I picked up the phone.
I didn’t even realize I was crying until the phone slipped from my hand and hit the rug.
When he stepped out of the bathroom and saw me standing there, shaking, eyes wide, face wet...
He knew.
He fuckingknew.
“Cass…” His voice dropped.“Let me explain.”
“No.”My voice cracked.“No.I’m done.I’m not doing this.”
“It’s not what you think...”
“Really?Because what I think is that you’re cheating on me.That I’ve been stupid.Blind.That you found someone else and didn’t even have the decency to lie well.To leave me if you wanted to be somewhere else.”
“I didn’t cheat on you...”
I felt like I was spiralling, that everything was crashing down around me.Andrew was cheating on me, and I wasn't crazy.
“You’ve been lying to me formonths!”
“Cassidy...”
“Ilovedyou.”My voice broke along with my heart.“And you, God, Iknewsomething was wrong.You made me think it was all in my head.”
He moved closer, and I backed away.
He exhaled.Quiet.Heavy.Like he was about to detonate the truth.
And then he said it.
Softly.Calmly.Like we were discussing the weather.“I’m married.”
The room went silent.
I blinked.I couldn't have heard that right.“What?”
“I was going to tell you...”
“You’remarried?”It came out as a small whimper.
He stepped toward me again.I stumbled back.
“No, no, no...”I shook my head, chest heaving.“I’m...I'm theother woman.You made me theother woman.Oh my god...I thought you were cheating on me, but this is so much worse.”
Every moment where I thought he was cheating on me crashed down on me with the clarity of the truth.I felt like I was suffocating in my own skin.The panic I was feeling was all-consuming.
“Cassidy, listen, please just...”
I screamed.I screamed and cried and tried to shove him away when he reached for me, but he held on, strong arms wrapping around me like they could contain the destruction.
I fought him.Beat my fists against his chest.
But he didn’t let go.
We collapsed to the floor, me sobbing, him holding me tight, one hand cradling the back of my head like I might fall apart completely if he let go.
