Page 63 of Once Bitten

Chapter Twenty Two

“His...wife?” I repeated after her. Finn grabbed the suitcase while the woman, chatted away, following behind him as he walked back towards us, his eyes locked on mine.

“Yeah, he hasn’t told you about her? They were married about two years ago, they met in Ireland, he’s known her forever. She’s great! You’ll love her.”

“Kara.” Finn came up to my side, reaching out for my elbow.

I gritted my teeth to stop from tearing my arm away, not wanting to make a scene.

“Hi! I’m Madeleine. You must be Kara, Heather’s told me all about you.”

“Um, he- hello,” I stammered, the blood draining from my head, the air stuck in my throat.

“Would you two excuse us please, we were just in the middle of something.” Not waiting for their answer, Finn kept his hold firm on my elbow and steered me around the corner, into a quiet hallway.

“Kara. Just...wait.”

“Finn? Are you-are you married?” I asked, incredulously, already knowing the answer.

“Kara, it’s, um...”

“Just answer the question, Finn, yes or no. It’s very, very simple.”

Finn took a deep breath. “Yes.”

I exhaled and closed my eyes, trying to clear the spots dancing in front of my eyes before I spoke again. “And that woman is your wife?”

“Yes. Madeleine is my wife.”

“And,” I struggled for breath, “does she know about me?”

“Um...”

“Does she know that I’ve been sleeping her husband for the last week? Is what I mean.”

“Kara.”

“Yes or no, Finn.”

“No.”

“Last question, and this will all be over. Is she the reason you couldn’t promise me anything beyond this week?”

“Fuck.” His head dropped to his hand and he turned away from me, “you were not supposed to ...”

“What? Find out this way? That I was just a convenient fuck while you were away on a work trip?”

“No!” Finn flinched, “that is NOT what I meant.”

“Answer the question, Finn. Is your marriage the reason that this was always only going to be a one week fling?”

“I didn’t want it to just be one week, Kara, please believe me. This wasn’t supposed to happen, not yet. It just…it wasn’t supposed to happen this way. I just, I couldn’t not be with you.”

I had to restrain myself from covering my ear, to stop his words, words I didn’t want to hear that made me want this all to be okay when it wasn’t. “Yes or no, Finn.”

“Yes.”

“Good bye, Finn.”

I turned to leave, but he grabbed my wrist and pulled me back to face him.

“Kara, please. Please understand.”

“I do. I understand. I wish you the happiest life, Finn. I really do. But this time, I really mean it. I never ever want to see you, ever again.”

I wrenched my hand out of his and ran toward the entrance, the tears I’d held back finally allowed to stream down my face, ignoring the two female voices calling after me.

And blocking out the male voice that I never wanted to hear again.