When the Heart Falls

by Kimberly Lewis

  When the Heart Falls

  Kimberly Lewis

  All Rights Reserved © 2012 by Kimberly Lewis

  No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping, or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author.

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  Cover Design © 2011 by Kimberly Lewis

  Edited by: Jennifer Pitoniak

  ISBN-13: 978-0-9852752-0-4

  For Drew,

  with all my love,

  forever and always.

  CHAPTER 1

  Tears welled in her eyes as she realized that life as she knew it was over. Automatically her mind went into a whirlwind of thoughts. How could he do this? What was he thinking? And what did I do wrong? Moments ago Misty Prescott watched as her husband of ten years tenderly embraced another woman and pulled her in for a kiss; a kiss that undeniably made it clear that this woman was his lover.

  Sadness overwhelmed her as she watched. He hadn’t shown that much affection to her in nearly a year. She missed the days when he would stare into her eyes and she knew that he loved her. This woman was beautiful; yes she had to admit it. But would her husband really throw away ten years of marriage for blonde hair, creamy skin and a perfect body?

  She looked over in the passenger seat at the lunch she decided to surprise him with because he had been so busy at work lately. No time for small talk on the phone, business meetings, and late nights at the office. Now looking back, her sadness was replaced with anger and embarrassment. How could she have been so naïve to not realize what was going on? Yes they were having their share of marital issues, but don’t all couples go through that phase? She looked at the ring on her left hand and a tear slipped down her cheek. She wiped her eyes, put the car in drive, and headed home.

  Misty pulled in the driveway and parked her car under the shade of the big oak tree. She rested her head against the steering wheel for a brief moment. With a sigh, she lifted her head and stared out the windshield towards the house. Her eyes wandered over the features of the home from the pale red shade of the brick, to the arched windows, to the white picket fence surrounding the large back yard. She had once considered this her dream home and had hoped that she would one day watch her children play in that yard. But that dream was long gone now.

  Misty walked up the flower lined concrete path to the front door and let herself in. The door slammed shut behind her and she took a deep breath. Looking around her, all she saw were pictures of her and Brad in their happy days from wedding photos, to parties and family gatherings. She felt the lump in her throat start to rise but quickly shook her head and controlled her emotions. She took the lunch that she had packed for Brad and threw it in the trash. Glancing around the room she noticed the clock on the wall read two o’clock. She expected him home in only a few hours. Working with what little time she had, she decided to collect her thoughts and think of her next step.

  ***

  It was about nine o’clock when she heard Brad’s car pull in the driveway. He had called earlier to say that he had an unexpected dinner meeting and would be home late. “Poor guy, he works so hard,” was how she had once described him. Now the only thing that came to mind was lying, cheating bastard. The keys jingled in the door and she braced herself for what she had to do. He had just hung his coat up when she met him in the hallway.

  “Hi, sweetie. How was your day?” she asked, trying to make it seem like nothing was wrong.

  “Fine…busy,” he mumbled.

  “How was your meeting?”

  “Fine”

  “Just fine?”

  Brad gave her an irritated look. He wasn’t in the mood for chit chat, and he especially didn’t appreciate being bombarded as soon as he entered the door. He’d have to listen to her one way or another, so he decided to get it over with.

  “Yes, just fine.” There was an edge of harshness in his voice as he loosened his tie and unbuttoned his top collar button.

  “Are you sure there is nothing you want to tell me about?” she pried. She could feel the anger and rage building in her body, radiating down her arms to her finger-tips. She wanted to slap him across his perfect face for making a fool of her.

  “Misty, I’ve had a long day so if you have something you want to say can you please just get it over with?”

  She could tell he was quickly becoming annoyed with her. Her hand automatically formed into a fist, but she held herself back.

  “I saw you,” she accused.

  “What?” He asked the question as if he didn’t hear her correctly.

  “I saw you today.”

  “Oh really. Where?”

  “At your office. I had some errands to run so I thought I’d bring you lunch, thinking you’d be too busy to grab anything. So I drove to your office and saw you walking with that blonde receptionist.” She couldn’t read the blank look on his face so she continued. “I watched as you wrapped your arms around her. And I watched as you bent down and pulled her in to kiss her.”

  Brad’s face finally shed its lack of emotion and it was replaced with a look of…relief? Was he not ashamed of his foolish actions? That did it. Before he even got any words out of his mouth Misty swung her hand around and smacked him across the face.

  “What the hell, Misty?”

  “What’s the matter with you? I’ve just told you that I caught you cheating on me and you don’t even look ashamed?” She could feel her cool starting to slip. The tears she had been holding back were starting to blur her vision. “How could you?”

  Brad just sat there rubbing the side of his face as a definitive red hand print started to appear.

  “How long have you been sneaking around with her, Brad?”

  Brad took a deep breath and replied, “About eight months.”

