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“Katie! Oh, Katie, are you okay?”
“What’s wrong, sweetie?”
You guessed it; it’s my sisters. Kyle and Epiphany charged toward me as soon as the north elevator doors opened. They came to the hospital minutes after I called them. All I said to Epiphany when she answered her cell was, “Meet me at Mercy Medical Center as soon as you can.” Twenty minutes later, she and Kyle were here.
They had no idea why I was at the hospital or why I needed them here with me. That would soon change.
They didn’t know any of Eric’s secrets or the fact that he killed himself and was lying in the cold, drafty morgue wearing nothing but a toe tag.
I planned to tell Kyle and Epiphany everything once they settled down.
As bad as I want to sit here with love still in my heart for the man I knew as Eric Reynolds, there was nothing left inside of me. He wasn’t my husband. He wasn’t the man of my dreams. He wasn’t a man at all. He was a coward! He didn’t even have the common courtesy to stick around and face the mess he made of innocent lives. Instead, he played the victim and ran for the hills with his penis tucked between his legs and a revolver in his lap. I hope that sick bastard rots in hell for what he’s done.
I didn’t ask for someone like Eric, nor did I deserve to be in the position he put me in. He led me to believe the world he gave me was reserved just for me; never once did he mention I would be part of a cast.
“Katie, please just tell us what’s going on.”
“Kyle . . . Epiphany . . .” I braced myself. “Eric is dead.” I then relaxed as my sisters went crazy. They didn’t know the story behind my husband’s death; all they heard leave my lips was, ‘Eric is dead,’ and probably assumed his death was right up there with a family tragedy. Eric killing himself was far from a tragedy even though my sisters were crying hysterically. They had no idea what that twisted bastard did to me.
As Kyle and Epiphany shed tears for Eric, I sat emotionless. He’s gone, and that was just that. My numb heart wouldn’t allow me to morn.
“Katie, what happened? Are you okay?”
“I’m fine.”
Sniffles. “What happened to Eric?”
“He killed himself.”
Kyle jumped out of her seat next to me. “He did what!”
My unruffled face looked up at her as I repeated myself. “He killed himself.”
“God, Katie, no!”
Epiphany asked, “Where? Uh, where did this happen?”
“In his home,” I answered without hesitation. I had nothing to hide. I promised myself I would unleash everything to my sisters, and I was doing just that.
Kyle sat back down. “He killed himself at home? Were you there?”
“I was there. I watched him do it. I stood there as he put a gun to his head and pulled the trigger . . . We both watched.”
“Both? Who else was there?”
I looked at my little sister when I answered, “Courtney.”
“The hygienist was there?”
“No, no, Epiphany. Eric didn’t have a hygienist named Courtney.”
Epiphany dabbed tears from her eyes when she said, “You’re losing me.”
“Eric didn’t have a practice in Potomac; he wasn’t a traveling dentist; he wasn’t a doctor at all.”
“Well, who was that woman we met that night at Fenmore’s?”
I wanted to choke up blood the second I heard the name Fenmore’s fill the air.
It was hard, but I was about to expose Eric and all of his dirty laundry. My sisters had a right to know who this man really was since I obviously didn’t.
I spoke as Kyle and Epiphany listened closely. Their eyes widen, their teeth gritted, and I think I even heard Kyle release a few choice cuss words that I wouldn’t dare repeat.
They were listening to my life’s story in awes. And I don’t blame them. This kind of thing didn’t happen every day. This isn’t a typical situation, which is why my sisters sat on the edge of their seats in disbelief. Their faces read they wanted to hear more, but I’m not sure how much more they could take. And to be honest, I’m not sure how much more I could take. It stung to speak of Eric and his male bride. It hurt me to my core to think everything he was saying and doing to me was being said and done to the other wo-man in his life. And it kills me that Eric left me here to deal with his mess.
