Jane answered the door of her flat with her heart pounding and her anger rising. Mark was standing smiling at her. She didn’t smile back but just turned and walked into the lounge. He followed her and when she turned to face him he moved forward gently to give her a kiss. She turned her head away.
‘What’s the matter?’ he asked confused.
Jane didn’t know what to say.
‘Jane. It’s not about last night, is it?’
Jane could feel his words fuel her anger more. How could she have been so stupid as to fall in love with him?
‘For Christ’s sake, Jane, speak to me,’ he said, exasperated.
‘Who is Adrian Stevenson?’ Jane blurted, keeping tight control of her lips and mouth to prevent any other words emerging before she was ready.
‘Why do you want to know?’ Mark countered.
That was it. Jane couldn’t hold herself back anymore. ‘You lied to me. You told me you were Mark Haywood and I stupidly believed you.’
‘I didn’t lie, Jane.’
‘STOP IT. STOP IT.’ Jane could hear her voice rising in anger. ‘Stop lying to me.’
Mark moved forward to embrace her but Jane backed away. ‘I trusted you, damn it and you just played me for a fool.’
‘I didn’t, I just couldn’t... Jane I need your trust.’
‘TRUST! After this, you’re having a laugh aren’t you? I gave you my trust and you didn’t trust me back. You told me your wife had divorced you but that’s not true.’
‘It is true,’ Mark pleaded.
‘Not according to this, it isn’t.’ Jane grabbed the printout of the missing person’s notice off the table.
Mark snatched it from her and his face went extremely pale.
‘Your wife and children are looking for you; they are desperate to find you. How could you do this to me or them?’ Tears began to stream down Jane’s face as her control slipped.
Mark grabbed her roughly by the arms. ‘What did you do, Jane?’ he asked.
Jane shook her head at him.
He gripped her tighter. ‘Answer me. This is important. Did you email them?’
With his grip hurting her, Jane came back at him. ‘Why?’
‘I need to know.’
‘Why should I tell you?’ she said bitterly.
Mark lessened his grip and his voice softened. ‘Because I’m in trouble and this trouble could come knocking on your door.’
He let her go and moved to sit on the sofa.
Jane just stared at him. ‘How can I believe what you are saying?’
Mark pointed to Jane’s wooden box on the floor by the table. ‘Belief is not required, only an open mind. We are back to where we started from.’
Jane moved over to stand in front of him. ‘Don’t you dare quote that to me. I kept my mind open. And I kept faith. Faith, that you would trust me. But you … you lied. I can’t believe I trusted you and you still lied to me.’ More tears flowed.
‘Please, Jane, don’t cry. I really wanted to tell you, but I couldn’t. You must believe me.’
Jane picked up her box. On the fourth and final side of the box were engraved the words- “The truth will set you free.” She turned it so Mark could see it. ‘If you really trust me then tell me the truth?’
He stared at the writing and slowly nodded.
Jane placed the box on the table where both of them could see the words clearly and sat down on the sofa, leaving a small distance between them.
‘Is Adrian Stevenson your real name?’
‘Yes.’
Jane felt her emotions rising again and blinked away the tears.
Mark turned to face her. ‘I didn’t mean to deceive you but I had to for all our sakes. Adrian Stevenson is not safe. I had to use another name.’
‘Why?’
She could see Mark was hesitating and her anger returned. ‘Don’t mess me around, Mark. Give me the truth, I deserve to know the truth.’
‘I don’t want you to get hurt.’
‘Damn it, I’ve already been hurt, I just want the truth.’
Mark got up to go. ‘I can’t stay, Jane. I hope you will forgive me.’
Jane leapt up and grabbed his arm. ‘Don’t you walk out on me now.’
Mark took hold of her and kissed her passionately. He let her go and stammered, ‘I’m sorry, I’m so sorry,’ then quickly walked to the door.
Frustrated, Jane yelled after him. ‘Have you learnt nothing from these weeks we’ve been together? I love you and I made a commitment to help you. Our lives are intermingled. Please Mark, don’t leave me like this. You can’t keep running away.’
