“I won’t,” she said as Alicia headed toward the hallway to leave. “Not ever.”
Chapter 43
Alicia tossed her shoulder bag over to the passenger seat, quickly sat in her car, and slammed the door. She was beyond livid, but she couldn’t stop herself from crying. What was wrong with Melanie? And why was she being so mean to Alicia? It was true that Melanie was dealing with a lot, what with this latest news about Brad’s affair and his baby, but Alicia still didn’t deserve the way Melanie was treating her. She’d thrown Alicia out of two separate places, and only a few minutes ago she’d glared at Alicia like she hated her. And this was all because Alicia had mentioned food too many times? Come to think of it, Melanie had also turned salty when Alicia had suggested that she talk to Brad about what was going on.
Alicia leaned her head back and wiped her face. She’d been trying her best to be patient with Melanie, trying to understand all that she was enduring, but Alicia flat-out wouldn’t keep taking this kind of abuse from her. She loved Melanie, and there was no friend she cared about more, but Alicia was tired of getting her feelings hurt.
She looked toward Melanie’s house and saw her peeping out the window, obviously checking to see if she was gone. But Alicia ignored her, and instead, she pulled her phone from her bag and called Phillip.
“Hey,” he said. “How’s Melanie?”
“She’s upstairs lying down,” Alicia lied. “Have you talked to Brad?”
“Yeah, he called me not long ago.”
“What did he say?”
“That he’d tell me everything when I got to the hospital.”
“Mel says she’s filing for divorce.”
“Oh no. I really hate to hear that. Maybe she’ll feel differently once she settles down.”
“I hope so, but I don’t know. She’s really upset.”
“I can understand why, but I still don’t want to see them break up.”
Alicia looked at her watch. “Neither do I. Anyway, I’m gonna stay here with Mel for as long as she needs me. Is that okay?”
“Absolutely.”
“I’ll call you later, though,” she said.
“Sounds good, and please tell Melanie I’m praying for her.”
“I will.”
“Talk to you later, baby. Love you.”
“I love you, too,” she said.
Alicia pulled out her pressed powder compact, touched up her face, and slipped on her sunglasses. She prayed that Phillip wouldn’t have a reason to call Melanie directly, because if he did, he’d discover Alicia wasn’t there. Phillip rarely called Melanie for much of anything, though, so Alicia wasn’t that worried about it.
She picked up her phone again and dialed Levi, but he still didn’t answer. She debated leaving a message, but instead, she backed out of Melanie’s driveway, left the subdivision, and headed toward I-90. If traffic was good, she’d be at Levi’s in an hour.
Alicia pulled into Levi’s driveway and shut off her vehicle. He always parked his car in the garage and kept the door down, so she couldn’t tell if he was home or not. She hoped he was, because she wasn’t sure how much longer she could go without seeing him. She also needed to know he was okay.
She got out of her car, locked it, and strolled up the brick sidewalk that led to the front door. Levi’s house was a brick two-story, and since he wasn’t buying it, Alicia could only imagine how high his rent must be. This of course, confirmed that he’d stashed away quite a bit of money the way he’d claimed.
When she stepped closer to the front door, she rang the bell. Interestingly enough, Levi opened it immediately.
“Hey, how’s it goin’,” he said with no particular expression on his face.
Alicia frowned. “How do you think it’s going, Levi?”
He moved to the side so she could walk in.
“I’ve been calling and texting you like crazy!” she shouted.
He shut the door. “I realize that.”
“You realize that? Is that all you have to say? What’s wrong with you?”
“I needed you to see that I was serious about what I said.”
Alicia leaned against the wall of his entryway and folded her arms. “This from the man who claims he never plays games?”
Levi folded his arms, too. “It wasn’t a game. I wanted you to see what it would feel like.”
“What?”
“Not being able to hear my voice, let alone see me. I wanted you to know how it would feel, having no contact at all.”
“Like I said, this from the man who claims he doesn’t play games.”
“Not a game. More like a dose of reality.”
“I can’t believe you made me drive all the way over here.”
“You came because you wanted to.”
“I came because I had to. For all I knew you were dead.”
“Well, as you can see I’m totally fine.”
“I didn’t deserve this.”
“You don’t think so?”
“I really don’t.”
“Well, I did what I needed to do to get your attention. And there’s something else, too.”
Alicia rolled her eyes toward the ceiling.
Levi continued. “You know how I always do what I say I’m gonna do?”
“Yeah, whatever.”
“Well, not this time.”
“I don’t understand.”
“I told you that you had thirty days to make a decision, but I need you to decide now. Either you’re going to stay married to Phillip or you’re not.”
“What’s the hurry?”
“I thought about you a lot over the last couple of days, and I know how you operate. You’ll ride out the thirty days and then make up some excuse for not being able to choose. And I’m not doing that with you. It may sound harsh, but baby, this is the way it has to be. I’m too caught up with all of this. I can’t focus on my business or anything else, and I need to make changes. More than anything, my conscience won’t allow me to keep being with you. Not when I know you’re married to someone else.”
Alicia hated that he was giving her yet another ultimatum, but as she watched him, she knew he was serious.
