AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“PJ time!” Caitlin said to Pearl. “Which ones do you want to wear?”
“The pink ones.” Pearl went on her tiptoes and pulled them out of her dresser drawer.
Pearl changed into them and Caitlin straightened the fabric, and luckily, Pearl hopped right into bed, a smile on her face.
“Can you read me a story?” Pearl asked, reaching for one of the books in the basket she kept near her bed.
“Sure, pick one.” Caitlin sat on Pearl’s bed, already knowing which one she was going to pick.
Pearl picked the book that Caitlin expected—the story of a princess and her pet dragon. Even though Pearl was several grade levels ahead in her reading skills, Pearl still loved the ritual of being read to before falling asleep. Caitlin loved it too.
Caitlin tucked the blankets around Pearl before opening up the book, holding it so Pearl could see the pictures. They had read it before bed so many times that Caitlin was able to recite it by heart. She had her silly voices down, which always made Pearl laugh no matter what.
Since the book was short, they read another one before Pearl’s eyelids started to get heavy. Eventually Pearl was asleep, her face relaxed. Caitlin turned off the lamp, put the book back in the basket, and kissed Pearl on the forehead.
Caitlin slipped out of Pearl’s room. The sense of happiness and peace she felt being around her daughter disappeared and her stomach tightened. She had to talk to James about what she saw tonight, or she’d lose the nerve.
She went into the living room, where James was watching a cooking reality show and working on some supplier forms on his laptop.
“Hey,” Caitlin said, sitting down next to him. In the past she would have been comfortable sitting pressed up against him, but she kept a lot of space between the two of them.
“Hi.” James glanced at her for a moment before looking back at the TV, then at his laptop again.
“Can we talk?”
“Can we talk about it later? Maybe in the morning?” James asked, still looking at his laptop. “I have a lot to do.”
“It’s important.” Caitlin swallowed. “It can’t wait.”
James raised his eyebrows. “Okay, go ahead.”
“The other day I saw you talking to April in the restaurant’s office,” Caitlin said, keeping her voice as steady as possible. “And I couldn’t help but notice that you two seemed close. Is there something going on between you two?”
James finally closed the laptop and put it on the coffee table, his expression getting serious. Finally, Caitlin had his full attention.
“I’d never cheat on you, Caitlin,” he said. “Our vows mean something to me and I’d never sleep with someone else.”
She wanted his words to bring her relief, but they didn’t. Something about the way he said it was only making her stomach tighten even more.
“Okay,” Caitlin said, her voice weak.
James ran a hand through his hair, his brows furrowed.
“But… I’ve developed some feelings for her,” he added. “We’ve become close and she understands my drive to expand the business. To put my all into it. I can’t deny that connection.”
Caitlin felt as if someone had dropped a weight on her stomach. The idea of actually responding to him verbally was impossible. She couldn’t even gather the words in her mind.
“But I’ve never cheated. It’s just feelings,” James said.
Caitlin was numb. All she could do was nod. With all of the distance that had grown in between them, the idea of divorce had flitted into her head. But now it was a reality—her marriage was over.
The show on TV switched over to a loud, cheerful laundry detergent commercial. Caitlin grabbed the remote and turned it off.
“I know you didn’t cheat and I believe you there,” Caitlin said after clearing her throat. “But it’s clear that you don’t want the things that our marriage is giving you. If you can only feel a special connection with someone who isn’t me, that’s a problem.”
James ran his hands through his hair again, his expression sober. “I agree.”
The ache in her chest grew and grew until it felt as if it were overflowing.
