigns, it'll be yours.
I'll make sure the board recognizes you as a strong contender."
"Perfect. "Sis, I owe you an enormous debt."
"It's not a big deal."
Kevin, the man, cleared his throat. "How about the girl?" "
"Who the "pregnant" girl, Ella?"
Heidi guffawed with delight. "She's the daughter of my fucking
housekeeper." She was willing to do it for a few hundred dollars because
she knew it wouldn't go to court. Kevin, college students are cheap."
I noticed the color red. My hands balled into fists as my blood heated
to fire in my veins. This woman was awful. She was actively trying to
damage Simon's life, despite the fact that she'd evidently simply
stopped me to make me feel bad.
I kept filming as she chuckled about destroying a man's life in order to
find a job for her brother, until the two of them turned and walked out
of the room. When the light went out, I finally let out the breath I'd
been holding.
No. Fucking. Way.
My cheeks were smeared with tears, but I was no longer upset.
I was furious.
I was enraged. That scumbag felt she could wreak havoc on Simon's life.
She believed she had the power to destroy him. She believed she had the
power to harm the man I adored.
I'm going to show her how completely incorrect she was. Then I'm going
to make her pay for it.
