Page 11 of Trig

“Fuck you, Trig. Fuck you and your lies. There were no clients in Seattle or New York or Miami or even Los Angeles. Let’s be real. I went through your phone records, bank statements, and emails. Not a fucking trace of any business meetings, I didn’t see any flight information, nor did I notice any bank transactions from any of those trips. You’ve been booking me jobs left and right to keep me busy and distracted. I feel so stupid. I trusted you.” She pauses shortly out of pure exhaustion. “I am standing here begging for your honesty. So please, for the love of God, don’t let one more lie spill from your lips. I want the truth. I want to hear you say it.”

My chest starts to tighten and without a second thought, I blurt it out. This is going to hurt her, and I’m sorry for it, but it’s safer than telling her about Carmen.

“Fine. Yes. I fucked somebody else.”

She stops moving in my arms, and life drains from her eyes.

“What did you say?”

“I said I fucked somebody else.”

She pushes away from me, and to my surprise, she starts to laugh. Her eyes hit the floor first and then they are immediately right back on me, and within seconds, she throws a right hook, hitting me square in my jaw. I nod because I deserve that. I massage my jaw as I step back and let her cool down.

“Who is she?” She stops. “No. Never mind. I don’t even want to know anymore. It doesn’t matter. You son of a bitch. Do you know how many nights I sat here worrying if you were okay when you headed back to the states? I stayed up late, scared for you, and here you are getting your rocks off with some bitch.” She pauses. “This is over. We are done. Me and Mya are gone. You will never see this other baby either.”

I shake my head at her. “I can’t let you do that.”

“Let? You no longer have a say in what I do.”

She walks past me and makes her way to our bedroom, slamming the door behind her. I run my hands down my face. The bomb has exploded. I repeat, the bomb has exploded. I sweep all my scattered thoughts into one messy pile and then I make my way over to the closed door. Fuck it. I’m telling her. This is making me crazy and I can’t operate like this.

“Nine, open the door,” I calmly demand.

“Eat shit,” she quickly responds.

“We need to talk. Please, open the door.”

“Go talk to the bitch you were with yesterday,”

She throws something against the door, which startles me.

“I can’t.” I pause. “She’s dead.”

That got her attention. The door swings open, and she stands there with tears flowing down her face.

“So, you gave her the good dick, and then you murdered her? I’d like to say that’s out of character for you, but I don’t even know who you are anymore.”

I look down at her right hand and now I know things are far from okay and I’m not sure if they ever will be.

“Is that a pair of scissors in your hand? Were you planning on stabbing me? What the fuck, Nine?” She gives me a half-ass shrug and looks away. “Give me those.” She hands them over in the most pissed-off fashion. She knows that was extreme. Even for her. I go to grab her arm but she pulls away. She’s fidgety and I can see her breaking down. Nine is tough, but when it comes to love, she is just as fragile as the next girl is, except she won’t be capable of handling this. Everything in me is screaming to tell her.

“Sit down. Let’s talk.”

“No. Obviously, you have zero respect for me. I clean for you. I cook for you. I take care of your kid. I fuck you good on the regular, or at least I thought I was good, and you go and break my heart. There is nothing to talk about.”

“God damn it. Just fucking let me talk,” I yell. My eyes spot an empty bottle of wine on the floor behind her. “You shouldn’t be drinking while pregnant.”

“Drinking? That’s what you’re worried about right now? Well, just so you know, I didn’t drink that.”

She’s standing there, purse over her shoulder and ready to walk through the doorway. She’s doing what old Nine used to do. Trying to run. I block her path.

“Who the fuck was here last night?”

“Oh no. You don’t get to question me after telling me you slept with another woman. That’s not how this goes. If your dick is open to the public, then I guess so is my pussy. This isn’t a double standard relationship where you get to have your secrets.”

I smash my fist into the wall and yell. Nine jumps. I don’t even give a shit anymore. Fuck everything. I throw my hands in the air.

“Fine. You wanna know what the fuck I’ve been hiding from you. I’ll tell you exactly what I’ve been doing!”

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