Page 12 of The Regrettable Mistake

I put my phone on silent and tossed it back on the nightstand. I expected the trite, “It’s not what it looked like,” line. Blackmail was an entirely new excuse for an affair. It also didn’t matter. If there was blackmail involved, that meant he did something blackmail worthy that he refused to tell me about. He had chosen to leave me in the dark about the supposed blackmail Jia had over him as opposed to giving me the truth I deserved. That meant he chose her, her bullshit, and the lies because whatever she was blackmailing him with was worse than anything I might be thinking. That was all I needed to know.

CHAPTER 6

Ollie

“What am I going to do?” I asked Caleb as we sat at his kitchen table the next morning. “She literally won’t talk to me.

“Maybe you should have come clean when she asked what the blackmail was.”

“I planned to do that, but not in a text. I need to be there, to make her understand.”

“Make her understand what? You had a one-night, hate-fueled sex-a-thon with your ex, Denmark’s DNA donor, and that she recorded it to use against you. So then, you continued to meet up all over the country with said ex-girlfriend and fuck her in every which way she told you to while fleecing you for as much money as she possibly could?”

I stared at my best friend wondering if he was even on my side at all in this fucked up mess. “First, that night she recorded us was the only time I stuck my dick in her. Second, it’s not that simple.”

“Let me ask you something.” He paused long enough for me to tilt my head toward him in silent agreement. “Have you ever taken Steph on a trip?”

“A trip?”

“Yeah, like an overnight someplace new. A weekend couples getaway.” When I didn’t answer, he huffed. “A fucking honeymoon after you married her?”

“I was swamped with work then and she was starting her new job, so we didn’t go on a honeymoon.”

“You’re a bastard, you know that, right?”

“Well fucking aware.”

“Right. Good you know. Listen up, because I think you need a little perspective on just how fucked you are where she’s concerned. I deal with embittered women seeking divorce more often than I handle the men. Right now, Steph is analyzing everything in her relationship. She’s probably doing it with the help of her twin who hates you because he always saw through your bullshit where his sister was concerned.”

I balled up my fists and paced, but then stopped and placed my hands flat on the kitchen table to keep from punching something. My best friend’s face was at the top of the list, since Steve wasn’t here.

“She’s not just cataloging your infidelity, which I guarantee she didn’t know all the dirty details about, since you just said you didn’t tell her about the blackmail Jia held over your head.”

“Julia,” I corrected.

“She changed it legally, so technically I’m correct.”

“Whatever, asshole. Finish your point.”

“So, she has your infidelity to deal with. Worse, you refused to acknowledge the blackmail or explain to her that it was the only time. Even I thought you’d been fucking your ex all over the country. I’m sure Steve’s private investigator filled them in on the fact that you were sharing hotel rooms with Jia, so what else is everyone supposed to think?

“Your wife literally has proof that you’ve been on coast-to-coast, what probably appeared to be numerous romantic trips, with your ex-girlfriend. Also, she probably doesn’t think Jia is your ex at this point. It probably feels more to Steph like she’s the other woman in the scenario even if she is wearing your ring. Then she is wondering what is wrong with her.”

“There’s nothing wrong with her.”

“I agree, but women don’t see things like that. She’s wondering why she never warranted a single trip with you, even overnight. Meanwhile, your ex is getting trips to all these places. She also has her brother in her ear reminding her that you only married her for your son, not because you ever felt anything for her.”

“That’s bullshit!”

“It’s fucking true!” Caleb shot back. “That’s exactly why you married her. If you managed to finally catch feelings for the perfect woman, who agreed to marry you because you deceived her into thinking it was all real, she doesn’t realize that and no one will believe you.”

“You don’t believe me?” I asked.

He chuckled. “Oh, no! I believe you finally fell for Steph. Unfortunately for you, I think it was too little, too late on your part because you showed her through your actions that she was never important or a priority unless her being in the picture revolved around your son.”

“Son of a bitch.”

“Did you two ever even consummate the marriage?” Caleb had the audacity to ask.

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