The door closed and Jane was alone in her flat. She fell to her knees and wept.
The next day Jane decided not to go into work. She telephoned Fiona informing her that she would probably take a few days off but was astutely told by her secretary that the next day was the weekend anyway.
After the short conversation, Jane just sat on the sofa staring at the photograph of Adrian Stevenson. She didn’t know what to do. Her emotions were all over the place and she couldn’t think straight. The only thing she was sure of was that she loved Mark. The name seemed to stick in her throat. Well it was Adrian now, wasn’t it? Should she believe what he had told her?
Her heart said yes but her head was struggling to accept it. Yes, Mark was genuinely worried about being exposed but that was true of anyone who might be in trouble with the law. She looked at the script below the photo and her eyes fell upon the words “research engineer for NASA”. Oh God, she thought, maybe he had stolen some secrets. She closed her eyes and held the picture over her heart, asking her higher self if this could be true and even before the answer came back she knew with every cell of her being it wasn’t.
The doorbell chimed and reluctantly she answered it. To her surprise Mark was standing outside. She stepped to the side and he quietly walked into the flat. She followed him into the lounge where he turned to face her.
‘I’ve been up all night thinking about you and what you said.’
Jane didn’t say anything.
‘Will you let me tell you what I can, and if that isn’t enough for you then I will go and you will never see me again.’
Jane swallowed hard and nodded. They moved to the sofa and sat down.
Mark twisted his hands together as he started to speak. ‘This is difficult for me. I’ve not told anyone about my past for years but I know I need to tell you. But Jane, I’m worried about the trouble it may bring on you.’
‘I can deal with trouble if I know what it is,’ she said firmly.
He sighed heavily and Jane sensed his relief. ‘I don’t know where to start.’
‘Tell me why you changed your name?’
‘It was so I could start out fresh and not have my past catching up with me.’
‘Are you running away from your family and NASA?’ Jane felt something clog up her throat as she said it.
‘No. It’s not that at all. As I said, Jane, I didn’t lie to you. My wife divorced me and I fought to see the children. Here, I’ve brought the divorce papers and the court order.’
Jane took the papers and read them. They confirmed his wife Solita had divorced him on the grounds of mental cruelty, stating it was because he worked all the time and spent no time with the family. The court order confirmed his right to see the children at designated times.
‘So why does that missing persons poster say they are desperate to find you?’ Jane asked, handing back the papers, her anxiety slowly ebbing away.
‘It is not my family that is desperate to find me.’
‘Then who is it?’ Jane persisted.
‘A man who is wealthy and influential.’
‘What did you do?’
‘Nothing. Honestly, I didn’t do anything.’
Jane stared at him. ‘Then why is he after you?’
Mark fidgeted uncomfortably and Jane knew instantly what it was.
‘It has something to do with your research at NASA, hasn’t it?’
‘Yes but also no.’ Mark said. ‘I thought I’d found something during my research that will benefit the world, but actually it’s not connected to the research I was doing. It happened by accident. The problem is that what I found, the world isn’t ready for. If this man gets hold of it then I don’t know what will happen.’
‘Does this tie in with your life purpose and your skills?’ Now Jane was becoming excited.
‘Yes. I know I have to use it sometime in the future.’ Mark again looked concerned.
‘And this man wants it all for himself?’
‘Yes. That’s why I left America and have been hiding. Or running away as you put it.’
‘And is that why you couldn’t go and see your mother?’
Mark looked at her gravely. ‘He used her to try to find me. He made her ill. That is how dangerous he is. Now he is using the missing persons poster and if he finds out about you, he’ll use you too.’
Jane suddenly felt his sadness. It must have been so awful to be isolated from everyone he loved. Her voice softened. ‘So how do you contact your family?’
‘I have an Internet web page under an assumed name where I chat with my father, who also uses an assumed name. He keeps me briefed on how the children are doing. I would be happy for you to talk with him if that helps you to believe me.’
