Work Text
Dialogue: "Send her a funeral flower arrangement."Weather: StormyPoV: Second Person.Actor: Mads Mikkelsen
Mads was in his study surviving the most sleepless night of his entire life.The only source of light in the room was coming from the dancing flames in the fireplace and the occasional lightning that lit up the sky in the midst of one of the worst storms the town had ever seen; it seemed to resemble his mood. He was facing the big window behind his desk while sitting in his brown leather swivel chair, and he was deep in thought, replaying every single moment he had shared with you. He even wondered if you’d like his gray hair now but none of it mattered. The memories were only making him angrier. He had been gone for so long and he couldn’t believe that on his first day back he had learned that you now belonged to someone else.You had shared a troubled past with this dangerous man. Loving Mads was life’s ultimate thrill but also a curse. When it was good, it was out of this world but, when things went sideways, he could get so dark, and yet, somehow, he had convinced himself that you would wait for him. After he pissed off the wrong people, he had to leave town knowing that he could only return if they ceased to live, or else he would be the one who’d end up six feet underground. You thought that if he truly loved you, he wouldn’t have messed with them in the first place, but that was the thing about Mads; he was recklessly in love with his job, and sometimes, people had to be provoked.You only learned what he had done when he called you from the train station and with a one-way ticket in hand. There was no proper goodbye because he didn’t want to put your life at risk. He could only thank his lucky stars for the fact that the bad guys had no clue about you and a heartbreaking call would have to suffice.Time changed Mads. He had to hide for so long on the other side of the world and he tried to find you in other women, miserably failing each time and sinking further and further into bitterness. He hated not being able to see you, to touch you, to kiss you. You used to get random calls at night and you would pick up and not hear a single sound on the other line but you knew that it was him. Hearing the sound of your voice was relieving at first, but then the calls stopped because he couldn’t take it anymore; you were the only thing that mattered, and the one thing he couldn’t have.“Sir?”Mads snapped out his trance at the sound of his right-hand man’s voice. The young man had entered his study and, only then, he remembered that he had called him there to make a request. Mads slowly rotated the chair and looked at all the photographs of you scattered on his desk and that his private eye had given him as soon as he got off the plane; pictures of your new life. One he thought he was supposed to be a part of instead of the man, the impostor, holding your hand and kissing your temple in each one of them.Men had to die for him to come back safely; it simply could not be a coincidence that he had returned just a day before your wedding. So he sure as hell wasn’t going to let it happen.Mads knew exactly what to do to get your attention.He just had to do one little thing and he knew you’d get the message, unsigned even and you’d still know who you got it from. You’d have no choice but to call everything off because you’d understand that he was back, and you also know what he’s capable of for he had even joked about it once; “If you ever leave me for another man, I will kill you”. And maybe Mads from the past might’ve been joking in all his young glory, but this older, ruthless Mads kept his promises. So he looked at his right-hand man in the eye and handed him a piece of paper with your name and address on it before uttering the six magic words of the one warning you needed.“Send her a funeral flower arrangement.”
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
AMBIENCE: Zombie ApocalypseRick Grimes was out in the woods under the blazing sun and with an axe in one hand.The weather had shifted recently; during daytime the heat was almost unbearable and yet, at night, a bone-chilling cold took over so he was looking for wood for the fireplace. He froze when he heard strange noises and glanced all around him thinking the undead may be near, but he was only surrounded by trees. He eased his nerves by picturing you, his wife, in his head. He could see you at home, fresh out of the shower and making yourself a cup of coffee.Rick smiled. He missed you. He wondered if he had left you enough wood the last time he visited you to keep yourself warm at night.You two were apart because it would be the safest thing for now. After Negan showed up, he held you hostage, and he even had you forcefully playing house. “That sick fuck“ Rick thought. He hated it when his mind betrayed him and displayed that image abruptly in his head, but it was also the reason he had chosen to keep you hidden in a small house far away from his. Visiting you was quite the adventure; he had to be very careful because no one could know where you were.Your husband had saved you but you would never truly be safe while Negan was still out there.The intrusive thoughts sometimes also reminded him that since you spent so much time alone with Negan, you had learned to tolerate him. More than Rick would’ve wanted. He said you were inevitably confused in such circumstance but he would rather die before calling it “Stockholm Syndrome”. He knew full well that Negan liked you a lot, so the fact that you didn’t hate your former captor ate at Rick every now and then.As he went further into the woods, he heard strange noises again, so he stopped in his tracks, he felt followed. He gripped the axe in his right hand tighter.“Who’s there?” He asked out loud as he stared straight ahead.But he didn’t notice the man standing behind him with a rock in his hand. Suddenly, everything went black.When Rick woke up, he couldn’t see a thing and he realized he was hooded, gagged, and tied up. A few minutes later he was pulled up to his feet and taken somewhere else. His heart was racing like never before, he was sweating profusely and all he could think of was you, begging the universe to let him live another day just to see you. Whoever was brusquely dragging him by the arm stopped and forced him to kneel on the ground.Rick heard heavy footsteps, boots most likely, getting closer to him. Then, his hood was violently removed and he squinted while his eyes got used to the overwhelming sun for the first time in hours. He looked up and they widened for his worst nightmare had come true; Negan was standing before him with an evil grin on his face, while surrounded by his people. And he knew exactly what to say to make Rick’s blood boil, so he squatted down and gripped his chin to stare into his soul.“I’m back.” He murmured proudly. “Hold onto your wife.”
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
[AMBIENCE: Rain on window with thunder]Ben showed up uninvited and brokenhearted to my engagement party.He was wearing a suit but he was drenched from head to toe because the rain was so heavy outside. He made quite an impression when he walked in and the crowd parted like the red sea because they were horrified at the sight of this soaked guest irrupting into such a lavish party. Ben was looking for me and, once he found me, he grabbed a champagne flute from a passing waiter and chugged it before approaching me.I could see the pain and anger in his eyes and it hurt knowing that I had done this to my best friend. He wasn’t supposed to find out like this, but I hadn’t had the courage to tell him because I knew that he had feelings for me. When my boyfriend proposed, Ben was all I could think of and I lost it; I knocked on his door that same night and kissed him as soon as he opened it. Instead of telling him that I was engaged, I slept with him.I feared that if I gave us a chance, we would end up hating each other, and Ben was someone I wanted to keep in my life forever. But I had made a mess.He stood in front of me and eyed me from head to toe. I was terrified. I had never seen him like this before.“Oh, darling.” He murmured.“Ben, please don’t do this.”“You look beautiful.” He said calmly yet with a deep frown. “Don’t worry. I’m here just to congratulate you.”I could feel everyone’s eyes on us so I spoke as quietly as I could.“Last night was a mistake.”He forced a smile and let out a chuckle.“I think we both know I would disagree on that.” He paused. “Why did you do it then? If you don’t feel the same way about me, why did you come to me the night before your engagement party? I’ll tell you why, because deep down you know that you love me too but the difference between us, sweetheart, is that you’re a coward. You keep saying you don’t want to ruin our friendship, well, guess what? You tore it apart the second you chose him.”When Ben motioned at my fiancé with his head, I glanced at him and he was staring at us from across the room, and the look on his face made me feel paranoid thinking he knew everything.“But you know what?” Ben asked.“Please stop.” I begged.“I pity him.”“Ben-”He inched closer to me.“I pity him because…” He added as he reached out and gently caressed a strand of my hair, “loving you is a fucking nightmare.”I felt a hole in my chest and a big knot was slowly forming in my throat and making my eyes well up. Ben took a step backwards and seemed pleased to see me in pain; an eye for an eye. Just as my fiancé began to move in our direction, Ben turned around and walked away. I had to force myself not to cry and come up with a very good lie to tell my future husband.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
[ AMBIENCE: Relaxing Nature ]
Being Cate’s assistant was a 24/7 job.
She had recently asked me to move in with her and God forbid you disturbed the queen before 11am. So I was very surprised, startled even, to learn that she was awake when I sneaked into the house after celebrating a friend’s birthday till sunrise. I took my heels off not to make any noise and basically tiptoed my way through the living room when I heard her voice.
“Did you have fun?”
I froze and my heart almost leaped out of my chest, while my head snapped towards the kitchen where I could see her sitting at the table, looking at me. I took a deep breath and tried to ease my nerves while I exhaled before I joined her.