Levi wrapped his arm around her neck, towering over her and pulling her close. He gazed into her eyes and caressed the side of her face. “Baby, do you understand what I’m saying? I love you from deep within my soul. I would die for you. But either we do this the right way or not all.”
Alicia didn’t say anything, but soon she dropped her purse from her shoulder. She was exhausted. So tired of all the back-and-forth, all the deception, all the ways she’d been hurting Phillip. Right or wrong, she was tired of running from true happiness and the man she was meant to be with. Alicia also thought about her dad and how he’d talked about someone getting hurt, and she didn’t want that. Not when she could prevent it.
She and Levi stood there, still staring at each other. But finally, Alicia spoke.
“Okay.”
“Okay what?” he said.
“I’ll tell Phillip today. I’ll tell him I want a divorce.”
Chapter 44
Melanie had cried for hours. Brad had called no less than ten times, so she’d finally unplugged the bedroom phone and closed the door. That way she wouldn’t hear the other extensions ringing, either. She’d then silenced her cell.
Through all her tears, she’d tried to come to terms with what had happened, but no matter how she attempted to rationalize it, the idea of Brad having an affair and having a baby with another woman wasn’t something she could stomach. It wasn’t doable for Melanie—it wasn’t the kind of thing she could ever live with, and she wouldn’t. She knew all about the importance of forgiveness, but more than anything, she knew she would never be able to trust Brad again.
Throughout the morning, she’d felt gut-wrenching pain, tremendous shock, and downright rage. Now, she didn’t feel much of anything, and she was on her way to her parents’ house. If she’d had her choice, she would
n’t be going anywhere, but because she’d promised her dad that she’d give him a check today, she didn’t want to disappoint him. He’d offered to come get it himself, but the more she’d conversed with him by phone, the more winded he’d sounded. So she’d pulled herself together as best as she could, refusing to focus on Brad or the awful falling-out she’d had with Alicia a few hours ago. She’d been annoyed with her for taking Brad’s side and suggesting that Melanie “talk to him,” and then Alicia had tried in a sly way to suggest that Melanie wasn’t eating. First she’d mentioned breakfast, and then going to lunch, and all that had done was remind Melanie of how Alicia and Brad had discussed her behind her back. Melanie wasn’t happy about her fight with Alicia, but after learning what she had about Brad’s affair, she didn’t feel she could trust anyone.
The one positive about her visiting her dad this afternoon, however, was that her mother wasn’t home. Melanie rarely enjoyed seeing her, but today certainly wasn’t a day when Melanie would be able to deal with her. Although, Melanie still thought it strange and heartless of her mother not to have visited Brad one time since Saturday. The woman hadn’t so much as called her own daughter to see how her husband was doing. Melanie also knew she shouldn’t have been surprised. Of course, now Melanie herself didn’t want to see Brad, so the whole subject was a moot point.
Melanie rang the bell, and after a couple of minutes, her father opened the door. She hugged him, but when they went into the family room and sat down, he seemed bothered by something.
“Have you been crying?” he asked. “What’s wrong?”
Melanie had tried disguising her swollen eyes with makeup, but clearly it wasn’t working.
She passed her father the check, and he set it on the coffee table.
“I know something’s wrong, sweetheart, so tell me.”
Without warning, tears filled Melanie’s eyes, and she told her dad everything. She hadn’t planned or wanted to, but it was as though she’d needed to confide this to someone other than Alicia. She needed words and compassion from a parent.
Melanie’s tears fell faster, and her father struggled to get to his feet. When he did, he went over and tried to console her.
“Sweetheart, I’m very sorry to hear all this, but everything is gonna be fine. It may not seem like it now, but it will be.”
Her father rubbed and patted her back until she settled down. Then he sat back in his chair. “Have you talked to Brad since leaving the hospital?”
“No, I’m through with him.”
Andrew sighed. “This thing right here has really caught me off guard. I saw the news coverage this morning and again at noon, but I never imagined that child was Brad’s daughter.”
Melanie’s phone rang, and when she saw Brad’s cell number, her stomach turned somersaults. Until now, he’d been calling from his hospital phone, but apparently he’d gained access to his personal belongings. Melanie dropped her phone back in her purse.
“Was that him?” Andrew asked.
Melanie nodded.
“You’re gonna have to talk to him at some point.”
“Maybe so, but not today.”
Her father sighed again. “I tell you…this just doesn’t seem like something Brad would do.”
“Well, he did.”
“When will he be getting out of the hospital?”
“I don’t know. Maybe in another day or two. Just depends on how he continues to progress.”
“Sweetheart, I’m really sorry because you certainly don’t deserve this. No woman does.”
“It’s really hard, Dad. I’m at such a loss for words.”
“Have you eaten anything?”
“Yeah,” she said, telling her father what he wanted to hear and trying not to become irritated. Why wouldn’t everyone leave her alone when it came to food? Melanie wished they’d all get over it and accept that she was fine. She was thin, and that meant she’d never been healthier.
Andrew stared at her, seemingly not believing her, but he didn’t say anything else. Then sadly, her mother walked in, and Melanie hated that she hadn’t simply dropped off the check and left.
