“I want to know how this started.”
“Olivia, I don’t think that—” I stop him. “I want to know how it started.”
He sighs, “We were at the hotel bar after the conference, everybody said their goodbyes, and we just kept talking. She’s been flirting with me since the company Christmas party, but I ignored it. She said she was into me, she got close to me, and kissed me. I know I should’ve stopped right there, but I just… Olivia, please.”
“Keep talking,” I know I’m just torturing myself right now, but I need to know. “She invited me to her room. I was drunk. I follow her and well.”
“And well, what David?” Now I’m angry. He can seriously screw her in our bed, but he can’t sit down and tell me what the hell happened? “What do you want me to say, Olivia?”
“The truth, all of it”
“I went to her room, and we had sex. We spent the night together and the rest of that trip. After that, we started seeing each other around. She was on every work trip I’ve taken this year, so yeah, it happened again. Happy now?” Something snaps in me. I decided in a split second. “Call my lawyer. We’re getting a divorce.”
“Olivia—”
“You made your choice months ago. I’m making mine now.”
“You’re ending our marriage over a mistake?” I laugh, sharp and ugly. “A mistake? You’ve been having an affair with your assistant for basically a whole year. You’ve been lying to me. You let her into our house. Into our bed. She was at the kids’ birthdays this year for fuck sakes.”
His jaw tightens. “And what about you?” he says suddenly. “If I have to guess, I’ll say that you haven’t exactly been a saint. Or am I wrong?”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Oh, now I’m angry; he is trying to spin this back at me. He is crazy. “You’ve been with your ex for almost three weeks, Olivia. You went out with him; there were nights you didn’t call. I’m not stupid.”
“Her fucking mom died, David. Of course, I spent time with him. His siblings are my friends; my sister is one of them. What the fuck did you expect?”
“Not my wife spending time and getting drunk with her long-lost ex.”
“Well, I didn’t expect to come home and find my husband with his assistant bouncing on his dick and then find out he’s been fucking her for a whole year. So, I guess we both expected something a bit different than reality, didn’t we?”
I’m not saying a thing about Ethan and me; he doesn’t get to know the truth now. He backs off after that, voice low now. “I’m sorry. That was out of line. Please... can we talk tomorrow?”
“You can talk to my lawyer.”
Me: Need to talk. Emergency. David cheated. I want to proceed with the divorce.
That night, I slept in the guest room. If you can call it sleep. I stare at the ceiling for hours. My body is still on the bed, but my mind is screaming at me. I grab some sleeping pills and roll over to the side. And let the numbness take me away.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
ETHAN
I take the window seat.Pull out my laptop before the flight attendants even get through the safety spiel. Dive into Tacoon plans like they might save me. Floor layouts. Vendor lists. Permit timelines. Anything but her.
The flight attendant comes my way with a perky attitude and a smile, “Can I get you something to drink, sir?” Do they have something to erase someone from my mind? “Jack and ginger. Heavy on the Jack.” She nods and smiles.
The flight was bumpy, which I’m glad, honestly, because between having to secure my laptop every five minutes and make sure I didn’t spill my drink all over the keyboard, I didn’t have time to think about her.
By the time we land, I’ve flagged half the blueprints and built out two fake timelines I’ll probably delete and redo tomorrow. The phone buzzes as soon as airplane mode is switched off.
Hannah: You landed?
Me: Yeah, just now. I’ll be home in a bit.
No message from her. She should’ve landed a while ago. So this means we’re done talking for good.
The Uber smellslike mint gum and someone’s cologne. The city rolls past like a screensaver. It is familiar, but it feels slightly off. Home greets me with glitter glue and chaos. There’s a massive “WELCOME HOME DADDY!” banner taped to the wall, complete with crooked stars and two tiny handprints in neon paint.
The girls barrel into me like they haven’t seen me in months, and it surely feels like that. “Daddy! Daddy!” I drop everything, scoop them up, and bury my face in their hair.
