Total pages in book: 142
Estimated words: 138526 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 693(@200wpm)___ 554(@250wpm)___ 462(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 138526 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 693(@200wpm)___ 554(@250wpm)___ 462(@300wpm)
“Hey, what happened?”
“Elizabeth,” he responds sighing heavily and rubbing his face with his hands.
“She attacked you?”
He looks at me, letting his arms drop to his sides. “She was upset when I wouldn’t reciprocate her advances. She’s finally started to question if I’m…”
When his voice trails off, I pick up after him. “Having an affair?” He nods slowly. “What did you say?”
“I told her that I didn’t leave her for anybody, that I’m just done.”
“The truth within a lie,” I murmur, standing and racing to the bathroom where there’s a medicine cabinet. I grab the antiseptic and a cotton ball after washing my hands. He cringes when I return to him with both. “Did she believe you?”
“No. She’s so hurt and it’s killing me.” He hisses when I dab the antiseptic onto his broken skin. “I don’t want to hurt her.”
“Of course you don’t.” I feel devastated for her, I can only imagine how she’s feeling, though putting her hands on him wasn’t okay.
“I filed for divorce and she got served the papers. I’ve never seen her looking so… I shouldn’t be talking about this with you.”
“Who else can you talk about it to?”
My phone beeps between us and Robert’s name flashes on the screen. Our eyes zero in on it. When he reaches for it with a smile on his face, I snatch it back. I don’t know why I reacted so quickly but the way I did was extremely suspicious. Even I know that.
We stare at each other and I don’t know what to say to defend myself. I’m not hiding anything per se, but Robert and I are still talking about me going to Seattle. I’ve got another week to decide and I’m still not sure what I want.
“I’m going to bed,” he mumbles after a minute of awkward silence.
I watch him walk away and wince when the bedroom door slams.
Robert: Halley said she’s been keeping in touch with you… what did I say about stealing my friends?
I laugh but I don’t reply, I’ll just let him assume I’ve fallen asleep.
I head to bed, feeling anxious. I don’t want Ezra to think the worst.
“I don’t know why I did that,” I say after peeling back the covers and climbing in. I already brushed my teeth and changed into my pajamas before he got here.
He doesn’t respond but I can tell he’s not sleeping; I know how he sounds and the way he’s breathing right now sounds tense and bitter.
“You’ve had a rough night, so how about I just do this until you’re ready to talk?” I wrap my arm around his back and kiss the back of his neck. “I didn’t sleep with Robert. I don’t want you to think I did.”
He doesn’t turn over and eventually he falls asleep for real.
In the morning I wake up and he’s not in bed beside me. I don’t immediately go looking for him, I shower and do my thing before exiting the bedroom fully dressed and ready for a long day at work. We’ve got so much to do today and I’m meeting with some potential replacements for Ezra if I decide to leave.
I have to let Robert know by the end of the week and then I have two more weeks to train somebody and break my heart, and Ezra’s.
“Morning,” I call cheerily as I turn the corner and enter the kitchen.
He grunts a reply but doesn’t look up from his newspaper. He’s still mad at me. Though I don’t know why. What I did wasn’t that bad. Was it?
I slice a red grapefruit into two pieces and dig into half with a spoon.
He texts on his phone.
This is awkward.
“I think this might be our first fight, is that normal this soon?” I ask when I finish my grapefruit and wipe my juicy lips on a napkin.
He grunts another response and I cross my eyes with frustration.
“Do you want me to suck your dick or something?” I ask, not in the mood for this and eager to do anything to get it to end. “Because I’m not about this. I put up with this from Pax and I’m not putting up with it from you. I said I didn’t sleep with him.”
He looks at me over the rim of his coffee cup before slamming his mug on the side. “I’m not fucking mad because I think you fucked him. I’m fucking mad because you’re still thinking of going and I thought we were past that.”
“Oh.”
“Yes. Oh.” He pushes his hands through his hair. “I mean… what are we doing here? Why the fuck are we playing house if you’re going to leave me in a few weeks anyway? Are you trying to torment me?”
“Torment you?” I gape at him. “I’m tormenting you? You mean while I go see my husband every night and keep you a dirty little secret? Or while I expect you to lie to everyone for me based on a love that happened so quickly, you’re not sure you can trust it? Or while I expect you to trust me wholeheartedly with my soul when I cheated on my husband for you?”