by Holt, S. w.
The look on his face tells me that everything I assumed is true.
Instead of saying anything, he simply nods.
“So what else? Did you do it here in the house, her place, or did you pop for a hotel room?” Then a horrible thought occurred to me. She basically told me that she was seeing my husband without identifying him. The depth of her deceit and treachery is unfathomable. It's bad enough my husband cheated on me but to be so cliché and do it with my so-called best friend, it's just adding salt to my now gaping wound.
“Does Ryan know?” I demand.
“He knows. That's why he moved out. He walked in on us.”
“Oh well, that seems to be your thing then. So what now Marcus?” I say devoid of emotion. The picture becoming all too apparent now.
He shrugs, “Well that all depends on you. What do you want to do?”
“What I want seems to be irrelevant at this point. You've been driving this ship behind my back so why don’t you tell me where you anticipated this heading.”
“That's the problem, I don’t know where I thought this was going. I had hoped I would get it out of my system by now and that I could walk away from all of it. But instead, I find it's even more complicated than I'd ever imagined it would be. I still want our family, but I would be lying if I said that was enough. I want Amelia too.”
The tears though they are still flowing are being replaced by anger. I cannot believe I'm hearing my husband of eight years tell me he wants his cake, frosting and ice cream too! I don't care that he's a typical man who wishes to have the stable home life with a wife and kids but a mistress on the side. It's an age-old arrangement but not one that works in my modern world.
“It doesn’t work like this Marcus. You don’t deserve a family if this is the depths to which you are willing to go to just get your rocks off. I imagine the promises we made to each all those years ago mean little to nothing to you now. Your actions indeed suggest that you could care less about what it means.”
I watch his face and note that it doesn’t look like any of what I'm saying is affecting him. It is now that I realize that this marriage is as good as over. I had already concluded that last night but at this moment, it's been confirmed.
“I think you should pack your bags and leave. It's abundantly clear that we are done. I don’t want to discuss this any further today. My head is pounding enough as it is.”
He stands abruptly, “You want me to leave? Just like that? What about Charlie? We had plans this afternoon.”
“Of course you should be the one to leave, you are having the affair and don't pretend to be concerned about Charlie. If you had been so concerned about him, you would never have done this to us to begin with. I'll tell him you had to go on a business trip.” I hear my own voice raising which sounds almost foreign to me.
I can tell by the look on his face that he is actually mulling it over.
“Fine. I'll leave for now, but we'll have to work out a schedule for visitation and I'll need to figure out where I'm going to live. I'll go stay at mom and dad's house in the meantime just to save from argument. I have a key and I know they won't mind.”
“Good, then it's settled. Oh, and I would keep this to yourself for a while. I don't want it to get around town and back to Charlie until we decide to tell him.”
“Laney, I'm just so sorry it's come to this.” His voice drops as he looks at my face which I know is telling him to just shut the hell up.
I nod then get up from my place on the sofa. I start to exit the room through the French doors and turn to Marcus, “I'm going to walk the grounds. When I return, I expect you to be gone. Oh, and just so you know, you disappoint me.”
Shutting the door quickly behind me I don’t know if he responded, but later when I return to the house, Marcus is gone.
Collapsing on the hard tiled floor, I feel my body shuddering with the sobs that materialize from the inner depths of my body. As the tears flow uncontrollably, I keep running the recent course of events through my mind. How in the hell did one night of naughty fun manage to undo a marriage of eight years? I thought we were in love and had a lifetime ahead of us. Now I lie on the cold floor of my dream house...alone and betrayed.
Chapter Nine
Over the next several weeks, I try to keep business as usual as much as possible for Charlie. He's been told that because Marcus works long hours that he's staying in Bel-Air to be closer to work.
But I know the truth, he's been staying every night with Amelia at her house in the Hollywood Hills. He forgets that I have a lot of friends who have enormous mouths. Melissa called me a few weeks or so into the separation. I hadn’t told her or anyone else for that matter, not even my family. I needed time to sort through everything. However, Melissa has a friend who just so happens to be neighbors with Amelia. So she insisted on coming over to speak with me.
“Laney! Are you busy right now? Can I come over?” She blurts through the phone.
“No, well yes, I've got writers block so I'm wracking my brain trying to pull this article together. I got a freelance gig for 'Next Up' magazine.”
“Oooh, how exciting!” She squeals.
“I know, it’s a great opportunity so I don’t want to blow it and my final draft is due by the end of the week. Anyway, what's up?”
“Well. I'd prefer to speak to you in person. I don't mean to be cryptic, but it's kind of a sensitive subject.”
My mind instantly goes to Marcus. Did he say something to Stan?
