I hear the low rumble of male voices in the living room, but I can’t make out what they’re saying. I think they’re keeping their voices down on purpose.

Before long, there’s a light knock on the door to Jamie’s office.

My heart is pounding, and I’m not sure I’m ready to face him. “Come in,” I say.

I sit up as Shane walks into the room, blinking my eyes at the bright hallway light streaming into the dimly lit room. He closes the door behind him, studies me for a long moment, then comes to sit on the coffee table, right across from me.

“Hey,” he says softly, a sad smile on his face. He leans forward and reaches for my left hand, holding it gently in one of his.

“Hey,” I say.

With his other hand, he brushes back my hair. “I’m so sorry, sweetheart. Lia forwarded the images to me. I realize this has put you in a difficult position.”

His voice sounds anguished, and that brings fresh tears to my eyes. I brush the tears away with the back of my free hand.

Shane looks as bad as I feel. I’ve only seen him look like this one other time, and that was when I woke up in the ER after being physically assaulted and he was leaning over my hospital bed, tears in his eyes as he studied the damage that had been done to me. He looked wrecked then, just like he does now.

I realize he’s scared, and the knowledge floors me. Shane’s not afraid of anything. He faced Howard Kline and killed him without batting an eye. The fact that he’s scared now actually scares me. He’s afraid Luciana will succeed in doing what she threatened all along – wreck us.

“I know it looks bad,” he says, cradling my hand in both of his, “but you need to hear me out. I was walking back to my office from the jewelry shop where we bought our wedding bands when Luciana approached me on the sidewalk. She grabbed me without warning and kissed me. That was it, I swear. I pushed her away and walked on. I have no idea who’s in the other four images with her, but it’s not me.”

“I don’t know who it is or how she pulled this off,” he says, “but I swear to you, I’ll prove I didn’t do this. I’ve got my imagery analyst team working on it right now. Until we come up with something definitive, all I ask is that you give me the benefit of the doubt and withhold judgment.”

He sounds so reasonable about it, and of course I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt – give him a chance to uncover the truth. But at the same time, I can’t just ignore what I see in those images. What I see breaks my heart – it guts me.

“Beth?”

I realize I’m staring down at my lap, avoiding his gaze. When I can finally bring myself to look at him, I’m stunned by the stark pain I see in his eyes. He’s hurting as badly as I am. My throat tightens and I feel fresh tears forming.

“I don’t blame you for being upset,” he says. “The photos are pretty damning. I just know it’s not me.”

“I – I don’t know what to think.”

His jaw tightens. “I knew Luciana was vindictive, but I never dreamed she’d stoop this low. She wants to hurt me, and she’s using you to do it.”

He brushes the pad of his thumb back and forth against the back of my hand, and it feels good, soothing. I feel terrible for doubting him, even for one second. The Shane I know would never betray me. But those images... seeing him with his hands on her, kissing her, it’s difficult to ignore the possibility, however slight, that they’re real.

“Lia told me you were sick at the restaurant,” he says. “How do you feel now?”

“I’m still a little light-headed.”

“Do you want me to take you home?”

Pain knifes me in the chest, and I shake my head. Our apartment is the last place I want to be right now – there are just too many memories there. I need space. It kills me to say it, but I have to. “I want to stay here tonight.”

Shane does an admirable job of keeping a straight face, but I can tell by the tightening of his jaw and the tension in his eyes that my words have wounded him. I feel ashamed. “I’m so sorry, but I just can’t – ”  My voice breaks and I can’t get the words out.

He cups my cheek. “You have nothing to be sorry about. I know this is hurting you. God, I could kill Luciana for putting you through this – for putting us through this.”

Shane runs his fingers through his hair, causing tuffs of it to stand up, and that makes me smile. Some things never change.

“Okay,” he says. “You stay here tonight. I’ll be in the lab at work until they find something. I’ll sleep in my apartment at the office tonight.” His voice hardens. “I’m not going home without you, Beth. I mean that.”

He leans forward and kisses my forehead. “I’m going back to the lab. Please, try to eat something. I don’t want you getting sick. I’ll contact you as soon as we find something.”

I nod. Even in the face of this calamity, he’s still thinking about me. And that makes me feel even worse for having any doubts.

“Don’t,” he says, as if he can read my mind. “This isn’t your fault. It’s Luciana’s doing, and I promise you, she’s going to live to regret it.”

