Page 83 of Someone Like You

She smiled sweetly at me, and she replied, “You want to know something?”

“What’s that?”

“I seldom think of Elijah anymore. Since I’ve been with you, there are some days that he might pop up in my mind, but it is no longer with the regret and the heartache that once existed. I no longer feel as if I cannot breathe or go on without him. I think about the sorrow that he carried and the depression, and my heart aches about that for him, but I don’t relate it to my life anymore. It’s a part of my past, but my future feels so bright, Cas. And I have you to thank for that.”

I reached across the table and fingered her wrist. “I didn’t expect to ever find true love. I knew that Bethany was incapable of being and giving me what I needed, so for a while, I simply accepted what was. As time wore on, I knew that I deserved and wanted better and more. When you listened to me the way that you did and understood me, I knew that it was possible to have that. But as much as I was attracted to you, I knew that you were my doctor, so it was expected that you would understand me.

“I didn’t read too much into it. But every appointment, every interaction, and every conversation drew me in more. I saw the sadness in your eyes and heard it in your voice some days, and I wondered who put it there, why, and what I could do to erase it. You seemed like too good a person to have to suffer with that type of pain.”

“I’m glad that you didn’t walk away or give up, Cas. Although, I do worry that someday this might come back to bite me.”

“Never. No one knew that I was a patient of yours except for my wife and Imani. Like I said before, I doubt Imani will speak on it, and I know that Beth won’t. I have secured that by sharing with her something that she doesn’t want to come out.”

“What’s that?”

“The senator she was involved with was Senator Dennis Oaks.”

“Thee Senator Dennis Oaks? Married to Pamela Jasper-Oaks of the Jasper oil magnate family? The same family with known mob ties?”

“Exactly. The Bradwells and Huffingtons are no match for the Jaspers.”

“Wow. Beth surely knows how to choose her enemies, doesn’t she?”

“Exactly. I confronted her with proof of that affair. She knows that I have proof, my lawyer has proof, and so does your lawyer.”

“What lawyer?”

“The one I hired to represent you in case there was an issue with your license. But I’m not worried about that either. Beth won’t move forward with those allegations. Her lawyer has destroyed the letter of complaint that she wanted to file against you. And here’s the kicker . . . The president of the board is my mother’s best friend, and she and my father play golf together.”

Giselle’s jaw dropped, and she stared openly at me. I reached across and closed her mouth. “Be careful, baby, because you don’t want to catch a bee or a fly.”

She shook her head. “You are just full of surprises and never cease to amaze me.”

I shrugged. “Either way, you’re protected. I also managed to have someone erase every record that you have of Bethany and me as clients.”

“You did what?” she balked.

“I had to, Giselle. That was the only way to ensure that you were protected, and no one could come back later to make any accusations against you. So, while I knew you would be pissed, I did what was necessary, and I don’t regret it. No other patient records were accessed or bothered, but ours were deleted from every system you have. The only thing we did not access was your iPad where you keep personal notes and any physicalnotebooks you might have. I gave him permission to access the cloud to delete any notes that you’ve backed up from your iPad, though.”

Giselle dropped her head and shook it. “Casimir, you had no right.”

“That’s debatable. Either way, I’ll be linking you with Noah so that he can make your systems more secure. They’re not very secure right now, and pretty much any college student could hack them.”

“This isn’t making me feel good.”

“You should feel secure. Giselle, when it comes to you, there’s no limits that I won’t go. Do you trust your man?”

“I want to.”

I lifted her chin and forced her to look into my eyes. “Do you trust your man? That’s a yes or no question.”

“Yes, I do.”

“Then trust that I won’t do anything to cause you harm. I told you that I had an entire army with me. My father has so many connections it’s unbelievable. I’m not afraid to leverage them if necessary, but I didn’t. I used the contacts in my arsenal first. I will do whatever is necessary to keep you safe. Understood?”

Giselle dropped her head in her hands, and then she looked up at me.

“Yes. I love you so much.”

---