Overcoming The Lie

Chapter 7

Addison allowed herself a few minutes to cry out all her emotions. Then she started her car and drove away, not sure where she was going to end up. However, she did make a pit stop at the clinic. Addison knew she had to take some time away from anywhere and everywhere that reminded her of Mark, but she could not in good conscious leave without laying out a detailed plan for Marli's treatment for her residents. She loved Marli and hated having to leave her; she just hoped Marli would understand. As she was about to leave, Marli caught Addison in the lobby.

"Addy, it's late, what are you doing here?"

"Oh, Marli! I thought you'd be asleep, given the time. Some-something came up and I have to head out of town for a little while. I did not want to leave you while we were in the middle of treatment, but I promise this is important. I left detailed notes for my very capable residents and I will check in to make sure all goes well."

"What happened? Just yesterday you seemed fine. What possibly could have come up that would take you away from here?"

"I am so sorry, Marli. I just need you to trust me, that this is important. I love you and I will be back."

"O-okay, Addy. I trust you, I always have. I am just going to miss you."

"I will miss you too. I will call you as soon as I can." Addison hugged Marli tightly, letting go before she started to tear up. The last thing she wanted to do was put more stress on Marli's plate or make her feel like she needed to pick between Mark and Addison. The two friends parted ways, Addison made her way back to her car, and just started to drive.

Before she knew it, Addison had made it all the way to Phoenix, Arizona. She found a nice hotel a little off the main highway to check in to and collapsed onto the bed as soon as she got into her room. A few hours later, Addison ordered a bottle of wine from room service and drew herself a bath. She was hoping that a warm bath would help her relax some so she could begin to unravel everything that went down in the last 24 hours. In the many years she has known Mark, she has only seen him that drunk once before. They had just signed the lease on the building for their clinic and were celebrating a new beginning with a couple bottle of tequila. She was still getting over David and Mark was helping her drown out all memories of him. That night was also the first time Addison and Mark ever kissed. She blamed it on the copious amounts of alcohol, but she swore there was a twinge of something. But even then, Mark never showed any signs of having a dark, angry side to him. He was never anything but honest, loving, and understanding. That is what made last night even worse, because she knew that a part of Mark truly believed what he told her.

Addison loved Mark with every ounce of her being. He was the person who she went to when she was upset, who she confided in, and who she always wanted to be near. She told him everything and she always thought if they finally got together, they would last. But the anger, hurt, and hatred that poured out of his mouth burned so intensely into her heart. Addison knew Mark blamed her for Marli; she blamed herself. But he accused her of seducing him, and worse, he blamed her for David cheating. When she found David in bed with another woman, part of her broke and was lost. It took her years and a move across the country to finally start to feel whole again. Now, she couldn't feel more broken.

The next morning, Addison was determined to stop wallowing and get out of her room. She had visited Phoenix a couple of times for different medical conferences, but this was the first time she was there without a set agenda. What she did remember was this horseback riding trip she heard about during the last conference that everyone was dying to go on. After a quick Google search, Addison found the ranch and set out for a half day ride. The ranch was a little over an hour away from her hotel, so Addison went down to the hotel restaurant for a small lunch and then drove off. She arrived at the ranch early, checked in, and walked around meeting the horses. The receptionist let her know she could choose any horse to ride, they were all in the back stables.