“Hi, Melanie,” Gladys said, walking closer to her. “I didn’t know you were coming by today. How’s Brad?”
Her tone was noticeably cordial, and Melanie was dumbfounded. “He’s better.”
“I’m sorry I haven’t been out to see him. I just haven’t felt very well,” she said, spying the check on the table and picking it up. “What’s this for?”
Melanie and Andrew looked at each other.
Gladys set the check back down. “Melanie?”
“It’s to help with bills.”
“Oh, really? Well, we certainly need it. Especially since it doesn’t look like your father here is ever going back to work.”
“You don’t know that, Gladys,” he said.
“Hmmph. With the way you walk around here, huffing and puffing? And steadily gaining more weight? Please.”
Melanie knew it was time to go, so she stood up.
Her mother perused today’s mail. “Are you heading to the hospital?”
“No,” Melanie said.
“Oh, did you just leave there?”
“No.”
Her mother eyed her suspiciously. “Is everything okay? And come to think of it, have you been crying?”
Gladys was the last person Melanie wanted to tell her marital problems to, but since her mother was sure to find out eventually, Melanie got it over with.
“That baby that died in the car crash was Brad’s.”
Her mother frowned. “Who told you that?”
“He did.”
Gladys widened her eyes in shock, but interestingly enough, she didn’t comment. She simply stared at Melanie like she was some pitiful excuse for a wife.
Melanie grabbed her bag. “Well, Mom, I’m sure you’re loving every bit of this, aren’t you? The fact that you were right about everything you said.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Of course you do. You’ve always said that if I didn’t lose weight, Brad would find someone else. And that’s exactly what he did, a long time ago.”
Gladys still didn’t say anything, which was very odd, so Melanie turned to her father.
“I’ll see you later, Dad.”
“Sweetheart, you take care of yourself, and I’ll call you later. Just wanna make sure you’re okay. Or maybe you should stay here for a couple of days.”
Melanie appreciated her father’s suggestion, but even if she were homeless, she would never sleep under the same roof with her mother. Not for one day.
“Thank you for the offer,” Melanie said, “but I’m going home. And please don’t worry.”
“I can’t help but worry,” he said. “I just hate this for you.”
Melanie glanced at her mother, who stood there watching, yet she still wasn’t ranting or criticizing Melanie the way she normally did. It was completely out of the ordinary for her not to say “I told you so,” but Melanie was glad she hadn’t. Melanie wouldn’t have been able to bear it. Not when, at this very moment, she felt like dying.
Chapter 45
Alicia sat in her car taking deep breaths, trying to slow her heart rate. Even the thumping in her chest became more intense, and she was starting to wonder if she could go through with this. After spending the last few hours with Levi, making love to him and promising that she was going to end things with Phillip, she’d suddenly lost her courage. Her mind was still made up, but the guilt she felt stopped her from getting out of her vehicle. She’d been sitting in the garage for at least twenty minutes, and she was glad Phillip hadn’t heard her drive up. If he had, he would have come out to check on her, and she didn’t want that.
If only she’d listened to Levi three months ago, when he’d told her not to marry Phillip. He’d sworn she’d end up miserable, and she was. If only she hadn’t been in denial about the way things would turn out—if she hadn’t convinc
ed herself that she could forget about Levi and fall in love with Phillip. Had she made the right choice, she wouldn’t have to do this awful thing once she entered the house. She wouldn’t have to hurt her loving husband, who deserved so much better. Phillip was a good man, always had been, and she wasn’t sure what this would do to him. If he’d been an awful, abusive, intolerable person, leaving him would be easy. But Phillip was just the opposite. He was one of the kindest and most trustworthy men she knew, and he had a good heart. He also loved and honored God, and he tried his best to never go against God’s Word. For these reasons, Alicia hoped he would recover from what she was about to do.
She took another deep breath and said out loud, “Dear Lord, please forgive me. Please give me strength.”
She got out of the car and walked toward the door leading to the kitchen. Still, she hesitated before opening it. She debated whether she should wait until morning to talk to Phillip, because maybe then she wouldn’t feel so nervous and she’d have more time to get her words together. While driving home, she’d done a couple of run-throughs of what she would say, but maybe it was best to sleep on it. As it was, it was already after six p.m. Phillip had left two messages for her, and she hadn’t called him back. By now, he had surely phoned Melanie, who had probably been thrilled to tell him Alicia wasn’t there. Especially now that Melanie believed Alicia had betrayed her.
Of course, if she waited until morning, she would have to lie to Phillip about where she’d been all day and then take a chance on his wanting to make love to her again. It was bad enough that she’d slept with Phillip last night and this morning and also with Levi this afternoon. If her parents knew she’d slept with two men on the same day, they would be horrified. In all honesty, she was disgusted with herself. She’d become nothing more than a common whore, and she was ashamed.
She stood there, still debating, and then finally walked inside. Phillip sat at the island, facing her, with the same look of disappointment and anger he’d worn Friday night when she’d gotten home.
“I know you’re mad, baby, but let me explain,” she hurried to say.
The Ultimate Betrayal Page 21