Jamie doesn’t answer my question, which tells me everything I need to know. My own wife doesn’t believe me when I say I didn’t shoot Bryan. It’s as if nothing that’s happened between us for the past fifteen years of our marriage matters to her. We hit one tiny bump in the road, and all she can think of is bailing on all we have together.
“Fine. Go! I don’t care. Leave me when I need you most. But I won’t let you claim it’s because of our daughters. You’re doing this because you’re a coward, Jamie. Yeah, a coward. I’ve given you everything you’ve ever wanted from the day we married, and when I need one thing, you’re nowhere to be found.”
That makes her find her voice again, and she takes a step closer to me so we’re practically toe-to-toe with one another. I feel her warm breath as she stares up into my eyes with such rage that I can’t imagine she ever loved me.
“Don’t you dare make it seem like this was all one-sided, and you gave so much while I did nothing. I’m the reason this house looks as nice as it does. Since you don’t seem to remember, let me remind you that this house needed updates throughout. I wanted to call people who knew how to fix what needed to be fixed, paint, and make this house as nice as it could be, but all you ever did was complain about money and how much you couldn’t afford it. You, Connor. Not us. Not our family. You. So I’m the one who handled the painting and designing everything here. Every other woman I know can call people to fix things, butno! I had to learn how to fix a toilet that won’t stop running and a sink that won’t stop dripping.”
God, this woman is insane if she thinks that means anything in the big scheme of things.
I shake my head in disbelief that she’s talking about fucking paint colors while I’m talking about life and death issues. “You always have been entitled, Jamie. You want. That’s all that’s ever mattered. What you wanted.”
Her anger radiates off her in waves now as she screams, “Entitled? Are you kidding? Who’s the person who made sure this house was good enough for your boss and your coworkers from the office to come by and be impressed? Not you. That’s for damn sure. And who has made every meal since the day we moved in here? On top of that, I’ve washed your clothes, cleaned the house, paid the bills, shuttled our children everywhere they need to go, and made sure all you had to do was go to work. Everything else has been handled for you, Connor, so don’t you dare stand there and call me entitled!”
She makes it sound like she’s the one who’s been doing all the heavy lifting around here. I go to work five days a week, fifty weeks out of the year. For every year we’ve been married, I’ve done my duty as a husband. Yet, she acts like that’s not enough.
I’m done talking to her about this. She’s made up her mind, so now I have to decide what to do.
Turning on my heel, I start walking toward the stairs. “I’m sorry you had it so tough all these years, Jamie. I hope you find a better life at your parents’ house. Good to know who’s in your corner in times like this.”
Behind me, she says in a small voice, “It doesn’t have to be forever, Connor. Why can’t you understand the girls don’t deserve to be caught up in this madness?”
When I look back, I don’t see the woman I stood before God, our family, and our friends to pledge to love and cherish oneanother forever. All I see is a stranger I thought gave a damn about me.
Now I know I was wrong.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Connor
I wakeup and see it’s already dark out. I’m alone in the bed I’ve shared with Jamie for fifteen years, and then suddenly all that happened between us this afternoon comes rushing back to me. She’s not here because she doesn’t believe me.
She’s taking my kids away because she thinks I’m a murderer.
Part of me believes this has to be a nightmare I can wake up from, but I’m not asleep. I don’t understand how this is happening. I agreed to go for a walk with a coworker. That’s it.
If only Bryan hadn’t been so stupid as to wave that gun around so carelessly.
They say hard times show you who your real friends are. It seems I don’t have a single friend to stand by me. Martin said he didn’t believe I was guilty, but he had to be nice like that. Martin is a softie. He couldn’t be mean to someone if you paid him.
I thought I could count on those I love, but Jamie showed me that isn’t true either. She and the girls are all I have. My parents are dead, and I haven’t spoken to my brother in over adecade after he fell off the wagon for the fifth time. I couldn’t keep letting him around the girls when he was drunk, and he was always three sheets to the wind.
So I have no one.
As that harsh reality settles into my brain, I hear knocking downstairs. Maybe it’s Jamie and the girls. If she forgot her house key, she’d have to knock.
I jump out of bed and hurry downstairs in just my shorts I wore when I crawled under the covers to take a nap. As much as I should be angry with my wife, I can forgive her. I need her by my side during this time. Jamie and the girls believing in me is all I need, so I don’t care why she’s back.
I’m just happy she’s realized by my side is where she should be.
Without looking through the peephole, I fling the door open ready to show her how thrilled I am they decided to stay, but my hopes are dashed when I see Officers Ramon and Raintree standing on my front porch. I don’t think I can hate two people more, so having to see them and their judgmental stares only serves to make me want to slam the door in the faces.
“Mr. Jennings, we’re here to speak to you. Do you have some time now?” Officer Ramon asks in that officious voice he likes to use whenever he sees me.
I don’t answer for a few seconds as I try to regroup from my disappointment at not seeing Jamie and my girls. Talking to these two assholes is the last thing I want to do tonight. They’ve already chosen to not do their jobs and focus solely on me, so why would I bother?
“Not tonight, gentlemen. I’m busy. Have a nice night.”
Just as I’m about to enjoy slamming the door in both of their faces, Raintree says in a voice that’s nothing short of gloating, “We know the gun that shot Bryan Corsei was yours, Mr. Jennings. Why didn’t you tell us that before?”
