Page 44 of Shattered Hope

“What’s the matter?” he asked, with a slight frown.

“I’m sorry to interrupt, but I need to speak to you in private for a moment,” I told him with a wavery smile on my lips. “It’s urgent.”

“Matterson, will you excuse us, please?” he asked the older man.

“By all means. We have all night ahead of us. We’ll be sitting on the same table,” the man said, with a curious look on his face.

“Perfect. I’ll see you at dinner then,” Jayden said, as he turned to look at me.

I had lost track of Daniel, and that wasn’t good, but right now, I had more pressing matters to attend. I located an exit and quickly dragged Jayden there.

19

“What’s going on?” he asked me when we were alone.

“I’m not feeling well. Would you mind if I went back to the apartment?” I asked him in a shaky tone.

“I can’t let you leave alone,” he protested.

“It’s just a headache… I will be fine, there’s no need for you to go with me, believe me…” I assured him.

“No… I’ll take you home. I’ve been here long enough,” he said, determined.

I looked around, terrified Daniel would show up and desperate to convince Jayden to stay behind. I needed to escape tonight.

“There’s no need, believe me. Your mother would be very disappointed if you left,” I insisted.

“Something is wrong, Anne, I can tell… why don’t you tell me the truth?” Jayden insisted.

“Yes, Ailani, why don’t you tell him the truth?” Daniel’s voice sounded from behind me, and I almost passed out of sheer terror.

Jayden looked at me and then at Daniel. “Who the hell are you?”

“Why don’t you tell him, Ailani? Tell him who I am,” Daniel said in a mocking tone.

“Why is he calling you Ailani?” Jayden asked, clearly upset.

I closed my eyes for a second. “Because it’s my real name,” I replied in barely a whisper.

“You know this man?” Jayden asked in a harsh tone, and I shuddered.

This wasn’t the way I wanted things to end between us. It was so unfair I wanted to cry my heart out.

“Yes…”

“Of course, she knows me,” Daniel interrupted me. “I’m her husband.”

The shock on Jayden’s face was more than I could take, and I sobbed.

“Husband? You’re married?”

“It’s not that simple…” I tried to explain, but he cut me off.

“Is he your husband?”

“Yes, he is, but…” I said, grabbing his arm, struggling to make him understand, but he pushed away my hand as if I was poisonous.

“There’s no but here.”