  He was irritated, she could tell. She had never hit him in the past but had never had a reason to. The irritation was clearly there in his voice when he spoke again.

  “Misty come on, you should have known something like this was going to happen. I mean we’ve been living more like roommates this past year than like husband and wife. Can you blame me for going elsewhere for affection when I’m not getting it at home?”

  Was he really trying to make her feel bad? She did have to admit there was a certain lack of affection in their marriage. The stress and strain of trying to conceive a child with no luck can do that. They had been trying on and off for eight years with the hopes that one day they would have a family. If only Brad had agreed to visit the fertility doctor with her. It was always the same excuse. “I don’t need some doctor to tell me what I need to do. If you aren’t getting pregnant then there is obviously a reason behind it, and maybe it’s a sign that we aren’t meant to have kids.”

  “I sure as hell can blame you!” she yelled. “We are husband and wife, Brad. And I don’t exactly see you trying to show affection with me either. So you can’t put all the blame on me.”

  “You turned it into a chore, Misty. You were in baby making mode all the time and it became more of a job than an intimate time with my wife.”

  “Well excuse me for wanting a child! I thought it was what we both wanted, but obviously I was wrong.” She was openly crying now. The tears fell down her cheeks and she wiped them away with a swipe of her fingertips.

  “Yes Misty, you were obviously wrong.” He stared at her and became very quiet.

  She looked at him with shock and c
onfusion. Had he just told her that he had no intentions of wanting a child? All these years of trying to conceive and now he tells her.

  “You don’t want a family?” she asked bewildered.

  “No Misty, I don’t,” he confessed in a calm easy voice.

  “You knew. You knew back in high school when we were dating that it was my dream to someday have a family. I made that very clear. If you knew all of that than why the hell did you marry me?”

  “I married you because you got knocked up!” His voice boomed over hers.

  The truth was out. They had dated all through junior and senior year, and they were very much in love. They had this passion for one another that neither could resist. And that passion resulted in a surprise pregnancy. It completely shocked and overwhelmed them when they found out. They were to attend college that fall, but now with a baby on the way those plans would have to be put on hold. When he proposed to her she thought that it had truly come from his heart. She thought that although this pregnancy was a surprise that he was happy about it. But now, she finally knew the truth.

  “Getting pregnant was not just my fault! I believe you had a big part in that as well. And you didn’t have to ask me to marry you.”

  “Yes I did!” he interrupted. He ran his hand through his dark blonde hair and took a deep calming breath before he spoke again. “After my parents found out about you being pregnant they told me that we either needed to take care of it or get married because they weren’t going to have a bastard grandchild. And I knew I’d never be able to talk you into getting rid of it so I had to marry you. If I didn’t my parents would never have helped us out financially like they have. I wouldn’t have the job I have. We wouldn’t have this house. And we wouldn’t have the cars we drive. I can go on and on Misty. So I did the honorable thing and married you.”

  He took another deep breath and she noticed he was shaking. She had never seen him so infuriated before. She stood there stunned. He had never told her any of this. She knew his parents had helped them, especially when they were starting out. After all, they were only eighteen when they were married.

  “You never wanted to marry me, did you?” she asked in a whisper.

  “Come on Misty, we were eighteen. We were going to college in the fall. Separate colleges at that. Did you really expect us to stay together? Sure we may have made it a few months but seriously. I was sure to meet someone else and you were too.”

  “You made me believe that you wanted the same things that I wanted. You made me believe that you were happy about getting married and having a baby.” Her voice shook when she said the word baby.

  “I made you believe those things because I had to. I did love you Misty, but none of that was ever part of my plan.”

  “If you felt this way all these years, then why did you even bother sticking around after I miscarried the baby?” She yelled and her voice cracked.

  The miscarriage was something they never talked about. They had been married for two months and she was five months along when it happened. It still hurt her to think about it now.

  “I stuck around because after you lost the baby I thought that things would go back to the way they were, just you and me. And things were great for the first two years, but then you were so determined to have a baby. Once I realized you were never going to give up,” he paused taking in a deep breath. “I had a vasectomy. I wanted it to be just you and me and I thought that we would be happy. But you never gave up and kept pushing and pushing and ended up pushing me away, Misty.”

  It felt like someone had punched her in the stomach. She felt sick and dizzy. Who was this man? This man that she had been with for so long had all of a sudden become a stranger.

  “You did what?” She couldn’t believe what he had just told her. A few hours ago it was just the last year of their marriage that was a lie; but now she realized that all ten years were a lie.

  “Get out!” she said, trying to sound assertive.

  “Excuse me?” he asked.

  “You heard me. Get out! I can’t even look at you. The fact that you would go behind my back and sleep with another woman just because we wanted different things out of this marriage disgusts me. You are a liar, a cheater, and a horrible person. How dare you lead me on like this all these years! Get out!” She was crying so hard now that her breath was ragged.