“Okay, come on over but I hope you don't mind if I have to kick you out after an hour, I had wanted to get a lot done before Charlie comes home from school.”
“Sure, of course, I understand, I can't stay long anyway. I'll leave now so look for me in about fifteen.”
“See you soon.”
After I end the call with her, I notice I've received some text messages from Marcus. I don’t even want to look, I'd like to just delete them but my curiosity wins and I open his messages. Regret immediately emerges because once again, he is pressing me to give him my decision about Charlie. He actually has the audacity to say that he needs to know so that he can arrange his schedule with Amelia.
The bitch has stolen my husband, and as of the conversation I had last night with Marcus, now he wants to increase his visitation to overnight a couple nights a week and entire weekends. Which means if I allow him to take Charlie overnight and if she's around, then she's getting my son now too. What's next, my house?
As I sit and stew over the text messages, I'm surprised to hear the doorbell ring. I snap out of my trance and get up to answer the door, expecting Melissa to be on the doorstep. Much to my surprise, it's not Melissa, rather its a flower delivery.
Accepting the flowers with apprehension, the delivery guy leaves just as I see Melissa pulling into the circular drive. With the bouquet in my arms, I wait for her to park. As she is coming up the steps, her face is lit up with a broad smile.
“Don’t you just love receiving flowers? Who are they from, your hubby I'm guessing?” She asks in a peculiar tone.
“I sincerely doubt it.” I scoff over my shoulder as I lead the way into the kitchen. With Melissa following from behind, I don't have to look at her face as I blurt, “He's having an affair with Amelia. We've been separated for a few weeks so I'm fairly certain the flowers are not from him.”
From behind me, I hear her gasp. I dread turning around because I know Melissa's beautiful face will be formed into a look of pity and that's exactly what I don’t want or need right now.
Joining me at the counter, she wraps her left arm around my back while I look for the card. I may as well see who thought to send me flowers for an occasion that I'm clearly unaware.
She gives me a little squeeze while in a low voice, “I'm so sorry Laney. That's actually why I'm here. I had hoped that you already knew so I wasn’t the bearer of bad news. To hear you actually confirm it though saddens me.”
I turn my head sharply to look at her, “Yo
u knew? How?”
The somber look on her face is going to kill me. She nods, “Yes, but I actually only just found out. You said you've been separated for weeks? Why haven’t you said anything? I could have been here for you, helping you drain buckets of ice cream and all the trappings of a broken heart.”
“We aren’t certain of what's going to happen,” I say as I still have the card in my hand...unopened.
She looks at it and raises her brow so I go ahead and open it. I read it to myself at first then I read it out loud...it says;
“Laney, Sorry to hear about you guys. Let me know if I can be of help. Love Ryan.”
She nods then walks over to the Keurig and fixes herself a coffee, “That was sweet of him. Obviously he too is affected by what's going on.”
I shake my head but saying nothing else as I feel the lump forming again. I know that the tears are imminent, but I try to keep them at bay just a little longer.
Once her coffee is being sipped, I motion for her to join me in the family room by the fireplace. As I take my seat, I remember that I haven’t sent Marcus a text back yet. Oh well, the ass can just wait.
“Well since you clearly already know the shocking news, tell me, how did you learn of Marcus's indiscretions?”
She looks sheepish for a moment then resting her mug on the arm of the chair, “Before I tell you what I heard, are you certain you want to hear the dirty details?”
I nod with vigor though I know I will most likely hate hearing what she has to say, I just have to know what's being gossiped around town about us.
“Well, as you know, my friend Olivia lives just a few doors down from Amelia.”
She pauses as I nod in acknowledgment.
“So she said that she has seen a black convertible Porsche that is brand new, still has the permit in the window and dealer plates at the house for the past couple weeks. The car is there overnight like every night and leaves early in the morning.”
I only nod again.
She bites at her manicured nail then continues, “She also said that when she goes out to walk her dog late at night, she hears a piercing shrieking coming from Amelia's house. At first she said she thought it might be the television, but it's like every night so...”
I get up from my seat and begin to pace in front of the fireplace.
“If this is too uncomfortable for you I can stop.”
“Oh no, continue. I think I must be a sadist because honestly, I want you to finish. Besides, it might be valuable information later. ” I fight back the quivering in my knees.
“You are no sadist though it's damned hard to tell you.” She sips her coffee, “I know it's even more difficult for you to hear. But I understand why, if I were in your situation, I would want to know. I like to know what my opponent is up to and what I'm up against.”
“Gosh, that is really sad to think that Marcus is no longer my ally but my opponent. We have been at odds with the visitation arrangements. We wouldn’t even be making visitation arrangements if he had just kept his urges under control...his thing in his pants.”