“What are you doing up, Cate?”
She smiled at me but I could see that she was upset. She reached for the pack of cigarettes on the table and lit one up, and she didn’t answer until she had taken the first drag on it.
“You know I can’t sleep when you’re gone.”
“I told you yesterday that I was going out.”
“Yes but you never said you wouldn’t come home.” She cocked her head. “I was... worried.”
That was the thing about Cate; she could be so discreetly manipulative.
“Well, I’m here now and you’re up so, would you like some breakfast?”
“Why don’t you…” She began as she stood up and got closer to me, “let me take care of you for a change? You must be very tired.”
I don’t know how she did it, but even though her words seemed kind, she gave every single one a certain undertone that made me feel like I was in so much trouble. Cate wasn’t the type of woman who would raise her voice when mad but she’d always find other ways to disarm you. She inched closer to me and gently grabbed my chin in a motherly manner.
“Have a bath while I make breakfast.”
“I was thinking that perhaps we could go shopping.” She announced. “It’s a lovely day.”
And there I was, doing exactly what she wanted, in a robe and with my hair still wet while she sifted a perfect amount of powdered sugar on top of my French toast like a perfect wife from the 60s. I watched as she poured coffee into the empty cup in front of me and dragged a chair to sit next to me. She grabbed my fork and knife and cut a piece of my French toast along with a strawberry and tried to feed it to me. I stared at her with a bit of disbelief but just did what she wanted, and she looked at me the whole time waiting for my reaction.
“Oh my god... It’s very good.” I wasn’t lying. She smiled while I finished chewing and I looked her in the eye. “Cate, I’d love to go shopping but I thought you said I’d had the evening off today, and I have a date, remember?”
“Oh…” Her smile faded. “The… theater boy. Right.” She said while forcing a smile. She looked at the floor briefly then back into my eyes. She suddenly touched my forehead. “But, darling, you don’t look so good. Do you feel alright? You are very hot. You’re not coming down with something for staying out all night, are you?”
“Cate… cate!” I said as I grabbed her wrists to stop her. “I’m fine.” I knew she wouldn’t stop trying to make me feel guilty for not spending the night here in her own demure way. “Just…” I carried on as I gently placed her hand on her lap, “…have breakfast with me. I’ll cancel my date so we can go shopping.”
And just like that she was in a good mood again. She sat across from me and smiled at me.
“Good girl.”
I lost count of the many times I had to re-schedule that date because of Cate, but she was my boss and she paid me well, so I endured.
I had just gotten out of the shower and I was sitting in front of my vanity to start getting ready when she appeared on my door.
“What time is your date?” She asked.
“He’s supposed to pick me up in two hours.”
I saw her reflection on my mirror and watched her walking towards me. She grabbed my brush and started brushing my hair in silence.
“I know I can be difficult sometimes…” she began after a while, “…but I only ask so much of you because you’re actually good at your job.”
I smiled at her strange form of apology and let her do my hair.
When I was about to leave the house, I saw Cate watching TV in the living room with a glass of wine.
“Don’t wait up for me.” I warned.
She gave me a tired smile.
“I won’t.”
I walked out into the porch, headed towards the fancy car my date had picked me up in.
As soon as her assistant shut the door behind her, Cate got up from the couch and carefully peeked through the curtains to spy on her. She saw the young man getting out of the car and opening the passenger door for her. The grin on her face made Cate’s blood boil to the point where she gripped her glass so tight, it exploded in her hand and she began to bleed.
I don’t know what was wrong with me but even though this man had taken me to a very beautiful restaurant and was being a complete gentleman, all I could think of was Cate. I was irrationally worried about her so I wasn’t having fun, but then I tried to shake the thoughts away because I deserved to have a life outside of work and Cate had become so utterly consuming lately. But I was relieved when the date was coming to an end. I didn’t even let this man kiss me when he dropped me off because I couldn’t wait to get home to Cate.
When I walked in, all the lights were off so I knew she had kept her promise and went to bed. But still, there was something I needed to do. I went upstairs and her bedroom door was open so I let myself in and saw her in her nightgown, on her enormous bed sleeping on her side, with her back to me. I don’t know what came over me but I lied next to her and put my left hand on her bare shoulder.
“Cate, I’m home.” I whispered. “I just wanted you to know.”
She stirred and hummed, and then placed one hand above mine, and I noticed that she had a bloodied bandage wrapped around it, so I held it up to get a good look.
“What happened here?”
“A little accident with the wine. Don’t worry. I’m fine.” She said in a sleepy voice.
It hit me. It finally dawned in on me. This strange behavior of hers and my inexplicable need to please her all the time.
“Cate…” I murmured.
“Hmm?”
My heart was racing like never before, but she needed to hear this.
“You were all I could think of tonight.”
I felt her stiffening against me for a second but then she turned slightly to look into my eyes. Cate placed her right hand on my cheek and I slowly leaned in as did she. When our lips touched I felt a tingling sensation all over my body that no man had ever made me feel before. So, I deepened the kiss but Cate rolled on top of me with a type of hunger I could never describe.
But this hunger of hers... I felt just as deeply.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
[AMBIENCE: New York City sounds]
I walked out of the bank with another bag full of money in broad daylight.
This wasn’t my first robbery and I always got away with it because I had a guardian angel… perhaps more like a devil. But things can’t stay peachy forever, and just when I thought I was safe, I saw one of the guard dogs that had been nipping at my heels for quite some time now and he saw me; Detective Cavill was standing in front of his car with a cup of coffee and a box of donuts from the bakery across the street. He was about to get in when he heard about the robbery on his radio.
He laid eyes on me and I knew that I looked like a deer in the headlights. All I could do was run.
“Fuck!” He exclaimed.
I glanced over my shoulder to see that he had dropped the coffee and the donuts on the ground and started running after me like an antelope. After a few seconds, he pulled out his gun and aimed at me.
“Freeze!” He ordered.
My gun was inside the bag of money. If I even tried to take it out, he would shoot me. I did as I was told and held my hands up in the air, but only because I could see that the traffic lights were about to change. As soon as they did, I sprinted again and managed to dodge a coming car. It missed me by an inch so the angry driver honked at me, but it would shield me from Detective Cavill’s gun and buy me some time. I saw him vaulting over the hood of the vehicle and I knew he wasn’t going to give up. We ran under the blazing sun for many blocks.
This asshole thought he was James Bond or something.
I thought I had finally lost him and hid in an alley only for him to appear on the opposite end. I was going to keep running but it was pointless. He was inches away from me, with his gun pointed at my head.
“Oh, I’ve been looking forward to this day for a long, long time.” He sang all full of himself. “On your knees.”
I tightened my jaw and grudgingly did as I was told. Detective Cavill gave me my Miranda rights while he handcuffed me and I could see that he was enjoying every second of it. I was seeing red because this humiliation could’ve been avoided. I watched him pulling out his radio and bringing it up to his lips.
“I got her.”
Next thing I knew, I was in an empty warehouse alone with this motherfucker. He brusquely forced me to sit on a chair and he began to pace in front of me.
“I don’t think this is legal, Detective.” I said.
He let out a chuckle.
“You think I’m going to bring you in so whoever’s helping you can just take you out the backdoor?”
I frowned.
“I know someone’s been helping you, and you’re going to tell me who that is.”
“You think I’m working with the police?” I inquired in a certain tone.
“I know there’s a mole.”
I scoffed.
“Ooh, a mole!” I mocked him and giggled. “What is this, your 007 fantasy?”
He suddenly got closer to me and grabbed a fistful of my hair to force me to look into his eyes.
“I’m glad you’re enjoying yourself because we’re going to be here for a long time unless you talk.”
He was pulling my hair but I leaned in closer to him to whisper.
“I’ll tell you what…” I began and I noticed that he was staring at my lips, “…there’s half a million dollars in that bag. If you uncuff me, I’ll walk out of here empty-handed but you’ll walk out a richer man.”
“Oh, is this what you did with your little cop friend?” He asked. “I bet you two share the money you steal and you let him fuck you like a whore.”
I tightened my jaw but I wasn’t going to let him get to me.
“Are you jealous, Detective?”
He suddenly let go of me but he pulled out his gun and pressed the barrel against my temple.
“Tell me who’s been helping you.”
But the sound of another gun being cocked echoed in the empty warehouse and Detective Cavill’s blue eyes widened when he felt it behind his head.
