Reborn in Time: Reclaiming My Life

Chapter 3 Discovery

Ava's POV cont.

That’s where we were, having lunch, when Jane Rhodes showed up. Jane, Rowan’s former girlfriend. His mistress, as I had long suspected and now understood to be true. Found us in the Lodge’s dining room. She came strutting in, making a beeline straight for our table. Like she knew exactly where we would be.

“Oh, thank God, I found you, Rowan,” she gushed as she sat beside Rowan, leaning close to kiss him on the cheek. “I tried calling you, but my calls kept going to voice mail. I need your advice, desperately! My agent and editor want a meeting about the manuscripts I submitted. I can’t possibly do that without your presence and support!”

I had looked at the two of them, studying Jane as she plucked a grape from Rowan’s bowl of fruit, popping it into her mouth, totally ignoring my presence. I cringed, realizing her fingers were covered in dirt. What the hell was so important that she couldn’t take the time to wash her hands? Or brush off the dirt clinging to her clothing? What in the world had she been doing to get so dirty and dusty? I had to ask.

“Jane,” I interrupted her. “What happened to you? You look like you’ve been rolling around in the dirt.”

“Flat tire,” her words to me were sharp, softened when she redirected her attention to Rowan. “Row, I really need to speak with you, in private. It’s urgent. I need you back in Halifax.”

Her dismissive attitude irked me. “Jane, if you haven’t noticed, my husband, Rowan and I are on vacation. We've only been away for four days. I’m certain that you are more than capable of handling anything that crops up with your agent and editor for another day or two.”

As one, they turned their attention to me, looks of disapproval clouding their faces. Jane responded first.

“Ava, I understand you are on vacation, but Rowan is not like you, someone who stays at home looking after the house and writes your little stories. He is an important man, with a company to run. He is my most trusted advisor. I need him with me during the meetings regarding my books. I’m certain you won’t begrudge him cutting his vacation short to handle this emergency. He is important to my success. Now that you can see again, there is no reason for you to curtail your part of the trip.”

I opened my mouth to retort, but Rowan cut in. “Ava! Don’t be rude to Jane.” Rowan’s voice was edging on anger. “Jane’s right. You can drive the trail or drive back to Halifax by yourself. It’s not like you can’t look after yourself now. Anyway, didn’t you have a full afternoon booked at the spa? You said you would go there directly from the dining room, and you wouldn’t be free until at least four this afternoon.”

Once again, my husband defended Jane, reprimanding me in the process. The man of the past eight weeks was gone in a flash. Replaced by the one who, since Jane’s return to Halifax, put her first, and me? I didn’t even factor into the equation.

Neither of them gave me a chance to respond.

“Well, that’s perfect,” Jane interjected. “Rowan and I can do a video conference call with my agent and editor as a stopgap measure before leaving for Halifax. This is a huge opportunity for me, to have my work accepted by a publisher. Not that you would know anything about that, Ava. Have you even tried to submit any of your little stories?” Condescension dripped from her voice.

“Exactly,” agreed Rowan. “We’ll probably be gone before your appointment is done. I’ll see you at home when you finish your vacation.” Saying this, he stood up, came around to my side of the table and placed a brief kiss on my cheek. “We’ll take Jane’s vehicle, so drive carefully. Bye.”

They walked out together without a backwards glance, leaving me to finish my meal alone. A meal I no longer felt like eating. I added a tip to the bill, had the waitress charge the total to our room, grabbed my purse, then made my way to the spa.

Anger simmered under the surface. My god, but I hate Jane Rhodes! She was the epitome of a ‘pick me girl’. How Rowan couldn’t see through her ploys was beyond me. Blind as I had been, I could see what she was. She and Rowan had dated throughout all four years of university but broke up when she accepted a job offer in Calgary. If I had known he was still hung up on her, I would never have agreed to date or marry him.

I met Rowan a year after his relationship with Jane ended. It was at a fund-raising gala sponsored by my father's company. Rowan charmed me with his polite manners, his intelligence, his ambition and drive. I fell in love. We dated, got engaged, and then married eighteen months later.

Biggest mistake of my life, I now realize. That, and agreeing to withdraw the divorce application three years ago. What the hell was I thinking?

At first, things were good between Rowan and me, or at least I thought they were, up until Jane moved back to Halifax. She was an aspiring writer, she claimed, but needed to work until her writing took off. She appealed to Rowan, suggesting she work as a marketing specialist for his start-up tech company.

The company in which my father had invested heavily. The accident that killed him and mom happened shortly after Jane joined the company. Nothing was the same after that. Rowan spent more time with Jane than me. Delegating my daily care to a series of caregivers until I learned to fend for myself in my blindness.

All these thoughts roamed through my brain as the esthetician did my facial. By the time she finished, I had made up my mind.

Rather than staying for the scheduled services, I charged the full fee, plus a tip to my room. Rowan could damn well pay the bill, considering he was once again pushing me aside for Jane.