“I can see that. Although, your face is ungodly repellent right now.”
Ouch.
I chuckle. “That hideous, huh?”
“Grotesque.” She shivers. Okay, it can’t be that bad. “Cora said it looked like the road ate your face, but I couldn’t quite put an image to her metaphor. But I can see now what she was trying to convey. Quite awful.”
“You should’ve seen it a few days ago.” Killian shakes his head. “A disaster.”
“I can imagine it was unmentionable.”
“Wow, you two aren’t making me feel any better.”
“Are we supposed to be making you feel better?” Keiko asks with genuine curiosity. “Because even though you are my best friend, you still remain on my bad side.” Dignified, she stands there, hands clasped in front of her. “You hurt Cora. You lied. And you were reckless. That type of behavior deserves to be punished.”
“Brutal,” Killian mutters as he sits back down in his chair.
“You’re right,” I say, not even trying to argue with her. “I fucked up.”
“You did,” Keiko says. “And to your dismay, and mine, I don’t believe there is any rectifying of the situation, which has made things for me incredibly awkward and uncomfortable.”
“What do you mean?” I ask her.
“The divorce,” Keiko says. “The papers are just waiting for you to sign. I asked Cora if she wanted me to deliver them to you today, but she said it could wait until you were out of the hospital. I believe the legal documents are drawn up, signed by Cora, and she’s waiting to transport them to your abode.”
I glance at Killian, who winces but continues to stare at his mobile.
“She . . . she’s had divorce papers drawn up?”
Keiko nods. “Of course she did. From the beginning of your marriage, she wanted it to end. Why wouldn’t she proceed with the divorce after you deceived her?”
“Valid point,” Killian mumbles.
“I only speak the truth,” Keiko says. “For what it’s worth, I believe she is making a mistake, because I know how fondly you feel toward her, but it is not my position to say anything. In this case, given you are both my friends, I would prefer to be Switzerland.”
“I respect that.” I glance down at the scabs on my hand. “Can I ask you one thing, though?”
“I believe one inquiry is in my wheelhouse at the moment, although, make it quick, for I am still quite emotional and hanging on by a thread. Observing my friend battered and bruised in a hospital bed does not settle well in my conventional and scientific mind. The emotions are far too intense for my comprehension.”
“I understand. I’ll be quick. I just want to know, is Cora okay?”
“As far as I’ve seen, she is not. I’ve observed her quite often with tears in her eyes. I don’t believe she celebrated Christmas, and it is to my understanding that she hasn’t left her apartment with frequency, either. Stella and Greer have been taking shifts of observation. I haven’t been useful, for I have also been incapacitated due to the emotional turmoil I’ve been battling.”
My chest constricts with pain, wrapping around me in a noose of chaos. What was supposed to be the best Christmas of my life, hell, hopefully the best Christmas of her life, has turned into an abomination, a total and utter disaster. All because I couldn’t come clean with the truth. But, then again, if I was clean about why I wanted to stay married to her, would she ever have opened her heart to me?
I don’t think she would have.
“I’m sorry I put you through this, Keiko. You know I would never want to hurt you.”
“I do believe it’s not in your inherent nature to be cruel. But humans are programmed to make mistakes. Some bigger than others. Unfortunately, you have killed the one relationship you cared about, resulting in your loneliness.”
“Damn,” Killian says with a chuckle. “She does not hold back.”
“Why would I?” Keiko asks. “The truth speaks for itself. Standing here, sugarcoating your blunders, doesn’t accomplish anything. Learning from those blunders, now that is how we metamorphose as a human race.” Keiko looks me in the eyes. “I encourage you to ruminate in your discrepancies, Pike, and make discoveries from them. For this is how we evolve.” She nods curtly, turns on her heel, and walks out the door.
“Wow,” Killian says. “Talk about a kick to the dick. Jesus Christ, you okay, mate?”