“Put the fucking gun down.”
He slowly turned around to find his partner standing behind him and aiming his pistol at him.
“Evans…” He whispered as he went pale.
I smiled at the sight of my guardian devil who had finally showed up.
“About time, Chrissy.” I said quite annoyed.
He was supposed to pick me up after the robbery and for some reason he wasn’t there, which is why I ended up here.
“Don’t make this more difficult, Henry. Give me the gun.”
“You… you’ve been working with her this whole time.” He realized out loud but his perplexity quickly blended into rage because I knew that he was replaying every memory in his head and finally noticing the many times his partner had acted strange. And he must’ve paid special attention to the moment Chris planted the idea of bringing me here first if I was ever caught. “You son of a bitch.”
Detective Cavill had fallen so easily into the trap. He hadn’t told anyone about me but Chris when he arrested me and called him on his radio. Chris rolled his eyes and I started laughing. It was all an elaborate plan so that if things went sideways, like they had, Evans would know where to find me.
“You’re a smart cookie, Detective. But sometimes knowing too much can be a pain in the ass.” I said while trying to get under his skin.
Henry glared at me and Chris took advantage of the brief distraction; in a swift motion he hit Henry in the head with the gun handle and knocked him unconscious.
The tables had turned.
Detective Cavill was handcuffed and sitting on the chair now. He was slowly coming back to us. Chris and I had changed into the clothes he had brought and we were ready to leave.
“Chris, don’t do this.” Henry grunted while trying to shake off the pain in his head. “It’s not too late. We can bring her in. They will never know.”
“Or…” Chris said as he got closer to Henry. “You could join us too, I mean, if we’re going with ridiculous propositions, I might as well throw that in.” He mocked but then turned serious. “We risk our lives every single day, we have no time for ourselves or to even consider having a personal life, and all of this for what, Henry? A shit salary and cero recognition? Fuck those guys. I never lived until I met this woman and changed course, my friend, and you know what? I’d do it again.”
“She’s fucking using you, can’t you see it?”
“Why would I use him?” I asked while I got closer to Chris and ran my fingers through his hair. “He’s so cute.”
“And what exactly do you think is going to happen, Chris? You think you’ll just walk out of here and spend all that money after everything you did? They’re all going to come after you.”
“Oh, I know you will talk. You’re a good detective, Henry, but…” Chris said as he grabbed the bag of money, “…by the time you get out of here, I’ll be long gone and sipping on fucking piñas coladas in some fucking island you could never find in any fucking map.” He added as he put an arm around me and kissed my temple. “Let’s go, baby.”
I smiled at Henry before we turned around and walked away, but Chris stopped and glanced over his shoulder at his former partner one last time.
“You’ll find the keys to the handcuffs somewhere around here.” He explained. “Have a nice life, Henry.”
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
[ AMBIENCE: Heavy rain at night ]
“That’ll be $17.99”
Alexander fished for his wallet in one of the back pockets of his jeans and pulled out a 20 dollar bill to pay the barista.
“Your order will be ready in a couple minutes.” She added with a smile that the tall man returned.
“Thank you.” He said as he was handed his change and receipt.
He walked away from the counter and glanced at his watch; it was 8:44pm. He then looked out the nearest window to realize that it was already raining. He had hoped to make it back home before it started but the weather beat him at it.
“Alex?”
Alexander turned around to find a familiar face in line at the counter.
“Erika.” He said sounding a little surprised.
“Oh my god. How are you?” She asked as she got closer to him.
“Pretty good. How are you? How’s your mom?”
“Well, she’s in Maui as we speak, so… you be the judge.”
“Oh, she’s doing awful then, huh?” Alexander joked, causing Erika to chuckle. “And little Jamie?”
“He’s staying at his dad’s this weekend.” She explained and paused. “What are you up to?”
“Well, my wife and I were at home watching movies and we had a sudden craving so…”
“Oh?” She said sounding quite surprised. “So, you’re... still with-”
“Alexander!” The barista called out interrupting her.
His head snapped in her direction and he saw the two hot cocoas he had ordered and the box of pastries on the counter, but he looked back at Erika with a frown.
“Still?” Alexander asked while letting out a confused chuckle. “We just got married six months ago, what do you mean ‘still’?”
“Y-yeah… Well… because of… I thought…”
He could easily notice how nervous she had gotten all of a sudden and it was starting to irritate him but he just cocked his head.
“Because of what happened at your wedding, I thought that perhaps-”
“What happened at my wedding?” He cut her off in a much more serious tone.
“Well, you saw it. You walked in right after me. We were looking for Jamie.” She scarcely elaborated but could see the undying confusion on his friend’s face. “Your wife and… the guy with the big beard.”
Alexander’s stomach dropped and he got flashes of his wedding day and the big hotel it took place at. He suddenly remembered walking past the entrance to the pool and seeing his wife alone with her ex-boyfriend Oscar. But she had turned her back on him, the second her new husband showed up and hugged and kissed him instead; something he now suspected she had done out of guilt. Alexander didn’t even hear the barista calling his name again. He simply inched closer to Erika and stared into her soul.
“Erika, what exactly did you see?”
She felt like crawling into a hole and was afraid to utter the words, but she had already said too much. She gulped.
“They were kissing.”
Alexander’s wife had just taken a big blanket out of the dryer and she walked into the living room to place it on the couch so she and her husband could cuddle under it once he got back. In that exact moment, the headlights of his big truck illuminated the whole house as he entered the driveway. She looked through the window but it was hard to see with the heavy rain; she caught a glimpse of Alexander getting out of the car in a rush. He even left the engine running and the door open.
“What’s going on?” She asked as soon as the front door burst in and he walked in.
Her husband was soaked but it didn’t look like he cared at all.
“What happened between you and Oscar?” He suddenly asked.
“What?” She asked with a deep frown and narrowed eyes.
“At our wedding. What the hell happened before I walked in on the two of you at the pool?”
Her soul left her body.
“Honey-”
“Don’t fucking ‘honey’ me. I asked you a question.” He slightly raised his voice. “I never understood why you had to invite your ex to our wedding, and you swore he showed up uninvited but I’m not so sure anymore.”
“Alexander, where the hell is this even coming from?”
“Just answer the goddamn question!” Alexander yelled.
She stared into his eyes resembling a deer in the headlights, and Alexander looked away and shook his head. He reached her in two long strides until their noses were almost rubbing together.
“You kissed him. On our wedding day. You fucking kissed him.” Alexander accused through clenched teeth and wagging his right index finger at her.
She didn’t know how he knew but there was no point in lying anymore, so she had no choice but to cave in.
“It didn’t mean anything.” She quietly said.
The rage made Alexander’s face twitch but he turned around headed for the door, and his wife ran after him.
“I never lied to you about Oscar, Alexander. You knew there was history between us.” She desperately said as she walked under the rain. “I had a past before I became your wife, and that was… it was a goodbye kiss. He’s happily married now, and so am I.” She hopelessly added but Alexander got in the truck and shut the door. “Where are you going!? Alexander!” She yelled but he completely ignored her, shifted into reverse and drove off.
Alexander had to make a few phone calls to get the address he needed.
He entered a quiet neighborhood and parked his truck. He reached for something in the backseat before he exited the vehicle; a heavy steering wheel lock. He crossed the street with it in one hand and saw a gray Polestar parked in front of a house. Without a single ounce of hesitation and motivated by rage, he smashed the windshield which set off the alarm. Almost instantly, every house came to life as their outdoor lighting went on, one by one.
Alexander swung the steering wheel lock again and smashed one of the car’s windows. Oscar appeared on his porch in his pajamas, and his face fell at the sight of his vandalized vehicle.
“What the fuck!?” Oscar yelled equally horrified and pissed off.
But then he froze when he recognized his ex-girlfriend’s husband. To make things worse, his wife showed up behind him in a robe, and most of his neighbors walked out of their homes to see what was going on. Alexander raised the steering wheel lock and pointed at Oscar. He took a step backwards, as if to protect his wife even though Alexander wasn’t close to them and there was even a fence between them.
“What the hell is wrong with you, man?” Oscar said calmly but with undertones of a coming threat. “I’m calling the fucking cops.”
“Tell me something, Oscar. Do you kiss every bride of every wedding you attend, you sick fuck?”
Oscar’s wife looked at her husband with a deep frown.
