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I stammer for the right words.
“Do whatever you want with the information, but you needed to know. Whether you stay with the cheating bastard is your call.” He stops me when I turn around to leave. “Oh, and don’t be surprised if he has a black eye when you see him.”
7
Sierra
I’m pacingthe living room, wiping tears away as they fall, while waiting for my cheating bastard of a husband to come home.
My life will change when he walks in.
I’ll be divorced before reaching my thirties.
Hell, I’ll be divorced before making it to our first anniversary.
The video of him and Louise has consumed my every thought. I had two glasses of wine for breakfast after Maliki dropped me off at home—attempts to erase the memory of the video, but it didn’t help.
Maliki asked if I needed help packing or if I wanted him to give Devin another black eye.
Do I stay or go?
I stop when the front door opens.
This is it.
There’s never been a longer silence in my life as I wait for Devin to come into the living room. I clutch my stomach, nausea creeping in, and suck in a life-changing breath. Suddenly, I’m struggling to find the words I prepared, the words I held back from calling and screaming at him over the phone.
My lip trembles when he comes into view in what seems like slow motion.
“Hey, babe,” he greets, gripping his overnight bag.
My plan to handle this rationally flies out the window, and I grab our wedding photo, hurling it toward him. His eyes bulge, and he shuffles back a step, barely dodging it.
“Shit,” he rasps, looking from the frame to me. “Is it that time of the month?”
There’s no regret on his face. Had Maliki not told me, I would’ve never suspected him cheating. His hair is combed over in the same style he’s worn since college, his clothes are wrinkle-free, and he shows no symptoms of a hangover. There is a slight discoloration beneath his eye—a bruise that wasn’t there yesterday. The black eye Maliki mentioned.
“You cheated on me?” I scream, my hands shaking. “You cheated on me with Louise?”
His face pales, and he drops his bag to the floor. “What the fuck? Who told you that?”
“Maliki. His friend works at the Twisted Fox.” I make a sweeping gesture toward his face. “The man who gave you the black eye.”
His hand lifts to his eye. “That fucker hates me and hit me for no reason.” He sneers, an attempt to cover his lies, but his shoulders droop. “I’m insulted you’d believe him over me. I’ve never made you doubt my love for you.”
“There are cameras there.” My voice raises. “I saw you with her!”
“I swear, it’s not what it looked like.”
“Oh, come on! I’minsultedyou’d think I’d believe that lie.”
He extends his arms out and steps closer. “I’m sorry! I was drunk.” He focuses his eyes on me and expels an audible breath. “It’s eating me alive that I hurt you.”
“I can see it’s reallyeating you alive.”
“It was a bachelor party. It’s not the first time a man has accidentally hooked up with a woman at one.”
Oh, that’s his argument?