I still have questions that demand answers. I have angered tears that needed to be wiped away. I have a broken heart that required mending. I needed Eric to look me in my eyes and tell me why he did this to me. Why me? . . . Why did he choose me? I’m not his fucking mother, so why couldn’t he have chosen the next blonde that walked by?
I hated what I was admitting to my sisters, but it all had to be told. I will no longer walk around, faking a perfect life with an Hermès bag swinging from my forearm, and my nose pointed toward heaven. Let’s face it; I’m not the wife of a doctor any longer. My title isn’t Mrs. Dr. Eric Reynolds anymore. Eric saw to it that I was stripped of my life, my home, my dignity, and his name.
I wouldn’t try to hide any of that from Kyle or Epiphany; I was prepared to tell my story to a stranger if he asked. The secrets my husband kept would no longer be hidden. I would expose him and his concealed life to the galaxy if I could.
Once my admission became unsealed from behind my quivering lips, my sisters’ questions started flying so fast, I felt myself becoming queasy.
“He was married to Courtney Byrd?! Are you talking about my Courtney?”
I thought I wouldn’t necessarily call him your Courtney, Epiphany.
“Courtney? The guy that worked with Epiphany at Citizens?”
“How could he marry Courtney?”
“Was Eric gay?”
“Is Courtney gay?”
“Was the marriage legal?”
“Where did they live?”
“Will the marriage be annulled?”
“Will you still be considered his widow?”
“Is Courtney still considered his wife?”
“Eric wasn’t a doctor?”
“Which shelter was he at?”
“How long was he there?”
“Where did he live before?”
“If he wasn’t a doctor, how did he support the three of you?”
“He opened that restaurant for Courtney?”
“He was prepared to put you through law school?”
“Why didn’t he just tell you he had a vasectomy?”
“Why was your Range Rover black and Courtney’s was white?”
“Where did the trucks disappear to?”
“Did he take them?”
“Why did Eric bring you to Fenmore’s that night?”
“Why didn’t you tell us you sliced your hand opened after you left the hospital?”
“Was Eric gay?” I would swear to it that question was already asked.
As my sisters’ loud voices filled the entire wing of the hospital, I got up and excused myself after I assured them I was okay. I told them I needed to go to the ladies’ room and promised I’d be right back.
Before I answered any more questions, I had to get away. I wouldn’t be gone long; I just needed a little time alone.
As I left the area, I could tell they were watching me. Epiphany even looked as if she was a breath away from asking for my belt and shoelaces. That wouldn’t be necessary, though. The pain I feel in the pit of my stomach for what Erick has done to me is worse than unbearable, but I’m committed to getting through this. I won’t let Erick Reynolds have any more control over me. He is out of my life for good, and I just have to accept that.
On my trip back from the lavatory, I saw the man that shared his life with my husband sitting in a different family waiting room. He was only a few feet away from me, yet we seemed miles apart. I wanted to go over and say something to him. Maybe we should talk; console each other since we are the only two people on earth that know the suffocating pain that man left behind. I decided to keep my distance, though. I never wanted to see Courtney Byrd again. Not because I disliked his kind, as I stated a few chapters ago. I just didn’t want to face him. He would be a constant reminder of what I was going through and why.
I just couldn’t put myself through that a thousand times over, so in that case, I would make sure Courtney Byrd and Katie Morgan’s paths never shall cross again.
I’ll disappear and bury myself in the quarry of his life until maybe one day, I’m less than a distant memory inside of him. That’s the way I wanted it, and that’s how it was going to be.
I tried not to stare at him sitting there, but I couldn’t help it. He was crying violently. He looked as if he would never stop. I would go over and tell him everything would be okay, but I wasn’t sure it would be. I’m committed to getting through this, but I still had to wonder if I ever will.
I turned and headed back to my sisters. Suddenly, I didn’t want to be apart from them. I needed them and was grateful they were here.
I bid Courtney a distant, silent farewell as I walked away, sharing the hell we were placed in by our husband.