“What is he talking about?” She asked. “Who is this man, Oscar?”
“Go on. Tell her, Oscar.” Alexander said with an evil grin. “Tell her how you crashed my fucking wedding and kissed my wife.”
Oscar nervously glanced at his wife over his shoulder and shook his head slightly before looking back at his ex’s husband.
“You’re out of your fucking mind, Alexander. Get the hell off my property unless you want to spend the night in jail.”
Alexander scoffed and began to walk backwards towards his truck, pleased to know that not only would Oscar have to get his car fixed because of him but that he’d also have some explaining to do to his wife. He used the steering wheel lock to point at him once more and threatened him.
“Stay away from my wife, you son of a bitch.”
Alexander jumped into his truck and drove home.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
[AMBIENCE:Garden party atmosphere]
I walked out into the crowded garden to wait for Tom but saw Mads standing near the concrete stairs in a beautiful white suit and wearing sunglasses, and I just had to say hi. He was a good friend of my father’s so he certainly was the first name on the guest list of this party that my parents were hosting.
“My, don’t we look handsome, Mads.” I said with a smile as I stood behind him.
He turned around a bit startled, but he relaxed once he saw me and let out a shy chuckle.
“You’re one to talk. Come here.” He said as he pulled me into a warm embrace to greet me properly. “What have you been up to, kid?”
We broke apart and I shrugged.
“Nothing much. Things are going pretty slow right now.”
“I'm glad you joined us this evening.”
"Actually, I'm on my way out." I explained.
"Oh?"
“I made plans with my boyfriend and he’s picking me up soon.”
“Boyfriend?” He teased with raised eyebrows. “I don’t think so, young lady.” He joked but then playfully grabbed my chin. “You have fun, all right? And… if this boyfriend of yours ever dares turn into a problem, you come to me. I’ll handle him.”
I giggled but then heard a car’s loud horn. I turned my head, like most of the party guests, to find Tom leaning against his car, staring at me, and he had his left hand inside the vehicle, clearly honking at me which made me frown.
“Is that him?” Mads asked. “Quite impatient, isn’t he?” He added with disapproval.
I was slightly embarrassed because Tom had never done that before. He’d usually call or text me to let me know he was here.
“I should go.”
I hugged and kissed Mads on the cheek before running down the concrete stairs to reach Tom.
“Hey,” Mads called out, so I glanced at him over my shoulder and noticed that he was coming down to the sidewalk too, “take it easy, all right?”
I nodded but noticed that he sent a glare in my boyfriend’s direction, like a silent warning. Tom put an arm around me the second I approached him and pulled me closer to kiss me in a slightly rough manner which wasn’t normal at all. He didn’t even say a word and led me to the passenger door.
“I got here almost 10 minutes ago.” Tom complained as he opened it for me and I got in. “But you were too busy. Flirting. With that old man.”
I scoffed and he slammed the door and walked around the car. He was definitely pissed off and I even caught him scowling at Mads before he got in.
“Don’t be rude. He’s a friend of my father’s.” I told him once he got behind the wheel. “And I wasn’t flirting with him.”
“Well, it didn't look like it from where I was standing."
“I spoke to him for like two seconds, Tom. What’s your problem?”
“I don’t want to fight!” He exclaimed in a louder tone and caught me off guard but then he regained his composure. “Next time I pick you up, just be ready on time. That’s all I’m saying. It’s not that hard, darling.”
Now, I was mad.
“Please don't talk to me like that and don’t tell me what to do just because you’re in a shitty mood.”
His head snapped towards me and his widened blue eyes darkened all of a sudden.
“Excuse me?” He asked sounding ridiculously offended. “How would you feel if you saw me flirting with another woman?”
“For the tenth time, I wasn’t fl-”
But he cut me off.
“You want to know what I’m capable of? Keep flirting with him. Try me.”
Tom turned the key and the engine roared to life. I was seeing a side of him I hadn’t had the pleasure of meeting before. He stepped on the gas pedal a few times still parked, glared at Mads once more and then accelerated. He zoomed past him like a F1 driver and missed him only by an inch. I even saw his white jacket flapping as we drove by and Mads' head snapped towards us. He walked back upstairs and removed his sunglasses to stare at us.
I knew that he had read Tom like an open book and took it personal.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
[ AMBIENCE: Winter cabin under snowstorm ]
I couldn’t say no to a huge diamond ring.
I was breathless when Lee proposed and I first saw it, and I made sure to flaunt it around that snowy afternoon when all of our friends and family were gathered in my parents’ living room to celebrate our engagement; all of us holding champagne flutes in one hand and wearing big smiles on our faces.
“Let me see.” One of my younger cousins said while grabbing my left hand to get a good look, and her mouth fell open. “This is even bigger than the one Kanye gave to Kim K, what the fuck?”
I couldn’t help but laugh and enjoy every second of it, Lee, who was standing beside me got a good chuckle over it as well.
“You know… I always wondered how you got her to say yes given that your looks were never going to cut it obviously.” A friend of ours joked too.
Lee laughed and put his right arm around me and I felt whole; I had the most gorgeous man by my side and he loved me enough to want me to be his forever as did I.
“Well,” Lee began, “my advice is, get her a big diamond ring so she can’t see the monster she’s marrying.”
Everyone erupted into laughter and my fiancé took a sip of his champagne. I playfully smacked his arm and leaned in closer to look into his eyes.
“You’re not a monster. Don’t say that.” I said before giving him a quick peck on the lips.
He kept his arm around me and stared into my soul.
“Oh, you just wait, honey.”
Lee looked so serious when he said it that I actually couldn’t take my eyes of him for a complete minute until he scoffed. He gave me a gentle squeeze while kissing my left temple.
“I’m just messing with you.”
I had a past.
I had been married before, and I never thought that my ex-husband Jeffrey would end up showing up at my wedding, but when I walked out into the venue’s balcony, I saw him leaning against his car, in jeans and a leather jacket which told me that coming here had been an impulse. He seemed nervous and unsure, pacing back and forth until he sensed me and looked up. He just stared at me for a while but his seriousness slowly faded and turned into a smile that I mirrored.
“What are you doing here, Jeffrey?” I asked the second I joined him outside the venue.
He hesitated, as if trying to either find the right words or come up with a good lie but he seemed to give up.
“I’ve kept my distance but I heard all about it, kid.” He confessed. “I just wanted to congratulate you and wish you the best. You deserve it.” He said then joked. “You know what they say… the second one is always better than the first, or so I’ve heard.”
I couldn’t take my eyes off him while a sort of nostalgic tenderness invaded me. Jeffrey had been a very good husband but it simply didn’t work out in the end. I knew that he sometimes still blamed himself because of his job, and it tore me in two.
“So, who’s the lucky guy?”
“His name’s Lee. He’s from Oklahoma. Born and raised. We met in New York City while we were both on vacation.”
“Hm… is it too late to run a background check?”
“Easy there, detective Morgan. That’s outside your jurisdiction.” I teased.
Jeffrey smiled but then he turned serious and searched for my eyes.
“I care about you. You know that.”
“I know.” I gave a single nod. “Lee is a good man you have nothing to worry about.”
Suddenly, the radio in his car came to life and it triggered many bittersweet memories. Jeffrey was out of the house all the time. His job demanded too much of him and sometimes at the most inconvenient hours of the day. Today, all this years later, it remained the same.
“Gotta run, kid.” He said in an apologetic tone as he pulled me into an embrace.
When Jeffrey got into his car, my new husband showed up behind me.
“You disappeared on me.” Lee said but looked at my ex’s car. “Who was that?”
“My ex-husband.”
Lee tensed up a little bit.
“Is he a cop?” He asked, and I realized that he must’ve heard the radio.
“He’s a detective.” I explained.
Jeffrey glanced at us through the rearview mirror and slightly narrowed his eyes when he saw Lee. I knew that he didn’t trust him because Jeffrey didn’t trust anyone. It was his job not to. He drove off after a second, and once he was gone, Lee stood in front of me with his hands inside his pockets.
“Why didn’t you mention this before?” He cocked his head.
“I didn’t think it was necessary, Lee. I mean, you did have the right to know that I was once married before… but talking about your ex with a new partner is just…” I trailed off and shook my head.
Lee stared at me for a few seconds but nodded.
“You’re right. The past is in the past. Besides, you’re all mine now.” He said with a grin as he held my hand. “Come on, let’s go back.”
