The Ultimate Betrayal

by Kimberla Lawson Roby

  “Phillip and I were just talking about that yesterday. She’s lost a ton of weight, and she doesn’t realize how small she is.”

  “She doesn’t see it at all, and when I got to work this morning I went on Google and discovered something called BDD. Body dysmorphic disorder. I also think she’s anorexic.”

  “I’ve heard of BDD, but I never thought Melanie might have it. I just thought she was self-conscious about the way she looked because of how heavy she was when she was younger. And even more so now because of the way her mother talks to her. Mrs. Johnson has Melanie thinking a size ten is huge.”

  “Her mother has played a huge part in this, but I still think she has BDD and anorexia. This morning when I told her how sickly she looked, she was livid. Totally defensive.”

  “She was the same way with me in June. Remember when she passed out the same night her dad was having surgery?”

  “Yeah, she was already in trouble then, but I didn’t realize how bad it was until now. Her personality is even different. She flies off the handle about everything. Anyway, I was hoping you would go and talk to her.”

  “I can try. I’ll call her later to tell her I’m coming by tomorrow.”

  “I’ll be at the office most of the day, so that’ll be a good time. If I’m there, she’ll swear we’re ganging up on her.”

  “I just wish she knew how beautiful she was before she started losing so much weight,” Alicia said.

  “So do I.”

  “What does she eat for breakfast?”

  “She drinks a shake.”

  “What about lunch and dinner?”

  “She claims she has a salad for lunch, and unfortunately, I’ve worked so many hours over the last few weeks, I haven’t been home to see what she has in the evening.”

  “Well, she can’t be eating all that much. Not with losing so many inches and pounds.”

  “I think she’s eating only enough to survive.”

  “Gosh, that really scares me, Brad.”

  “It scares me, too. This is serious, and something has to be done.”

  “I’ll definitely go over and talk to her tomorrow. I wish I could get her to meet me for lunch, but I know that’s out of the question. She stopped doing that a while ago.”

  “She doesn’t want to go to restaurants, because she doesn’t want us to see how little she eats.”

  “I really wish we’d paid more attention to what was going on. I mean, I knew she wasn’t eating enough, but I never expected things to turn out the way they have.”

  “Neither did I. But hey, I have to get going. Alicia, thanks for listening.”

  “Of course. Mel is my girl, and you know you can call me anytime.”

  “Will do. Talk to you later.”

  “See ya.”

  Alicia hated having to confront Melanie, because there was a chance it might end their friendship for good. Alicia still hadn’t forgotten how angry Melanie had been that night she’d practically thrown Alicia out of her room. But if losing her as a friend meant saving her life, then so be it.

  She picked up her phone to call Melanie but noticed that she had another Facebook message. She clicked on the icon and opened it.

  Hi Beautiful,

  I really thought I would hear from you by now. Especially after pouring my heart out to you the way I did yesterday. Maybe you’re hoping I’ll just give up, but sweetheart, that’s not going to happen. Giving up on us would be like giving up on life, and I can’t accept that. I have a lot of plans, but none of them will mean anything if you’re not coming along for the ride. Actually, I think I’ve done a lot better than most would expect. I haven’t once tried to see you, even though I could easily have found you or “accidentally” run into you anytime I wanted. I also haven’t left you any voice messages except during the week when I know your husband is at the church. So I think you know by now that I’m not trying to make trouble for you. I just want to see you face-to-face. If it’ll make you feel better, we can meet at a public place. Whatever you want. Just tell me where, and I’ll be there. Oh, and by the way, I know you’ve read every last one of my inbox messages here on Facebook, because it always shows the exact time you opened it.

  You take care, sweetheart. I’ll love you always.

  Levi

  Alicia closed her Facebook app and took a deep breath. She needed to get dressed and get out of there. She had to find some way to keep her mind off Levi. Just about anything would do, but it didn’t take long for her to consider something she hadn’t done in years: venturing out on one of her fabulous shopping sprees. Right after Phillip had divorced her the first time, she’d completely stopped spending beyond her means. But today, maybe a bit of retail therapy was what she needed. Something to relax her mind. Something to keep her from being reckless and irrational.

