Chapter Four

By 7 p.m., Leslie called Henry again to find out if he’d drafted the divorce petition to set the divorce in progress. Leslie was taking a risk by reaching out to Henry, knowing fully well that he was best friends with Luke. She’d lied about it being for a friend but had then mailed the names and terms to his assistant and asked it to be included. Knowing Henry, he left most of those things to his associate to handle so the young man wouldn’t know much about her and Luke. One day, the truth would be out but she wanted to keep things under the rug for the moment. “I think it’s done,” Henry said apologetically. “I’ll have my associate send them to me, so I’ll deliver them to you.” Hearing the soft music in the background, Leslie asked, “Where are you? I can come to get the papers myself.” “I’m with Luke at the hospital’s partner party. If you can come get the documents, it’d be great.” The party. Leslie didn’t want to go—she was, of course, not wanted there—but the temptation was great. Besides, Henry said Luke was there, whereas the previous night, he’d said he wouldn’t go because he had other important things to do. Leslie felt like showing up there and letting him know that she was aware of his lies. It wouldn’t change anything, but it would give her a semblance of closure. “I’ll come over in an hour.” “Great.” Leslie hung up and went to change. At the party, Luke couldn’t have felt more alive. He was getting to spend more and more time with Katie than before. Back in High School, Katie had always been too busy with her boyfriend, Bobby. He’d been a shadow in her world, and the only time they got to spend together was during tests, exams, or assignments. She’d always come to him for tutoring. Luke had given up hope of ever being with her and had picked Leslie because—for some reason—she offered him a comparable peace than any other woman. He couldn’t claim to feel something deep for her, but he liked her somewhat. He had resigned to loving Katie in his heart, possibly to his grave, but a miracle happened the day he’d been told that they were getting another doctor to join them as an intern. She had graduated from medical school, but because she’d gone away with Bobby, she hadn't done her internship and had skipped some important steps. She was coming back to redo everything before starting her career as a surgeon. Luke’s biggest happiness was when she accepted a coffee date after he asked and then he got to find out that she’d broken things off with Bobby because he was a ‘draining parasite.’ “I really didn’t expect that you’d ask me to come to the party with you,” Katie said. They were at their table in the corner, drinking cocktails. “The invitation said to bring spouses or partners.” Luke smiled. “And I intend to make you one of those soon.” Katie blushed and he felt his heart race. This was the first time he was being so bold with her without being afraid of rejection. This would’ve made him understand how Leslie always felt each time he rejected her, but Luke was smitten at that moment. Katie brushed her hair behind her ear, holding her smile. “That’s sweet. So, you really never had a girlfriend all these years?” He shook his head. “I didn’t feel the same about anyone. You’re just…different.” Of course, Luke was trying his best not to come off too strong. The past hurt was still lingering in his mind, so he had to be subtle. There was a part of him that felt guilty. He was lying to Leslie every day, leading her on. They were married, right? At what point would it be too much? When would he put an end to it before he cheated on her? But hadn't he already cheated in his mind? Luke was starting to consider filing for a divorce before he got deeper with Katie. But the thought gave him pause because he had to make sure that it worked with Katie first so he wouldn’t lose both ways. As they talked, Henry came over with a document in his hand. “Hey, Luke, can I talk to you for a while?” He nodded. “Sure, what is it?” He held out the document. “Divorce document. My associate brought it over.” Luke exhaled. “And why would I be interested in that?” Henry chuckled. “You shouldn’t, right? It’s not the document I want to talk about.” He turned to Katie. “Hey, Katie, do you mind giving this to someone for me outside while I use those few minutes to chat up this guy? She’s already on her way. It won’t take long, I promise.” “Oh…okay,” Katie took the document and then left the two at the table. Henry sat opposite Luke. “What are you doing with Katie?” “What does it look like?” Henry grunted. “This woman might hurt you again. Remember the last time? You almost failed your exams. You wouldn’t be a medical doctor right now if Leslie hadn't been there to nurture you back to your senses.” Luke took a deep breath. Yea, Leslie. After High School, he’d still tried to get through to Katie but she’d delivered the final blow during his exams when she announced that she happier with Bobby. That was when they were writing their finals. Luke had been a mess, but Leslie had brought him back, though she’d had no idea what had caused his pain. She still didn’t know. “I don’t want to talk about this,” Luke said and got up to go find Katie. Outside, Katie had just hit the steps when Leslie jogged up to the steps. Henry had texted her to look for the woman. Leslie was surprised to see who it was standing before her. Katie Hoffman, the woman who had Luke’s heart. For a few seconds, they stood there, locking eyes till Katie broke the silence. “You’re Leslie, right? The woman going through a divorce?” “I think that’s my document.” Leslie reached out to take it but froze when someone approached them from behind. “Sweetheart, are you done?” it was Luke and he too stopped dead in his tracks when he saw Leslie standing a few inches from Katie. There was a moment of awful silence.