Jeffrey was in his office late at night killing two birds with one stone by working on a case while waiting for the snowstorm to pass so he could finally go home.
He removed his glasses and threw them on the desk in front of him while pinching the bridge of his nose and allowing his body to feel tired. He needed a good night’s sleep but work had been hell lately. He decided to distract himself so he grabbed his cell phone and opened the Instagram app. He spent a few minutes scrolling until he saw a photograph of his ex with a mutual friend who had posted it. Jeffrey smiled but he couldn’t resist and tapped the photograph to see if she had been tagged.
Jeffrey found himself looking at his ex’s profile and all the photographs from her honeymoon which had taken place a few months ago. He zoomed in on a picture of her posing with her new husband to get a good look at Lee. That bloodhound instinct Jeffrey had been born with made him grab the office phone and dial an old colleague’s number while still staring at his ex’s husband on his cell phone. After greeting her and making a bit of small talk, Jeffrey asked what he truly wanted to ask.
“Are you still in Oklahoma? I need a favor.”
Jeffrey was sitting in one of the diner booths having a cup of coffee while looking at the Christmas lights and decorations all around the place when his colleague showed up in a trench coat and covered in snow. She removed her gloves and scarf as she sat across from him and put them on top of her purse, next to her.
“Oh, I certainly didn’t miss this town’s ridiculous snow.” She said. “How have you been, Jeffrey?”
“You didn’t have to come all the way here. You could’ve e-mailed the file, you know?”
“I’m spending the holidays with my daughter and my grandkid.” She explained then teased. “You’re not that special.”
Jeffrey smiled and beckoned a waiter over for his colleague who ordered a black coffee, and as soon as the young guy left, she looked at Jeffrey.
“So…” She began, “why did I run a background check on this so-called Lee guy?”
“He’s involved with a friend of mine. You know me. I get curious from time to time.”
She narrowed her eyes.
“A friend?” She echoed skeptically. “You think you can lie to me after spending 10 years in your passenger seat, Morgan?”
Before Jeffrey could answer, the waiter brought the coffee pot and poured some into the empty cup in front of her. She waited for him to leave and pulled out a file folder from her purse.
“Well, Curious George, I’m afraid you’re not going to like this.” She warned as she handed it to him. “Your guy was born in Oklahoma but he lived in Texas for quite some time. So my hands were a bit tied but I called a friend who could dig into it and he sent me Lee’s file.”
Jeffrey grabbed it and started flipping through it while his colleague delved in her purse again and pulled out a flask to add a splash of whiskey to her coffee. She held it up, offering some to Jeffrey.
“What do you say, for old time’s sake?” She asked and Jeffrey nodded. “Lee spent two years in prison for aggravated assault.” She carried on as she spiked his coffee. “But the whole thing is just shady as fuck. Apparently, Lee’s girlfriend at the time was having an affair and, according to her, when he found out, he lost it and beat her. He grabbed a baseball bat, drove straight to his girlfriend’s paramour’s house and ended up breaking his ribs and right leg in two places. But, according to Lee’s defense team… they were no longer together after Lee found out about the affair, and it was actually the lover who hit her and Lee acted on impulse after she came to him all bruised up.” She paused and Jeffrey looked up from the document in his hands. “But it doesn’t end there. The Jury found Lee guilty and he served his sentence but, a few days after he got out, his ex was found dead along with her lover.”
“Sounds to me like he should be rotting in the fucking can.” Jeffrey said.
His colleague shrugged.
“He had a perfect alibi.”
“Oh, come on.”
Jeffrey threw the file on the table and dragged a hand down his face, dreading the thought of his ex-wife being married and sleeping next to a possible murderer.
Being married to Lee was everything I ever dreamed of.
Christmas was just around the corner and, since it would be our first as husband and wife, we decided to rent a cabin in the mountains and spend the holidays just us two. He was outside, in the snow chopping wood for our fireplace, when a car appeared all of a sudden and entered our driveway. I stood in front of the window in our living room and recognized the vehicle, so I rushed outside. Lee had just split a log in two with his axe and he lowered it when he noticed our visitor.
Jeffrey got out of the car and my heartbeat stuttered because I couldn’t find another reason for him to show up like this other than to bring bad news. I stared at Lee with fear in my eyes but I couldn’t read him; he just stayed put a few feet away from me.
“What’s going on?” I said as Jeffrey approached me.
“Everything’s fine.” He assured but glanced at Lee and then back at me. “I need to talk to you.”
“I’m sorry, who are you?” Lee asked with narrowed eyes as he got closer to Jeffrey, almost standing between us.
“He’s Jeffrey. My ex-husband.”
“Oh, right. You were at our wedding.” He said and held one hand out. “Lee. The new husband. Nice to meet you.”
Jeffrey stared at my husband’s hand for an awkwardly long until he finally shook it.
“How did you find us?” Lee asked in a certain tone.
“I need to talk to your wife. In private, if you don’t mind.” Jeffrey coldly said.
I noticed that he seemed quite tense. He glanced at the axe in Lee’s left hand; he was gripping it white knuckle tight. Lee stared at me.
“Actually, I do mind.” He stated.
“What is this about, Jeffrey?” I asked starting to get a little nervous.
Jeffrey glanced at Lee.
“Do you know what I do for a living, Lee?” He inquired.
“My wife told me you’re a detective.” Lee answered expressionlessly.
“Then you know what this is about, don’t you?”
I looked at my husband confused like never before but I saw how his semblance turned somber all of a sudden and he gave Jeffrey a challenging look.
“You told me that Lee was born and raised in Oklahoma,” Jeffrey said to me, “I suspect he never mentioned that he spent a considerable amount of time in Texas, did you, Lee?”
Lee frowned and cocked his head, and I knew that he was irritated. I realized that he had never mentioned anything about Texas before. I glared at Jeffrey.
“You ran a background check on my husband, Jeffrey? I thought I told y-”
“Your husband spent two years in prison.” Jeffrey cut me off and all air left me, but he faced Lee again. “Now, do you want to tell her why or should I tell her myself?”
Lee threateningly marched towards Jeffrey and towered over him.
“Who the hell do you think you are?”
“What is he talking about, Lee?” I jumped in and my voice broke.
“She has the right to know the truth.” Jeffrey said through gritted teeth.
“And I have the right to tell her myself because it’s my life you’re talking about.” Lee retorted.
Jeffrey let out a sarcastic chuckle.
“Well, you should’ve done that long before you got her that big rock, don’t you think?”
Lee inched even closer to Jeffrey, and for a second, I thought he was going to hit him but I noticed how he slowly regained his composure and looked at me instead.
“I lost two years of my life in prison for something I didn’t do.” He confessed.
I convinced Jeffrey to let me and Lee talk in private and he insisted on waiting outside. We were in the kitchen, sitting at the table as Lee finally came clean.
“I was very young and involved with the wrong people back then. They fucked me over and it cost me my freedom. Whatever happened to them afterwards was just life doing its own thing.” Lee said as he finished telling me his awful story, then he looked into my eyes and I could see the pain in his. “I never told you because I was afraid. I thought you wouldn’t believe me and you would run away from me.” He dragged his chair to get closer to me and cupped my face in his hands. “Baby, I love you more than anything in this world. You’re the best thing that has ever happened to me. Losing you would be the end of me.”
I didn’t know what to say; this all felt like I was hearing about two completely different people because that part of Lee’s past was so dark I couldn’t even envision him in such context. Not the Lee I knew at least. But I still felt betrayed on some level because he had kept this huge secret from me, and while I tried to understand his reasons, it was just too much and I was very overwhelmed.
I gently removed his hands from my face and I could see that it broke his heart.
“Lee, I need time to process this.” I said as I stood up.
“Yes, of course.”
“I understand that it must be unpleasant to talk about but Jeffrey was right, you should’ve told me long ago.”
I leaned against the counter and saw Lee standing up and getting closer to me. Only then I realized that I had already put distance between us out of instinct and I felt a pinch of guilt. I didn’t want to make him feel bad about his past but at the same time, I couldn’t act like it meant nothing.
“I know. I’m sorry.”
Lee studied me but he looked at the floor when his eyes began to well up.
“Fuck.” He whispered and I noticed that a tear had escaped from his left eye and slid down his nose to ultimately land on the floor. He quickly wiped away the wet trail it had left behind before he faced me again. “Are you scared of me?”
