Thanks for the reviews. Are you sure you all want things to be so easy with Jack? That's not really a lot of fun... ;)
Chapter 14. I Wish I Could Believe You
"So I guess it's a good thing we never started trying for that baby," Kate quipped with a bitter laugh, unsure of what she should be thinking or feeling now that Kevin had told her that their marriage was over. If she was entirely honest with herself, she was relieved; she'd known for some time that marrying him was a mistake, but even so, an equal part of her was devastated, because when she'd said "I do", she really meant it, even if she'd never been able to bring herself to tell him the truth.
"Don't joke about that," he snapped, wiping furiously at his eyes as he struggled to get his own emotions under control. "I was going to spend the rest of my life with you. I was going to raise a family with you, and you lied to me."
"I'd tell you I'm sorry, but we both know that wouldn't change anything," she told him softly, her gaze falling on her hand, to the thin gold bands that had begun to feel like a part of it. They were a promise, a promise to share her life with him, for better or worse, and she'd broken it; sliding them off, she took his hand and pressed both rings into his palm, closing his fingers gently around them. "For what it's worth, I really did love you, you know. That part wasn't a lie."
She'd never been one for prolonging goodbyes, especially now, when she knew that there was no avoiding him in future, not as long as they were both stuck on this island; leaving him to stare morosely at his fist, she turned to walk away, but he stopped her, calling her name, her real name. "What am I going to tell everyone when they ask me why I came back from my honeymoon without my wife?"
She paused, considering this for a moment, until the perfect response came to her. "Tell them she died in a plane crash," she said with a rueful smile, heading over to the campsite, where Ana was introducing Jack to the other survivors.
Watching him shake hands with a blonde in a tattered dress, she wondered if, in the time that the two of them had been getting reacquainted, Ana had shared the same story with him that she had Kevin, effectively ruining the precarious relationship she had with him as well. Even though, if Jack was to be believed, they'd only met once before tonight, there was an intimacy between them that made her uncomfortable as they shared a grin at something she'd said. If the other woman was serious at the airport, and she had some kind of romantic designs on him, it would be the most efficient way of reclaiming her territory.
Jack looked up at Kate's approach, his concerned gaze flickering over her face, taking in her swollen eyes and downcast expression, but he didn't say anything to her, diving back into the conversation.
"Hey," she said when it became apparent that he was giving her the cold shoulder again, wondering if he'd gone back to punishing her now that they were safe, and he'd fulfilled his promise, "What'd I miss?"
"Ana and I were just talking about leading a trek back to the beach," he explained, not meeting her eyes as he spoke, his jaw set in a way that could only mean that he was mad at her.
"That sounds like a good idea," she agreed, fixing Ana with a cold stare when the other woman scoffed, as if the opinion of a wanted criminal like herself was of no importance to her.
"Yeah." When Jack didn't say anything else, licking his lips as he stared straight ahead, Kate took his arm roughly, dragging him away from the campsite and Ana, into the jungle where they couldn't be overheard.
"What is your problem with me?" she asked once they were alone, tired and hurt and sick of playing guessing games with him. That was the difference between him and Kevin: at least Kevin was willing to tell her how he felt, even if it wasn't all good.
"I already apologised for kissing you," she added in an angry whisper, knowing that it was the last thing her soon to be ex-husband needed to hear. He already thought she was a liar and a criminal; she wasn't sure that she wanted to add adulteress to the mix. "There's nothing I can do about it now, so why can't we just forget it and move on?"
He gave her a wounded look, pulling his arm away from her and meeting her eyes as he said, "What did Kevin call you back there?" taking the conversation in a completely different direction to the one she'd been anticipating.
It took her a moment to realise what he was talking about, and then she cringed inwardly, realising, to both her horror and relief that Ana had kept her mouth shut while she was alone with him. This wasn't about her being a criminal. It wasn't about the kiss either. It was about something else entirely.
"He called you 'Mon', which, unless I'm missing something, isn't a term of endearment," he supplied for her when she took her time answering, surveying her with a mixture of anger and disgust. "And there's no way it's a nickname for 'Kate'. What does he think your name is?"
"Monica," she said softy, too exhausted to even think about lying at this point. Lying had gotten her into this mess; she couldn't see it getting her out of it.
"So if your name's Monica, why did you tell me it was Kate?" he pressed with the same dark look he'd given her when he walked away from their second kiss. It was ironic; she'd actually allowed herself to be honest with him, to show him a side of herself that not even the man she'd married was privy to, and he still thought she was lying to him.
"Because it is," she told him softly, wondering if this was what it felt like to have karma catch up with you. "Katherine, but my mom was the only one who ever called me that. Everything I told you is true – I grew up in Cedar Rapids with a guy named Tom. He got killed because of me, and I kept that plane so I wouldn't forget. I never lied to you – to Kevin, but not to you."
She was being more honest with him than she'd ever been with anyone else in her life; she choked back a sob when he let out a derisive laugh, dismissing her story as if it were all part of some game she was playing with him. "Sure, because if you could find it in yourself to lie to your husband, of course you're going to tell the guy you met in a plane crash the truth."
She was trying to find the words to tell him that for some reason, that was exactly what had happened when he went on, his eyes flashing with fury. "How many times have you done this, Kate, Monica – whatever your name is? Do you have a different one for every guy you screw over, or did you just think it would be easier to get away with whatever con you're pulling here?"
Desperation rose inside her as it occurred to her that there was no way she could convince him that she was being honest with him now, not when he seemed to have made up his mind to the contrary. "I swear I'm telling the truth, Jack," she sobbed, trying to get him to look at her, to see how earnest she was, but there was pity in his gaze as he turned away from her, striding back over to rejoin the group.
"I wish I could believe you."
Poor Kate, getting dumped twice in one night (once by a guy she wasn't technically involved with!), but don't worry, next chapter she'll receive some comfort from a familiar Tailie…