  “Not to ruin your moment there sweetheart, but this is my house too. More mine than yours because my parents gave us the down payment. So if you don’t want to see me then you’re going to have to leave.”

  She looked at him, stunned by his arrogance and yelled, “Fine! I’ll get out of your house and then you can feel free to bring your whore over whenever you want!” And with that Misty stormed past him to their bedroom, slamming the door behind her. She flew open the closet door, grabbed her suit case, and started throwing clothes and necessities in it. All the while she was thinking of what she was going to do next. All of her friends had families of their own, so staying with them wouldn’t be an option.

  The only solution was for her to go to her parents’ house. Not that it would be so bad, but she hadn’t been completely honest with them about her marital issues. So it would be a complete shock to them when she showed up on their front door step. What was she going to say to them?

  “Hi Mom and Dad! Well it turns out that my marriage is a sham and Brad’s been sticking it to his receptionist for the past eight months. So, is it okay if I stay with you until I get things straightened out?”

  She’d think of something better to say on the drive there.

  She took one last look around the room and glanced at the wedding photo on her nightstand. With a tear in her eye, she removed the ring from her left hand and laid it next to the picture frame. She picked up her suitcase and headed for the front door. Brad was nowhere in sight as she walked out of the house. Good, she thought to herself. It was going to be a long car ride but at least it would give her time to calm down and think. With that she pulled out of the drive, leaving her suburban life behind and headed to her parents ranch in the country.

  CHAPTER 2

  It was around midnight when she arrived at her parent’s ranch. The moon hung high in the sky with no trace of clouds. It was almost peaceful and serene. A calming sensation went through her as she pulled in the familiar driveway. She had truly missed this place. She loved the country; loved the tall grass that grew in the fields and the crickets that chirped at night. It was like a lullaby that had helped drift her to sleep many a night growing up.

  Looking back now she wondered how Brad had ever talked her into moving so far away. Oh yes, she remembered. They had moved to the suburbs three hours away because Brad’s father had arranged a job for him there. He very well couldn’t turn down that job because he would have a family to provide for. She remembered the day they left and how she had cried in her mom and dad’s arms. She promised to visit all the time, to come home every weekend to see them. That promise was never kept. There was always an excuse as to why they couldn’t come back.

  She felt sad for hurting her parents with empty promises seeing as they were always there for her when she was growing up. They were there for her when she told them of the pregnancy. They supported her marriage and they were there when she lost the baby. She cleared her mind of the sad memories and headed toward the main house. The dogs barked announcing her arrival and she saw the curtain from the kitchen window move. She was pulling her suitcase out of the car when the back door of the house opened.

  “Misty?” her mother asked, surprised and confused.

  “Hey Mom, I’m so sorry to show up unannounced like this, especially at this time of night. Did I wake Dad up?” Misty asked with an apologetic tone.

  “No sweetie, he’s still up in the room snoring away. You know that man can sleep through anything. What brings you here this late, darlin’?” Misty’s mother asked with concern in her voice.

  Misty dropped her suitcase on the porch steps and wrapped h
er arms around her mother. She buried her face into her mother’s shoulder and let her tears flow freely. Maggie responded to her daughter’s action by in turn wrapping her arms around her and gently stroking the back of her hair.

  “There, there now. Why don’t we go in the house and I’ll make us some tea and you can tell me all about it,” Maggie suggested.

  She grabbed Misty’s suitcase, still keeping one arm around her daughter’s waist, and escorted her into the house. Misty took a seat at the family table and proceeded to explain to her mother the earlier events of the day.

  “Well, Brad is a pig,” Maggie replied in frustration. “I don’t want this to come out the wrong way sweetie but I’m happy. I’m not happy that he put you through this, especially for as long as he did. But I’m happy that he’s finally out of your life and now you can move on and be happy.”

  Misty stared down at her cup, spinning it around on the matching saucer. Her mother’s words were echoing in her ears. Move on and be happy. Oh how she wanted to be able to do that right now. But she knew very well that it would take more time than she would care to think of. She stifled a yawn and looked back at her mother.

  “Thanks for everything Mom, and thanks again for letting me stay here.”

  “You are always welcome here sweetie, you should know that. I’m so happy to have you here. Stay as long as you like.”

  Maggie pushed her chair back from the table and walked over to where Misty sat. She wrapped an arm around her daughter and placed a kiss on the top of her hair.

  “I’ll go put some fresh sheets on your bed. Make sure you get some sleep tonight and I’ll see you in the morning. I love you Mis, and don’t worry, everything will be ok.”

  “I love you too, Mom.”

  Misty watched her mother walk out of the room, then stood up from the table and placed her tea cup in the sink. She grabbed her suitcase and headed up the stairs. Photos of her childhood lined the walls leading to her old bedroom. She walked slowly, looking at each one and smiling. For the first time today she felt happy. Misty took one step inside of the room and placed her suitcase on the floor.