He looked like a frightened little kid and it broke me. The Lee I knew was a good, hard-working man that had nothing but love to give. I inched closer to him, put one hand on his cheek and stared into his soul.
“No.” I whispered.
Lee suddenly pulled me in and crashed his lips against mine, and I could feel the relief washing over him. He held me tight against him and deepened the kiss before he pulled away. He took a step back, giving me space and put his hands on his waist.
“If you want me to leave or drive you to your parents’ I-” He began but I stopped him.
I wasn’t going to separate after one issue. I believed we could work this out in time, and it was mostly I who had to find a way to process this new information and eventually leave it where it belonged; in Lee’s past.
“Don’t be silly.” I said. “We’ll figure it out. The past is in the past, right?”
Jeffrey wasn’t happy with my decision to stay with Lee alone in the cabin, and called him a dangerous man, which led to another argument where he ended up stomping his way to his car, but he turned around before he got in and glared at my husband.
“This isn’t over.” He warned. “The death of your ex-girlfriend and her lover is still an unsolved case but I am going to change that, Lee, and I’m going to put you behind bars for the rest of your life.”
He sat behind the wheel and slammed the door shut.
Jeffrey had been driving for less than ten minutes when his car suddenly made a strange noise. He barely had time to pull over before it broke down on the snowy road.
“Oh, come on. Don’t do this to me.” He groaned.
He tried to start the engine again a few times and failed.
“Son of a bitch!” He yelled and hit the steering wheel with both hands.
He got out, lifted the hood of the car and smoke started to come out. Jeffrey glanced all around him realizing that there was nothing but snow and trees surrounding him. He put his hands on his waist and looked at the sky before letting out a long frustrated sigh.
Lee and I were making dinner when my cell phone rang and Jeffrey’s name popped up on the screen. I picked up and learned that he had car trouble and that no toll service wanted to drive all the way here, so I told him I would pick him up and drive him back to the city.
“No.” Lee said after I hung up and told him. “I’ll do it.”
“What? After everything he said to you? No, way. I’m not letting you do this.”
“Honey,” he got closer to me and wrapped his arms around my waist, “I know he didn’t approach this the right way but I can’t really blame him. After all, he cares about your wellbeing, and I appreciate that. It’s the one thing Jeffrey and I have in common.”
I gazed into Lee’s eyes and I couldn’t believe his big heart. After the way Jeffrey had behaved and treated him, if I was in Lee’s shoes, I’m not so sure I would’ve done the same. He let go of me and I watched as he went to get his jacket that was hanging near the front door.
“You’re really going to help him?”
“Yeah.” He said with a chuckle.
I don’t know what came over me, but I just ended the distance between us again and kissed Lee like I’d never kissed him before. It even took him by surprise and he grinned against my lips, but when I put an arm round his neck, he hummed and his breathing pattern changed; we were suddenly making out like adolescents. I put my hands on his chest and ran my fingers down his abdomen until they reached his pants. Lee gently caught my wrists to stop me.
“I hate myself right now for what I’m about to say but, we don’t want to keep Jeffrey waiting in the snow, do we?” He said a little out of breath and with his forehead still pressed to mine.
“You’re right.” I whispered.
“I won’t be long.” He promised.
“I hope not.”
He chuckled and finally we broke apart and he grabbed his keys. As he walked out the door all I could do was thank my lucky stars for having married such a good man, and imagined what his return would be like after that kiss.
Jeffrey was sitting in his car when he heard another vehicle getting closer. He glanced at it through the rear view mirror and realized that it was Lee driving.
“Oh, you gotta be fucking kidding me…” he muttered.
Lee parked behind Jeffrey and got out. He knocked on Jeffrey’s window and he reluctantly rolled it down and scowled at him.
“So, car trouble, huh?” Lee asked.
He smiled at Jeffrey in a certain way that made the detective utterly uncomfortable.
On Christmas morning, Lee was squatting down in front of the fireplace arranging wood to start a fire so the house would be warm when his wife woke up. He had the TV on in the background and, suddenly, a news report caught his attention. Lee stood up while the flames began to slowly consume the logs and grabbed the remote from the coffee table. He instinctively glanced over his shoulder, at his and his wife’s bedroom door that was still ajar as he had left it when he got up.
Lee slightly turned up the volume and sat on the couch as he listened to the news anchor.
“A local police detective has gone missing. The authorities have a surveillance video from a gas station where he was last seen a week ago in…”
Lee stared at the screen and a picture of Jeffrey was shown.
“Hey.”
Lee was startled at the sound of his wife’s voice and her footsteps getting closer as she entered the living room. He immediately gripped the remote and turned off the TV. He stood up and walked around the couch to greet his wife.
“Merry Christmas.” She said with a grin.
Lee realized that she hadn’t heard or seen a thing on the TV and pulled her in to give her a passionate kiss. He then held her tight and rested his chin on top of her head while lovingly rubbing her back.
“Oh, Merry Christmas indeed, love.” He sang without letting go.
Lee looked straight ahead and his lips curved into a smile.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
[ AMBIENCE: Thunderstorm in the woods ]
There is nothing worse than fighting with a lover after sex.
Tom was lying in bed, on his side staring at her while she sat on the edge of it clasping her bra with her back to him. He wore a demure smile but it faded once he realized he didn’t want her to leave just yet. Not then. Perhaps, not ever. He didn’t know when things had escalated between them or if he was just in a deep post-coital bliss, but the words simply poured out of his mouth.
“I wish you didn’t have to go.”
Her chin reached her shoulder but she stopped there, avoiding eye contact but smiled.
“I know.” She said. “But if I don’t leave now, I won’t make it back to the city before the storm.”
As if on cue, thunder rumbled in the sky and Tom’s blue eyes were suddenly glued to the roof of his bedroom. He then glanced at his lover with a cheeky smile.
“More the reason to stay then. The Gods are in my favor.” He teased in a murmur as he crawled on the bed, put one arm around her waist and pulled her for her back to touch the mattress.
She giggled when Tom trapped her but then they stared at each other in silence, and when she noticed his furrowed brow, she knew he had something else to say.
“What if…” he shyly began, “…what if you didn’t have to?” He paused studying her reaction. “Leave… ever again?”
She sighed and broke eye contact as she gently pushed him away so she could get up and finish getting dressed. Tom knew he was about to regret it all.
“We’ve talked about this.” She said.
“But things change.” He retorted. “They have changed. For me.”
“For you indeed, because I’m still married, aren’t I? And you’ve known that from the start.”
“But you’re not happy.”
“Excuse me?” She asked as she spun around to face Tom again.
“Otherwise you wouldn’t be here… with me… three times a week.”
She raised her eyebrows and scoffed before grabbing her purse from a chair in the corner and walking out. Tom sighed when she left, cursing himself for having opened his mouth. He glanced out the window, at the rain, and realized that he had every right to say how he felt, so he grudgingly jumped out of bed to put on clothes.
She shut the front door behind her and got into her car. She glanced at her lover’s cottage through the rearview mirror and pursed her lips while Tom’s words replayed in her mind. She started the engine and drove off. She hoped the radio would kill the thoughts in her mind. She drove full speed because she needed to get out of the woods, out of that fantasy Tom represented, and she wanted to get back to the city and her reality where her husband Mads awaited.
But not even 10 minutes later, she looked in the rearview mirror to be almost blinded by Tom’s high-beam lights; he was tailgating her.
“You gotta be kidding me.” She whispered.
She considered granting him his wish and pulling over for a second but she floored the gas pedal instead, all in vain when he accelerated too and his sports car zoomed past her and T-boned her in a matter of seconds thus forcing her to violently hit the brakes to avoid crashing into him.
“Are you out of your mind?” She exclaimed as she got out and angrily slammed her door.
Tom mimicked her and walked up to her, both of them standing under the heavy rain without a care.
“As a matter of fact I am.” He stated challengingly. “I have been ever since you walked into my life because I fell for you like an idiot, and you know what? I’m not afraid to say it. I don’t care about your rules and I don’t care about your husband.” Tom suddenly cupped her face in his hands and his blue eyes seemed to bore into hers. “This is not a game to me. It’s never been. I love you.”
Her eyes welled up and, even when she knew that if she cried her tears would get lost in the rain, she still held them in and swallowed the knot in her throat.