  Chapter 30

  The sun shone brightly, and Alicia was happy to be out and about. It was somewhat chillier than she’d thought, and she was glad she’d worn a black turtleneck sweater and jeans. She’d also thrown on the black lambskin leather jacket Charlotte had given her last Christmas, along with a pair of black pointed-toe, high-heeled boots she’d bought for herself around the same time.

  She sat at the stop sign at the entrance of their subdivision readjusting her sunglasses, then drove onto the main street. It had been an hour since Levi had sent her that last inbox message, and she was hoping she wouldn’t hear from him again. At least not today, anyway, because she needed to spend some time alone, enjoying the day and clearing her head.

  Alicia pushed the audio command button on her console. “Call Phillip.”

  The system in her vehicle responded. “Dialing Phillip, please wait.”

  After a few seconds, Phillip answered. “Hey, my beautiful wife. What’s up?”

  “I’m heading to the mall.”

  “Really? Which one?”

  “Oakbrook.”

  “Your favorite.”

  “You know it is. I love Woodfield, too, which is a closer drive from Mitchell, but Oakbrook is on a different level. And before you even start thinkin’ it, I won’t go crazy when I get there.”

  Phillip laughed. “You said it, I didn’t. But I am glad to know that. There was a time when you shopped like a drug addict.”

  “Yeah, I definitely had a little bit of a problem. I learned a tough lesson from it, though.”

  “But that’s all in the past now, so no worries.”

  Alicia thought about the way she’d forged Phillip’s name on preapproved credit card applications without his knowing it. She’d received the cards, maxed them out, and hid the statements. The memory of it all still made her cringe, and it was her father who’d paid off the balances so Phillip’s credit wouldn’t be ruined. She had, however, paid her father back every penny.

  There was a short silence, and Alicia knew Phillip was also thinking about the deceitful thing she’d done.

  “I haven’t shopped just to be shopping in a long time, and I’m looking forward to it.”

  “Nothing wrong with that.”

  “I hope you don’t mind because with it being Friday, I might not get back until early evening. It’s eleven now, so I won’t even get there until noon or after.”

  “You’ll probably get caught up in rush-hour traffic, too. But that’s fine. You enjoy yourself.”

  “I plan to.”

  “I hope you still have some energy when you get home, though.”

  “I’m sure I will,” she replied, trying to sound enthused. “Oh, and hey, Brad called me earlier.”

  “He told me he was going to, and I meant to tell you that this morning before I left. This thing with Melanie is a lot worse than we thought.”

  “Yeah, it is. I’m going to call her and go over there tomorrow afternoon.”

  “I hope she hears you, because she can’t keep going the way she’s been.”

  “Not at all,” she said.

  “I had a cousin once who was both anorexic and bulimic, and she
died. I’m not sure I ever told you about her.”

  “You didn’t.”

  “It was years ago, before you and I met.”

  “How old was she?”

  “Twenty.”

  “Gosh, that’s really sad.”

  “Eating disorders are very serious, but you don’t hear much about them. And even more so when you’re talking about adults. It’s much more common with teenagers, but it sounds like Melanie has been struggling since she was a child.”

  “She has been, but I never thought she needed professional help. It never crossed my mind.”

  “You just have to be there for her. We all do.”

  “For sure.”

  “Well, I guess I’d better get going. I have a few more things to do, and then I’m going to take a late lunch.”

  “I’ll see you tonight.”

  “I love you, baby, and be safe out there.”

  “I will. Love you, too.”

  Alicia ended the call and turned on SiriusXM. Kem’s latest single was playing on the Heart & Soul channel, and like with every other song he’d made, Alicia loved it. But the more she listened to the lyrics and the way Kem sang them, she found herself thinking and fantasizing about Levi. She’d just hung up with Phillip a few minutes ago, telling him that she loved him, but now she was longing to hear Levi’s voice. Longing to simply see his gorgeous face and alluring smile.

