Dane(97)

"I'm not telling you this to make you feel sorry for me. I'm only letting you know so you can better understand Gabi, and how you inadvertently affect her. It's not intentional, but it happens. Anything can tie a victim to an incident. For me, it was the town I lived in. The school I attended. I had a hard time going to class, walking the halls, seeing the faces of every male in attendance, and not questioning if they were the one who violated me. Anytime someone passed a note, I became anxious, assuming it was about me. I believed everyone in the school knew what had happened, and they were all laughing about it behind my back. But once I found out I was pregnant, and I told my parents, they got me the help I needed. They even went as far as moving to get me away from the town and the kids in school."

"And that helped? Moving away?"

"Yeah. The only thing I had tying me to that night was the baby. But even that found a resolution. We spoke to an adoption agency, and by the time I gave birth, it'd all been taken care of by the counselor. The baby had been placed with a family and all I had to do was sign the birth certificate. My mother and the counselor handled the rest. I still don't know if I had a boy or a girl. At the time, it was the best decision. I wouldn't have been able to handle the details. But now, more than twenty years later, I find myself wondering about him or her from time to time." She waved me off, ignoring the completely stunned expression I was sure I wore-it matched the shock running through me. "Anyway, all I meant to say was in order to break free from the ties that bind you, you have to cut them all away. Choosing to leave the relationship with Gabi might be for the best, no matter how difficult it is to let such a big part of your life go."



       
         
       
        

The sound of heels clicking on the marble floors grew louder until it reverberated in my head. Stoic and completely frozen with shock and realization, I glanced over Janette's shoulder, seeking out the intrusion. I found Eden sashaying toward us with that familiar easy smile on her face.

"Oh, good. You're back," she said as she stopped on her way out the front doors. "I'm heading out for lunch, but I'll only be gone for an hour. I left those proposals on your desk for you to look through. All my notes are on the first page." Her words began to slow down, probably noticing my lack of reaction. "Are you okay?"

I blinked, turned my head to look at Janette again, then I blinked some more. My eyes continued to flash between the two women, taking notice of things I'd never thought of before. Janette's eyes were brown, but when I looked closer, the light danced off the emerald green specks. I focused on Eden's mouth. The same shape, only painted a different color.

"Dane … is everything all right?" Eden sounded as if she were in a tunnel, her words muffled and echoed slightly. When she touched my arm, it seemed to break the spell enough for me to nod and mumble that I'd see her in an hour. My words more than likely weren't understandable, but I didn't care.

She slowly stepped away and exited through the glass doors, taking one last glance at me over her shoulder. Still feeling as though I wasn't attached to my body, my mind lost in a state of confused realization, I met Janette's stare. However, she didn't seem as concerned with my lack of attention.

"I'll let you get to work. It sounds like your assistant has things waiting for you. Just know I'm here if you need me. To talk, to listen, to offer advice or help you understand things from a different perspective. Either way, I'm here, Dane." She smiled and squeezed my forearm. When I didn't respond, she just nodded and walked toward her office, leaving me dazed and confused in the lobby of my building.



I couldn't seem to concentrate to save my life. Eden had returned from lunch, and I still hadn't finished going through the notes on the few proposals she'd left for me on my desk. My mind was stuck in a dense fog, wondering how I'd never put the two together.

Eden had originally applied for an underpaid, overworked public relations receptionist-Janette's receptionist. When I'd asked her why she'd waste her talents doing that, her response was a bold-faced lie. Saying there were no other positions available. I knew then it was a lie, but I never called her out on it. Then again, at the time, I wasn't aware I had employed her birth mother, so it never would've crossed my mind. But when Eden finally did open up to me and offer me that information, I should've thought about it. Looking at the two women, I could've seen the slight similarities. They weren't blinding by any means. Subtle. Just beneath the surface. But enough of a hint to leave me questioning a possible relation.