“You’re confused, Tom.” She said and he scoffed as he let go. “You were a free man when we met and I never asked you to be faithful, how could I? You should be… seeing other girls…” Tom chuckled and put his hands on his waist while shaking his head, “…getting to know someone who’s free to go on an actual date with y-”
“There’s that word again…” Tom interrupted her. “Free.” He stared into her soul. “Makes your husband sound like a jailer. As if marriage was a prison of some sort… to you at least.”
She pursed her lips and looked at the floor as she took a step back.
“Is that what you really want? You want me to see other people?” He asked.
“I want you to get your car out of the way so I can go home.”
Tom got closer again.
“Answer my question then. Would you be okay with me seeing someone else? Having a date with another woman and… taking her to the cinema or a restaurant… kissing her for the first time?”
She clenched her jaw and glared at him, but Tom inched even closer.
“Or… better yet, why don’t I bring her here for a glass of wine afterwards and fuck her hard against the Botticelli like I fucked you that first time, darling?”
She raised her hand to slap him but he gripped her wrist and stopped her before pulling her in and capturing her lips with his for a chaotic kiss. She was resisting at first, trying to push him away but then she noticed that Tom had never kissed her like that and it made her weak in the knees. Little by little, she succumbed but he abruptly pulled away and stared into her soul as he spoke.
“The truth is you’re terrified because you love me as much as I love you.”
Tom took a step back still staring at her lips before he finally turned around, got into his car and drove off. She stood there in the muddy road, out of breath and with a million thoughts racing through her head as she watched him go.
“Why are you still awake?” She asked with a tired smile as soon as she entered the bedroom and saw Mads.
He was sitting on the bed, shirtless but with the blankets covering him from the waist down while he read a book. He glanced up from it and stared at his wife.
“You know I can’t sleep when you’re gone.” He said. “I got your text but I was worried. You shouldn’t be out driving so late in this weather.”
“I had no choice. I had to stay late at the office.” She lied as she took off her jacket.
“I could’ve picked you up.” Mads said.
She crawled on the bed to give him a quick peck on the lips.
“Well, I’m home now, aren’t I?” She murmured as she forced another smile. “I’m going to take a shower.”
As soon as she shut the bathroom door behind her, Mads got up and left the bedroom. Once he reached the front door, he looked at her shoes in the entryway and noticed how muddy they were. He glanced out the window and studied her car tires and paid attention to the mud getting washed off by the rain. Mads went back to the bedroom with nothing but suspicion eating at him. He stared at her purse and instinctively glanced at the bathroom door. He ended up opening his wife’s bag and fishing for her cell phone. He could only wake it up and see that there were no new text notifications or calls because he didn’t know her password. He frowned when he noticed that she had one of Botticelli’s paintings as her lockscreen when she used to have a picture of the two of them instead not too long ago.
Several minutes later, she walked out of the bathroom and got under the covers next to her husband. He immediately turned off the bedside lamp and spooned her. His left hand traveled from her stomach to her hips, slightly pulling her closer. She felt him pressing a soft kiss against her bare shoulder, and another one on her neck while his hand moved from her hips to her breasts.
“I missed you.” Mads whispered in her ear and she could feel him getting hard against her.
“Mads, I’m dead tired. I had a terrible day.” She said.
He froze momentarily but kept his chin on her shoulder and his arm around her.
“We haven’t made love in weeks.” He said. “You keep coming up with all these excuses.”
She didn't utter a word so he suddenly got up and his wife turned on the lights again.
“Where are you going?”
“Well, I’m clearly not as tired as you are, so I’ll be in the living room for a while.” He said and walked out.
Mads couldn’t stop thinking in his living room.
His wife had been acting strange for so many weeks he had already lost count. He was trying to fight the intrusive thoughts but he just had a very bad feeling he could not shake off. He tried to restrain himself from doing what he felt like doing but it didn’t work, so he grabbed his laptop and sat back on the couch to make an online purchase.
A few days later, Mads’ package arrived.
He opened it and read the instructions. Once he was ready to put it to use, he tiptoed his way to the bedroom to make sure that his wife was still asleep, and she was. She looked so peaceful and innocent it made him feel guilty for what he was about to do. He stared at the device in his hand hesitating for a second, but Mads knew he’d never get a good night’s sleep ever again if he didn’t learn the truth. So he walked out of the house and into the driveway, he approached his wife’s car, turned his head left and right to make sure no one was watching.
Then he placed the magnetic GPS tracker inside one of her car’s wheel wells.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
AMBIENCE: Calm before the storm
Your husband Jeffrey hadn’t touched you in weeks.
He was always busy, always working, always traveling, and giving you ridiculously expensive gifts to keep you entertained and quiet over his constant absence. However, you had other types of needs, and sometimes you wondered how Jeffrey could go so long without sex and it made you suspicious. You often imagined him having an affair in every city his plane landed in and you even thought that it was the true reason behind his constant gifts; guilt.
You tried to tell yourself that all these scenarios had been built by you and you alone in your head. So you shook them off for a while until they all suddenly became true when you attended a cruise ship party with your husband. The second you left Jeffrey alone to go to the ladies’ room, a woman approached him, and when you returned to the party, you stood across the room and saw him smiling at the stranger while deep in conversation with her and standing unnecessarily close to her. In that moment, you hated him; you were suddenly certain that you weren’t imagining things and it was obvious that he had lovers scattered all over the world which was why you two hadn’t had sex in weeks.
You felt like an idiot and completely forgotten when he didn’t even notice you as you reached the ballroom exit. The fresh air and ocean breeze felt like heaven against your face. You noticed you had held your breath until you walked out of the ballroom and into the quarterdeck. You heard thunder and the crashing waves seemed to be getting louder and more violent; there was a storm coming.
“Are you alright, miss?” A man with a very deep voice asked.
You turned around to locate him, and the second your eyes landed on his, the world stopped spinning. You had never seen the stranger in a tuxedo before but no one had ever made you feel this way in your life, not even Jeffrey. It was something you simply could not explain.
“Yes.” You lied and forced a smile.
He made a face denoting how little he believed you, and the fact that he could read you like an open book in a second both scared and impressed you, because if you had said this to your husband, he would have believed you. The stranger didn’t insist and respected your privacy but held out his right hand and introduced himself.
“I’m Lee.”
The second you shook hands, you felt electricity. The way he frowned at your hand and then stared into your eyes let you know that he had felt it too.
You two talked for hours. Every topic came and blended into another one so effortlessly. Lee instantly made you forget about your problems and made you laugh like you hadn’t laughed in a long time. You never noticed your husband standing in the opposite end of the quarterdeck, staring at the two of you until the unmistakable smell of his cigars invaded your nostrils. You looked all around you in a rush until you found him, glaring at you while smoking.
“I hope I’m not interrupting.” Jeffrey said in a certain tone.
You were frozen in place and speechless with widened eyes, wondering how long he had been standing there.
“Aren’t you going to introduce me, sweetheart?”
You blinked several times and cleared your throat.
“Yes. Absolutely. Jeffrey, this is Lee.” You announced as Jeffrey walked up to the two of you. “Lee this is- this is Jeffrey… m-” you couldn’t say it for some strange reason but Jeffrey definitely finished your sentence.
“Her husband.”
You felt terrible because you hadn’t mentioned Jeffrey once during your long conversation with Lee, so you could see the confusion and disappointment in his face. He held out his hand and Jeffrey stared at it for an awkward amount of time until he finally shook it.
“Nice to m-”
“Come on. Let’s go back, honey. I want to dance.” Jeffrey rudely cut him off as he put an arm around you and led you in the opposite direction.
Just five seconds later, he tightened his grip on your hips and pulled you closer to whisper in your ear.
“You want to know what I’m capable of? Keep flirting with him. Try me.”
The way he said it made it sound like he would throw Lee in the ocean and make it look like an accident. Jeffrey certainly had the money to get away with it. It made you shiver.
Lee didn’t know what came over him but he suddenly felt like the prince who was supposed to save you from the big bad wolf. And since Jeffrey was so rich and famous among the party guests, all he had to do was ask around; soon enough, Lee had all the information he needed to meet you again. You never knew that running into him at your favorite cafe sometime later was far from coincidental.