  She quickly switched the channel to a random talk radio station. It wasn’t even one she’d listened to before, and she didn’t care. All she wanted was to make sure she didn’t hear any more love songs.

  It was only four o’clock, and Alicia had already made her rounds. She’d shopped in Neiman Marcus, Nordstrom, White House Black Market, and Tiffany’s, and she’d found a few things she loved in all four places. A to-die-for silver necklace with matching earrings, a winter-white Armani sweater, two pairs of riding boots: one black and one brown, a navy blue leather jacket, a black off-the-shoulder wool sweater, and a pair of dark indigo boot-cut jeans. Today had been a good day and well worth the trip.

  Alicia walked away from the mall, heading toward the parking lot. She was sort of hungry and debated whether she should lock her bags in her car and get something to eat. But when she thought about how late she’d get home, she decided against it. If she left now, she would at least beat some of the work traffic, even if not all of it.

  She strolled down the long aisle, passing rows of cars, but as she walked closer she could tell her eyes were playing tricks on her. They had to be, as they saw a man dressed in all black the same as she was stepping out of a silver Mercedes-Benz parked next to hers—and he looked like Levi. She definitely had to be dreaming. Or maybe she was fantasizing about him again without trying.

  She kept walking, but when she arrived at her car, she knew Levi was as real as always. She pressed the trunk button on her key fob, acting as though she didn’t recognize him.

  Levi leaned against his own vehicle with his arms folded. “Let me go ahead and apologize now for having you followed. I’m sorry, but I just couldn’t go another day without seeing you.”

  Alicia set her bags inside the trunk one at a time. “Levi, you know you’re wrong for doing this.”

  “What did you expect me to do? I’ve been sending you message after message, and you wouldn’t respond. I mean, how do you think that made me feel?”

  Alicia felt her hands shaking, but she pressed the button and shut her trunk.

  “Baby, I’m sorry to catch you off guard like this, but there was no other way.”

  “How did you know where I was?”

  “I told you, I had you followed. Not to check up on you, but so I could eventually meet you somewhere. And when my guy told me you were at the mall, I drove over here and waited.”

  “And how long has your guy been following me?”

  “A couple of weeks.”

  Alicia hated herself for not being upset with him. She knew she should’ve been, but shamefully, a part of her was glad Levi had taken matters into his own hands.

  “Can I talk to you?” he said, and Alicia was happy she had on sunglasses, so he wouldn’t see how nervous and excited she was. Levi looked even more handsome than usual, and Alicia’s heart felt as though it were beating through her chest.

  “It’s getting late, and I have to get home.”

  “Just come sit in my car for a few minutes. That’s all I’m asking.”

  Alicia didn’t move. She wanted to, but she knew nothing good could come from being closed up in a vehicle with Levi. As it was, the chemistry between them was so intense, a mere stranger could see how in love they were with each other.

  Only problem was, Alicia was married.

  “Sweetheart, please. Just let me talk to you.”

  “Levi, why are you trying to make things hard for me?”

  Levi walked around to the passenger side of his vehicle and opened the door. “Only for a few minutes. I promise.”

  “I don’t think so.”

  “Well, I told you I’m not giving up. So if we don’t do this now, I’ll have to meet up with you somewhere else.”

  “Is that a threat?”

  “Actually, it is. Not the kind that’ll harm you, but I’m being honest. If you won’t talk to me here, we’ll have to do it down the road.”

  It wasn’t even worth arguing with him anymore, so Alicia strutted over and sat inside the car. Levi shut the door and walked back to the driver’s side.

  When he got in, he raised his sunglasses and rested them on his head. “Still as gorgeous as ever, I see.”

  Alicia felt like jumping out of her skin, and she wasn’t sure how much longer she’d be able to stand this.

