Cut Too Deep by KJ Bell Page B

settled for once in a while. The doctor made his point, and Hadley’s anger subsided.
    She sent him a feeble smile.
    “I doubt he’ll respond, but thank you for talking me down.”
    “No thanks are needed. It is after all what I’m paid for, but I do believe in you, and I’m proud of the progress you’ve made over the years. Try not to dwell on this since it’s out of your hands, and I’ll see you Thursday.”
    As Hadley strolled to work, her mind ‘dwelled’ on every word in Miller’s letter and her conversation with Dr. LeClair.
    Why am I so angry?
    Miller admitted in his letter what Hadley already knew about him. He dated a lot of women. His sleeping with those women had always been a forgone conclusion. She should’ve known better than to have unrealistic expectations of a man. Lust was the only connection they shared. Hadley hated having to admit her anger with Miller needed to be directed at herself for romanticizing her interactions with him and imagining more than lust might materialize when he read her letter. How naïve. After all, we lived in a culture of meaningless hook-ups. Gone were the days of chivalry and courting. Lust was the root of all evil in society today. Why would her life be any different?
    She’d witnessed the nastiness in lust when her mother’s cries of pleasure drifted down the hall to her bedroom where she sat awake sobbing after a night of listening to her parents fight. As a small child, Hadley knew what her parents were doing, but lacked the maturity to understand how her mother allowed her father to touch her intimately after he’d abused her violently. It wasn’t until she was much older that Hadley understood her father’s lust for her mother caused everything wrong in her life. Lust made a father hate his daughter at times. From her unexpected birth, to times when he wanted to have sex with his wife, but the unwanted child needed caring for.
    That damn letter!
    And damn Mac for mailing it. Her feet moved a little faster, thinking about the earful she planned to give her meddling friend.
    After nearly a week, the media presence outside of the building hadn’t subsided. With a hand over her face to avoid the cameras, Hadley pushed her way through the crowd, dodging questions from pesky reporters. She’d said the phrase, “No, I don’t work for Genetti Industries,” no less than a hundred times over the past week. It astonished her they continued to ask, although she understood a successful reporter pursued every possible lead. After all, reporters didn’t land an exclusive story by being passive.
    Mac didn’t greet her. She figured he was hiding. Hadley rode the elevator alone, sat at her desk, and put her things away. After turning her computer on, she clicked on the internet, greeted by the face of a man she would rather not see.  She resisted the urge to read the top story and see if anything new had emerged on his possible release. Convincing herself she didn’t care grew impossible.
    She cared more than she wanted to.
    Hadley nearly caved, her mouse hovering over the link, and then she heard Mac. “Any new info on your man?”
    “Why do you ask?”
    His eyebrows lifted in surprise.
    “Oh, so he is your man.”
    “No, he’s not, and I’m not happy with you!”
    “Oh, come on! I was kidding.”
    “I’m not talking about you teasing me, although it’s getting annoying. I can’t believe you not only invaded my privacy, but mailed that letter! Why would you do that?”
    She could tell by the genuine confusion replacing his playful smile, Mac had not betrayed her, which meant someone else stole and mailed the letter.
    Who then?
    “Wait, you wrote him?”
    Mac’s eyes were as bright as light bulbs, only Hadley couldn’t flip a switch to shut them off.
    “I did, but I never mailed it. It disappeared from my desk drawer. I assumed I threw it away.”
    “But?”
    “I got a letter back,” she mumbled.
    “Get the hell out! What’d it say?”
    “You