You and Lee started a friendship in secret. It felt good having a friend around when Jeffrey was gone. You felt less alone and could count on Lee to accompany you anywhere you wanted whenever you wanted. But all the hiding and all the secrecy made you feel as if you two were having an affair and that was out of the question; you would never cheat on Jeffrey. It scared you, but the feelings invading you every time you were with Lee were starting to be far more frightening.
You never asked yourself if Lee felt the same way until he had too much to drink one day.
Jeffrey was out of town so you and Lee went to a bar that night.
You were dancing, drinking, and fooling around and just having the time of your life until a slow song began. You rolled your eyes ready to go back to your table but Lee grabbed your hand to stop you, spun you around and pulled you towards him. You almost crashed against his chest. But without an ounce of shyness, he stared into your soul as he put one hand on the small of your back, ready to lead the dance. You were suddenly so nervous you feared he would feel you shaking.
But Lee kept you in place and his eyes slowly traveled from your eyes to your nose, your lips, and your heart was racing like never before. He slowly leaned in and you pulled away. You wanted to blame the alcohol for everything.
“It’s late. We should get going, Lee.” You said.
Lee frowned at you, and you could tell that he was hurt by your rejection, but he didn’t say a word and followed you to the exit. You two shared the most uncomfortable silent cab ride. You knew he was much drunker than you so you wanted him to get home safely and helped him.
“Are you going to be okay?” You asked him once in his living room and while the cab waited outside.
“Sure, whatever.” He said with his back to you.
You glanced all around you, not knowing how to stall things or what to say.
“Can I use your bathroom?”
“Down the hall to the right.” He said with a hand gesture, still not looking at you.
You only locked yourself in the bathroom to think until you came to the conclusion that addressing something that hadn’t even happened was pointless, especially with Lee being as drunk as he was. It’d be like reading poems to a horse. But when you walked out of the bathroom you saw him drinking straight from a bottle and you realized that he had gotten it from his serving car in the corner.
“Lee, come on. I think we’ve had enough for one night.” You said as you walked up to him and reached for the bottle but he moved it out of the way. “Give me the bottle.”
He turned around like a spoiled brat and took a big swig instead as he reached his bedroom. You sighed with frustration and walked to the nearest window to see if the cab was still waiting. You then followed Lee but to your surprise, he was already sprawled on his bed with shut eyes. He had left the bottle on the nightstand so you were going to get rid of it but your hand only hovered above it when you heard his deep voice.
“Why didn’t you let me kiss you?”
You stared at him and you could see that he was tired but he wouldn’t rest until he confronted you, so you took a deep breath.
“Go to sleep. We can talk about this tomorrow. I promise.”
“Tomorrow’s not good.” He retorted and slurred. “Tell me now. My house my rules.”
You showed a smile but it faded quickly as you prepared to tell him the truth.
“I’m scared and… married.” You chuckled.
You noticed that Lee was fighting his heavy eyelids with a deep frown.
“Your husband is a ghost.” He said.
“He’s a busy man.” You stated sounding quite offended.
“Bullshit.”
“Okay… I’m leaving now.”
“By all means, go back to your big house and your big bed where you’ll sleep alone again and again till death do you part or whatever because I’m fucking tired of this.” Lee said in a sleepy voice while shutting his eyes again. “Loving you is a fucking nightmare.”
You froze. You and Lee were attracted to one another without a doubt, but that’s all you thought it was; attraction. Platonic attraction but the L word came out of his mouth and your world came crashing down.
“What did you say?” You asked but he didn’t answer so you gently shook him. “Lee...? What did you just say?”
But he started snoring. Lee made his confession and finally fell into a deep slumber like a toddler after throwing a tantrum. You approached the window; the cab was gone and it had started to rain. You huffed, glanced at Lee and removed his shoes before taking off yours to lie next to him.
He would have to explain himself in the morning.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
AMBIENCE: Sunny garden
“Your newest toy’s lasted for quite some time now, hasn’t he?” Jeremy asked while staring at my lover across the room.
I looked at my husband from head to toe with a smile. Just a couple hours earlier, we had arrived at the brunch party and it was a lovely day, but I soon found myself surrounded by men and their painfully boring conversation. I sent Oscar a text about it, jokingly begging him to save me but I never imagined that he would actually show up. The second, he arrived, I left Jeremy’s side and I could feel everyone’s eyes on me.
“That’s my brother-in-law.” Jeremy quickly lied to his friends as I walked away. “He’s staying with us for a while.”
Jeremy and I had an open marriage but we also had rules and this was not something he’d condone. When I reached Oscar, I put my left arm around him and kissed him on the cheek, so dangerously close to the corner of his lips because I couldn’t resist.
“Looks like you’re my brother today.” I whispered before I pulled away.
He stared at me to see if I was joking.
“Okay?” He scoffed.
Oscar was well-aware of my situation. I never lied to him. Just like with Jeremy, we told each other everything, but I never expected him to have the balls to be in the same room as my husband. My 7-year-old daughter was running around in the garden with all the other kids but she suddenly appeared next to me and hugged my legs, shyly hiding from Oscar. My stomach clenched because I knew I was crossing a line and Jeremy was going to be far from happy about it.
Oscar saw her and squatted down to look into her eyes with a smile.
“Hi. What’s your name?” He whispered otherwise our family ties act would crumble to the ground.
My kid glanced up at me as if asking for permission because she knew she wasn’t supposed to talk to strangers. I gave an encouraging nod but, as she introduced herself, I instinctively searched for Jeremy and my worst fear materialized before my eyes; he was glaring at us.
“You’re very beautiful just like your mom.” Oscar was telling my daughter.
“Sweetheart, why don’t you go give daddy a hug and a kiss before you keep playing with your cousins?” I suggested hoping that this would diminish Jeremy’s anger.
I didn’t leave Oscar’s side for a long time so, the second Jeremy saw me alone at the mimosa bar, he wasted no time and approached me to make his comments on my “newest toy.”
“That’s not going to be a problem, is it?” I said.
“You tell me.” He retorted. “He shouldn’t be here and you know that.” He added.
“That was a… misunderstanding.” I explained.
Jeremy glared at Oscar again from the distance. I had an idea and the brilliance to tell it to my husband without thinking at all.
“Listen, I’ll just leave with Oscar. You’re right. He shouldn’t be here. You can tell your friends I was feeling poorly.”
Jeremy cocked his head and, two seconds later, he curled his fingers around my arm and took me inside the host’s house.
“I’ve always given you the freedom you need but you’re not going to make me look like a fool, you understand?” He said as soon as we were alone in his friend’s big living room.
Jeremy paced around and I noticed how the anger in his semblance blended into something completely different and he looked worried for a second, afraid even. He stopped in front of me and bore his brown eyes into mine.
“Do you love him?” He suddenly asked.
My lips parted but no sound came out because I had never seen Jeremy like this, and he spoke before I could even process it and formulate a coherent answer.
“Of course you don’t. You can’t.” He said while shaking his head.
He pulled me closer and kissed me so desperately and territorially like a hungry creature.
“You’re mine. You’re all mine.” He whispered in between but then he stopped and stared into my soul again. “I love you. You know that. Please tell me you know that.”
Of course I knew. Jeremy treated me like a queen and, because of the age difference between us, when he proposed, he said he’d never dream of demanding faithfulness from me because he knew I hadn’t lived enough yet to want to settle down. But he wanted me in his life and this was our way of making it work. However, Jeremy had been faithful this whole time and I was too for a while until after I became a mother; I found a new addiction to other men’s attention.
Along came Oscar, and Oscar… was something else.
I put my right hand on Jeremy’s cheek.
“Why are you having these silly doubts now? You’re my husband and the father of my child. I love you more than words could explain, and no one can change that.”
“Yes but… it’s different this time. This… so-called… Oscar has stuck around for unnerving amount of time.”
I chuckled. I found it endearing seeing Jeremy’s vulnerable side coming out for the first time ever. It made him look younger.
“Jeremy, you have nothing to worry about.” I assured while staring into his soul.
He nodded and swallowed hard. I could see his collected self coming back to the surface, anger rising one more time.
“Keep him away from my daughter.”
I gave a nod.
“You’re free to go then.” Jeremy slowly took a step backwards but stopped again and lifted his right index finger to threaten me. “Don’t you fucking dare stay for breakfast.”
“Of course not.”
That was the golden rule; Jeremy would let me fuck anyone I wanted as long as I returned home in time to have breakfast with him and our daughter.