Shane stands, and then he pulls me to my feet and into his arms. “Please, trust me,” he murmurs, pressing his lips to my forehead. “You’re my life, Beth. I’d never do anything to jeopardize what we have. I’m going to marry you. As soon as we get this mess cleared up and my parents are home, I’m putting a wedding band on your finger.”

He holds me tightly against his chest, and I can feel the rapid, yet steady beating of his heart beneath my ear. His chest is warm and firm, and so achingly familiar. Part of me wants to melt into him and forget all this craziness. Part of me wants to go home with him and pretend none of this ever happened. But those damned images are burned into my head, taunting me, challenging everything I believe.

“Come, walk me to the door,” he says, releasing me.

We walk hand-in-hand out to the living room, where Jamie and Sam are seated at the small dining table. They both jump to their feet.

“Jamie, Beth wants to stay here tonight,” Shane says. “Is that okay?”

Jamie seems surprised. “Of course it is. She’s always welcome here, you both know that.”

Shane lays his hand on his brother’s shoulder and squeezes. “Thanks. Make sure she eats, will you?”

“I will,” Jamie says.

“What can I do?” Sam says, and he’s looking at me.

Shane glances at him. “Just keep doing your job. When Beth’s away from home, you stick to her like glue until I get this situation resolved. Luciana’s lost her grip on reality, so there’s no telling what she’s capable of. I don’t want Luciana anywhere near Beth. And if Luciana comes inside the bookstore again, I want her arrested for trespassing.”

Sam nods. “You got it.”

Before he takes his leave, Shane gives me one last hug and kisses my forehead. “Trust me,” he whispers. “I’ll call you in the morning with an update on the investigation. In the meanwhile, rest. And please eat. You’re not eating enough.”

I nod. “I will.”

He releases me, and just as he’s about to turn for the door, I grab his arm. I’m such a mess. Here I am demanding that he give me space, and yet I can’t bear for him to leave. “Shane, please,” I say. But I honestly don’t know what I’m asking for. Please don’t leave? Please do something to make this all better?

He gives me a gentle smile. “I know,” he says, gently stroking my cheek. “I will.”

He kisses my forehead once more, and then he’s out the door and gone. I stand frozen to the spot, feeling utterly bereft. It’s all I can do to not run after him, call him back, beg him to stay with me.

“Everything’s going to be fine,” Jamie says, putting his arm across my shoulders. “Just be patient and let him do what he needs to do. He’ll find the evidence he’s looking for.”

* * *

The three of us settle down for a quiet afternoon. Jamie returns to his office to write, and Sam and I crash on the sofa. I try to read on my phone, but my mind is wandering too much for me to concentrate. I can’t follow the story at all, so I put down my phone with a sigh.

Sam throws me the remote control to the television. “Let’s watch TV. It’ll get your mind off things.”

Personally, I don’t think anything will accomplish that. But I give it a try, channel surfing, looking for anything that will help pass the time. Finally, we settle on an episode of Chicago’s Best – a local program that highlights the best of what Chicago has to offer. It’s the episode on pizza – which Chicago is famous for. I’ve already seen this episode a half-dozen times, but since Sam and I both happen to be addicted to pizza, it’s an appropriate choice.

“Now I’m hungry,” Sam says, when the program ends.

I realize that my meltdown at the restaurant resulted in Sam missing his lunch. We watch a couple more episodes, and then Jamie emerges from his office.

“How about some dinner, you guys?” Jamie says. “What sounds good?”

“I’m not picky,” Sam says. “Anything’s fine.”

When I don’t respond, Jamie says, “How about you, Beth?”

“I can’t eat anything right now. My stomach is tied in knots.”

Jamie drops down beside me on the sofa and pats my knee. “I promised Shane I’d feed you, so that’s what I’m going to do. So, how about some comfort food? I make a killer mac ‘n cheese. Or, how about a grilled cheese sandwich and chicken noodle soup? You’ve got to pick something.”

“You’re going to cook?” I say. The thought of Jamie cooking makes me smile. But I wouldn’t put it past him – the man can do anything he sets his mind to.

“Yes, I’m going to cook. What, you don’t think I can?”

“No offense, dude,” Sam says, “but in case you hadn’t noticed, you’re blind.”

“Watch and learn, pal,” Jamie says, chuckling. “So, Beth, what’s it going to be? It’s your call.”

“Macaroni and cheese?”

Jamie hops up and heads for the kitchen to grab a pot from the cupboard. “Mac ‘n cheese, it is.”