Page 44 of The Space He Left
Another pause, longer this time. "What do you mean?"
"I mean, St. Mary's doesn't perform cancer surgeries. They don't even have an oncology department."
The silence stretched between us, and I could almost hear Madison's mind racing, trying to come up with an explanation.
"You must be confused," she said finally. "It was the cancer center at University Medical. I was so nervous, I probably said the wrong hospital name."
"Was it, Madison?" I asked, my voice dangerously quiet. "Are you sure it wasn’t The Cadogan Clinic? The Center for Advanced Wellness and Rejuvenation."
Dead silence on the other end of the line. For the first time, she had no immediate answer, no smooth deflection. I had her. "What's your oncologist's name?" I pressed, not letting her recover.
"Dr... Dr. Richardson. Jackie, why are you interrogating me? I need you!"
The deflection was smooth, practiced, and designed to make me feel guilty for questioning her. But for the first time in months, I didn't fall for it.
"Madison, I know about your Instagram posts."
Dead silence.
"I saw all the photos. The ones showing you looking perfectly healthy at the gym, eating out at top restaurants on the days I was back home, all while you've been telling me you're dying, you're exhausted, you've lost your appetite."
More silence. Then, to my complete shock, Madison started laughing. Not nervous laughter, but genuine, delighted laughter.
"Oh my God," she said, her voice completely different now. All traces of fear and vulnerability were gone, replaced by something cold and triumphant. "You finally figured it out. I was wondering how long it would take."
I felt like I'd been punched in the stomach. "So you admit it. You've been lying."
"Of course I've been lying, Jackie. I never had cancer." Her voice was light, casual, like she was discussing the weather. "But my surgery did go well, by the way. I'm very happy with my new D-cups. You always did like a curvier woman."
The crassness of the admission, the casual way she equated a cosmetic procedure with the life-or-death struggle she'd pretended to be in, made me feel physically ill. "You faked cancer... for a boob job?"
"I faked cancer to get you back," she corrected, a sharp edge to her voice now. "The boob job was just a perk. And honestly, you made it so easy. All those weeks of paying for my 'special diet' and 'alternative therapies'? You funded this entire upgrade, Jackie. So, really, thank you."
"Why?" The word came out as a whisper, the scale of her manipulation almost too much to comprehend.
"Because you were supposed to be mine," she said, and there was steel in her voice now. "We were supposed to be together. But then you got trapped by that basic little nobody and her perfect small-town life."
"Harper didn't trap me. I chose to marry her."
"Did you? Or did you just settle because I wasn't there? Because Jackie, the moment I called, you came running. You abandoned your pregnant wife without a second thought."
The words contained just enough truth to hurt. "You manipulated me."
"I gave you what you wanted. An excuse to be with me again. Do you know how easy it was? Your wedding photos were all over Harper's Instagram, so I knew exactly when your anniversary was. One well-timed call that night, and boom – there you were, choosing me over her."
I thought about that night at Rosewood Inn, how I'd left Harper sitting alone at our anniversary dinner. The memory made me sick. I should have taken Harper with me or told Madison I'd visit her the next day. My life had become a list of if onlys.
"Listening to you drone on and on about Harper every time you came to see me – God, that was so annoying. But also helpful, because I knew exactly when to have my emergencies. When Harper had appointments, when she had birthing classes, the baby shower. I made sure I always needed you right when she needed you most."
The calculated cruelty of it was breathtaking. Madison had systematically destroyed my marriage, timing her manipulations to cause maximum damage to Harper.
"You're sick," I said.
"I'm smart. And it worked perfectly. Though I have to admit, I'm impressed Harper held out as long as she did. Most women would have left you after the first month of this."
"I missed Emma's birth," I said, the words feeling like glass in my throat.
"Oh, the baby was born?" Madison's voice brightened. "That's perfect timing then. Fresh start for us. Have you moved out yet?"