  “Remember when I said you’d come looking for me two months after you got married?”

  “Yeah, but as you can see I didn’t.”

  “Yeah, well, it’s only been a month, and you would have eventually.”

  “And your point?”

  “I couldn’t wait that long. I needed to see you now. I feel like some silly schoolboy, and I don’t like it. There are days when my heart hurts so badly, I feel sick.”

  “I’m sorry to hear that.”

  “And you don’t feel the same way? You haven’t missed me at all?”

  “Even if I have, it doesn’t matter.”

  “It does matter, so just tell me.”

  “Look, Levi, I’ll be honest. Walking away from you and marrying someone else was one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do. But what’s done is done, and we can’t change it.”

  “No marriage is permanent unless both parties want it to be.”

  Alicia looked toward the passenger window and closed her eyes.

  Levi turned her face back to him, removed her sunglasses, and caressed the side of her face. “Girl, don’t you know how much I love you? I would do anything for you. You hear me? Anything. And I know your feelings haven’t changed, either. Being without you these last three months has been straight torture.”

  Alicia tried to stop her tears from falling, but she couldn’t.

  “You’re miserable, too,” he said. “So why are we suffering like this?”

  Alicia turned her entire body toward him and laid the side of her head against the backrest, gazing into his eyes. Levi wiped her tears with his hand and then leaned over and kissed her. Alicia didn’t bother trying to fight him. Instead, she grabbed both sides of his face and kissed him as though they were locked away in a bedroom. Every pent-up emotion she’d been hiding rushed freely through her soul, and at this very moment, she felt at total peace. She was so in love with this man, it frightened her. But what scared her more was the thought of never seeing him again. She couldn’t imagine living like that, and she wouldn’t.

  Chapter 31

  Alicia pulled into the garage and shut off her vehicle. She’d sworn she wouldn’t betray Phillip again, but a couple of hours ago, history had repeated itself. Levi had asked her to follow him to the house he was
renting, which was still about an hour from Mitchell, and she’d done so without hesitation. She’d wanted to go—wanted so desperately to be with him—and they’d made beautiful love throughout the evening. But now it was nearly ten o’clock, and she had to face Phillip. She’d spent the entire drive rehearsing her alibi, and thankfully, she’d already spoken to him right before leaving Levi’s. He’d called to see where she was, and she’d told him she was browsing around at the bookstore in Schaumburg. She hadn’t been able to tell whether Phillip had believed her or not, but he hadn’t questioned her any further.

  If only she hadn’t driven over to Oakbrook Center, Levi never would have gotten a chance to see her. If only she hadn’t laid eyes on him, kissed him, and realized how much she’d missed him. But she had. She was wrong, there was no denying that, but she loved him and couldn’t wait to see him again.

  She walked inside the house and saw Phillip sitting at the speckled-black island. He glanced over at her and then back at the television. Alicia knew this wasn’t good, so she immediately slid into fix-it mode.

  “Hi, baby,” she said, dropping all her bags on the kitchen counter. “I am so sorry I was gone so long. I shopped for a lot longer than I’d planned, and then once I ate, I went to the bookstore.”

  Phillip wouldn’t look at her. “Yeah, you already told me that.”

  Alicia went over and hugged him from behind. “Baby, please don’t be upset. I know I said I wouldn’t get carried away at the mall, but I did. The old me showed up, but I promise you it won’t happen again.”

  Phillip scanned all her bags and shook his head.

  Alicia held him tighter. “Baby, please say something.”

  “Like what? Please don’t turn into the shopping addict you used to be? Please don’t shop for all eternity?”

  Alicia hated upsetting Phillip, but she was relieved to know that he hadn’t suspected she was sleeping around. He was angry about all the money and time she’d spent at the mall.

  “I won’t make a habit of this,” she said. “You know I haven’t done anything like this in years, and then once I stopped at the bookstore, time just sort of got away from me.”