All Chapters of In Her Contacts, I'm Just a Number: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

I returned alone to the new apartment we were preparing for my engagement with Marianne Kirby next month.The place was piled high with party favors and invitations, all of which Marianne had left entirely in Jeremiah Cochran's hands.This was supposed to be one of the biggest milestones of my life, yet everywhere I looked, his presence was everywhere.The invitations were supposed to go out tomorrow.Marianne thought my handwriting looked too childish and lacked the elegance the occasion called for. Since Jeremiah had studied calligraphy, she decided he should address the invitations instead.I hadn't objected at the time. After all, who wrote the names on the invitations didn't seem all that important.I walked into the study, where a neat stack of sealed red envelopes sat at the desk.I pulled one out and opened it.Marianne's name was listed as the bride-to-be. But in the space for the groom-to-be, in glaringly clear letters, was Jeremiah's name.Marianne walked in, her co

The storm raged all night.Early the next morning, just as Marianne was getting ready to leave, I received a call from the nursing home.The nurse spoke rapidly, explaining that my grandmother, Edna Lambert, had suddenly suffered severe heart failure and needed to be transferred to a hospital for emergency surgery immediately.At the same time, a family member had to get there within the hour to sign the consent forms.All the rideshare services had stopped operating, and even the trains could be suspended at any moment.But the back of my right hand was so swollen from the burn that I could barely grip my car keys.I grabbed Marianne by the sleeve and said, "Please take me to the nursing home. I'm begging you."Her expression softened. "Get in the car."For the first time in two days, she hadn't mentioned Jeremiah.The car pulled onto the overpass, rain pounding relentlessly against the windshield. Even with the wipers on their fastest setting, the road ahead remained a blur.

Just before I lost consciousness, I heard Candace call me by my full name.Ten years ago, when I was first hospitalized for an asthma attack, she had been a young doctor rotating through the emergency department. Grandma had chased after her with my medical records, repeating the names of every medication I was allergic to three times.Later, Candace was transferred to another city, and we only kept in occasional contact when Grandma went in for follow-up appointments.I never expected her to still remember me.…When I opened my eyes again, three days had passed.My head was wrapped in thick bandages. My breathing tube had just been removed, and I still couldn't manage to form complete sentences.Candace placed a tablet in front of me. On the screen was a medical authorization form."The hospital has suspended Marianne's visitation privileges. This is the form to change your medical authorization. You can appoint me for now or wait until you're feeling better before making a d

After the funeral, I stayed in my hometown for a week.On the eighth day, Ben Malone, the manager of the print shop, contacted me. He said the police were reviewing the invitation files and needed me to confirm the original version.According to the records he sent me, my name had been entered in the groom-to-be's field from the beginning. But two hours after Jeremiah took over the layout, the name had been manually changed to his. In short, it hadn't been a copying mistake.That evening, Jeremiah showed up at the old house Grandma had left behind. He stood outside the garden gate in a light outfit, the Kirby family's heirloom watch no longer on his wrist."Mitchell, can we talk?"I didn't invite him inside. "We can talk here."Jeremiah lowered his gaze. "I was the one who changed your name on the invitation, but I never actually meant to take your place. I just wanted to see whether Marianne would change it back once she found out.""And she didn't," I said.His eyelashes trem

After the case entered formal proceedings, I returned to my old city once.The consequences of the injuries I'd suffered in the hospital couldn't be erased by a simple letter of forgiveness.Marianne didn't ask for a private settlement, nor did she have her family exert pressure on me. Instead, she submitted a complete statement, accepted being suspended pending an investigation, and agreed to cover all my medical and rehabilitation expenses.Jeremiah was dealt with separately for deliberately introducing an allergen and concealing the truth about what he'd done.In the mediation room, Marianne sat across from me. The final property settlement agreement lay on the table between us.We'd never married, so there wasn't much shared property to divide.Marianne had carefully itemized everything that belonged to me."The lease on the apartment expires next month. I won't renew it." After speaking, she glanced at the documents beside my hand. "I've had your belongings packed and shipp