Jane didn’t need proof anymore. ‘We’d better plan how we can get you to achieve your life purpose before this man finds you.’
She stood up and crumbled up the picture of Adrian Stevenson. ‘I didn’t do anything with this, Mark, so your identity is safe.’
Mark stood up quickly and took her in his arms. He kissed her passionately and she returned his kiss with equal intensity.
After a few minutes they eased away from each other, breathless.
‘I thought I had lost you,’ Mark said quietly. ‘I didn’t realise how much you mean to me. If anything should happen to you…’
Jane quickly put her finger to his lips, cutting off his words. She felt a surge of warmth flow through her as she said, ‘I love you and I want us to be together no matter what. We can work this out together, trust me.’
Mark smiled. ‘I trust you, and I want to give you something.’
Jane watched as he fished something out of his pocket.
‘I have been thinking about giving you this for sometime and whilst this isn’t exactly how I wanted to give it to you. I think it is the right time.’
Jane held her breath as he handed her a small jewellery box. She was almost too scared to open it. Slowly she opened the top. There, nestling on a silk white cloth, was a white gold, heart-shaped pendant with a large single diamond in the centre.
‘Jane, will you accept this gift as my commitment to you? It belonged to my sister.’
Jane couldn’t speak as he took the pendant out of the box and slipped it around her neck. The brief flash of disappointment that it hadn’t been a ring was soon overwhelmed by a deep reverence that filled her entire body.
‘Jane?’
She suddenly smiled and threw her arms around his neck. ‘Oh Mark, it’s beautiful, so beautiful. Thank you.’
* * *
It was Sunday morning and Mark was just emerging from the bedroom. They had spent a glorious Friday and Saturday together and Jane was on top of the world. Her doubts and worries were gone and she knew that her life was meant to be with Mark. As far as she was concerned Adrian didn’t exist anymore.
‘Come on sleepy head, I’ve cooked breakfast.’
Mark swirled her off her feet. ‘What’s that for?’ she asked.
He seemed excited. ‘I’ve been thinking it might be wise to get away for a while. How do you fancy going away say for a few weeks or more?’
Jane stared at him in surprise. ‘When? Now? What brought this on?’
‘On Thursday I got a letter from a friend who lives and works in Africa. I’ve not seen him for several years and then out of the blue this letter came.’
‘Does he know you as Mark or Adrian?’
‘He knows me as Mark. We met over here before he left to work in a crystal mine in Namibia, Africa.’
‘What did the letter say?’
‘He’s asked me to come and look at something for him.’
‘What?’
‘Well, he’s a bit vague, really. He says there is something wrong with the crystals?’
‘Why would he want you to go?’
‘Because he knew I did some work with crystals and rocks in my previous work.’
‘Oh. So what’s wrong with the crystals?’
‘I don’t know. He didn’t say.’
Jane suddenly thought of something. ‘You don’t think that this is connected to the message you received at Jasmine’s, do you? When your guide told you that you were to go away and a message would come to say where?’
Mark laughed. ‘Jane, you see too much in things. No, I just think this will be an ideal opportunity to spend some time together and for me to see a friend. What do you say, fancy coming?’
Jane was still convinced that this was the message, but she decided not to push it. Whatever lay ahead of them they were meant to do it together. Maybe Africa was where it would all start.
‘OK, Africa it is. When are we going?’
‘I’ll check flights and contact my friend. I would say the next few days. Is that all right for you?’
Jane laughed as she said, ‘Fiona is just going to go nuts tomorrow when I tell her I’m gallivanting off to Africa and I don’t know when I’ll be back. The look on her face is just going to be priceless.’
* * *
The missing person’s notice on the Internet for Adrian Stevenson blinked onto a computer screen and an alert box appeared over the top. It stated, “Web page accessed and printed. Trace activated”. The man sitting at the desk picked up the telephone and dialled a number. ‘Tell Mr Ferrand we have a trace on Adrian Stevenson.’