She snorts, “That and if your best friend had kept her paws away from your husband.” She huffs.
I had to snicker at that, “Well go ahead and finish what Olivia told you then I will fill in the rest for you.” I take a deep cleansing breath, releasing all that I had stored in my chest over the last few minutes.
“Well apparently, there was originally a black BMW four-door sedan that was camped out at her place during the day a few times a week but that dates back to November. Olivia said that when Ryan moved out, the car started showing up almost daily. She said the guy had darker features as opposed to Ryan. She said she thought it might be Marcus but wasn't certain as she's only met him a few times. I pulled up a picture of you two on my phone and she identified Marcus as the guy right away.” She counts on her fingers then looks at me again, “So I guess this means he has been carrying on with her at least since around Thanksgiving.”
With her last sentence, the tears begin to gush down my face. No wonder he claimed to have work to tend to the Saturday after Thanksgiving. He canceled our plans to go up North to San Francisco for the weekend to visit his sister. Instead, he was gone almost all weekend. Since his sister was off, she and her partner surprised us and came down here. I had to entertain them the whole time while he was apparently screwing Amelia. He managed to come back long enough to take Charlie to the movies and play a few games of tennis on that Sunday but other than that, he was absent. The time line of everything is so confusing and the more I try to straighten it out, the worse it seems. There are so many days and come to think of it nights too that I now wonder if he was really with her.
“What's going through your mind?” Looking at me then rolling her eyes, “I know, loaded question.”
I manage to slow the tears down to a trickle and after taking a deep breath, I take it from the top, which means back to the night of his birthday. After I have finished relaying the entire sordid tale, she is rubbing her temples. “I know it's an awful lot process.” I shrug, “I mean I'm still trying to make sense of it all.”
She clears her throat while she straightens in her seat. “I know this is the last thing you need to hear right now but do you realize that you might have been the one to set this entire thing in motion?”
“Normally I would say yes considering I set up the foursome but Marcus and Amelia are the ones who have taken it to a whole another level. Anyway, what's done is done. I certainly can't undo that evening. Besides which, I think Marcus is using that night as an excuse. I think he wanted to cheat all along but just didn’t have the balls or maybe the opportunity hadn't presented itself yet. Either way, I'm not taking the blame for his cheating.”
“Oh my gosh, I wasn’t blaming you honey! I really wasn’t, I just think that night might have been his undoing.”
I snort, “Oh it totally was his undoing. That I will concede. But regardless, he has exploited that and has now destroyed our family, and for that I will never be able to forgive him.”
“Dare I ask what are your plans are now?” She says hesitantly.
“I don’t know exactly. He says he needs time to sort things out and in the meantime he wants to proceed with an official separation. It's in the works as we speak.” I shrug, “Which also means divorce is on the horizon. I don’t know what he has to gain by starting with a separation, I suggested we skip it and head straight for divorce.”
“What did he say when you suggested that? I mean is that what you really want anyway?”
“Yes, I don't mean to be with a cheater. I always told myself that was a deal breaker no matter what. So I can't compromise my convictions. Besides, I don’t honestly think he's sorry anyway nor do I think he wants me back.”
Her face falls as she says, “Oh. Gosh, I really am sorry honey. I wish you didn’t have to go through this, you don't deserve it.” She looks at her watch then gasps, “I have to run, I'm taking Stan to a doctor appointment this afternoon. I tell you what, marrying a man fifteen years my senior wasn’t a well thought out plan in the area of health. If I had stuck with my own generation, I doubt I would have to play the role of nursemaid at the age of thirty-seven.”
Despite how lousy I feel, she makes me laugh, “You wouldn’t know what to do if you didn’t have Stan and the kids to look after. You two are crazy about each other. Now go before you're late.”
As I walk her to the door, I glance at the time noting that it's close to time for me to get Charlie. I will be thankful for the distraction of taking care of my son the rest of the day. I find I have to take each day as it comes. Much like I did when I was a kid fighting my illness. I never gave tomorrow much thought and was just thankful that I had yesterday to remember.
Giving Melissa a squeeze, “Thank you so much for coming over. I know it took some nerve to tell a friend that their husband is a cheating louse.” I force a giggle.
“Well, I think it takes more courage to move on while
keeping your head held high. Just let me know what I can do to help. You know I'm only a call or text away. Oh, and just because I am aware of how much you value your privacy, be assured that I will not breathe a word of this to a soul. If anyone finds out about it, it won't be from me.”
I give her another squeeze, “Thank you, I appreciate that. I'll chat with you soon.”
The house echoes when the door is shut. I never realized just how cavernous it is in here until just now. With a little time to spare, I grab my phone and send a text back to Marcus.
It reads;