Page 4 of Two Wrongs

His eyes flash, and I hold my breath. This man’s mood swings make me queasy. “What do you mean he won’t give you access to the bank accounts?”

“He says I’m bad with money. He takes my check and pays the bills. I use cash for groceries and such. I still have my last paycheck, so I’ll make due until next payday. Now, can I please go? I don’t want to be here if he decides to come home.”

“You sound like you aren’t sure. Where else would he go?”

I take a deep breath. Somehow it hurts worse imagining him in another woman’s bed. Fucking in his car was cheap and tawdry. The kind of sex one has with a mistress, but imagining him with privacy and time to properly make love to whoever he’s been seeing makes me sick. “I think you can guess that he’s probably got options.”

“Doubtful. There was a reason they were in the back of his car. She’s probably got a boyfriend or a husband,” he scoffs.

I nod. “Maybe, but that’s no longer my problem. Let me go, Griffin.”

His head dips to let me know he’s heard the resolution in my voice. Without another word he steps back and gets back in his truck. The moment he pulls away I back out and speed out of town.

I’ve got two days before I’m supposed to be back at work. Two days to figure out my shit and decide what to do.

* * *

My phone startsto ring around midnight. Even though I have no plans to answer, I look at the screen. All of my missed calls are from Griffin’s number. Since I don’t plan on speaking to him either, and knowing Liam has not once tried to call me, I turn off my phone.

The motel I’m staying at is clean, and out of the way. I made sure to get off the main highway to prevent either of the Hale men from looking for me, not that either cared enough to try.

By Sunday night I am still at a loss for what to do next. The only thing I do know is that I need to find a place to live, and in order to pay for that I have to go back to work.

I’m not sure why I’m surprised to see Liam standing outside of my office first thing in the morning holding two coffees. Maybe it’s because it’s the first time in half a year he’s sought me out on purpose. I do know this time it’s unappreciated.

I shoulder past him and use my keys to open the door to the office. “What do you want, Liam?”

Of course now that he’s unwanted he refuses to take a hint and leave. Idly, I wonder if this is how he felt every time I threw myself at him. How stupid I must have seemed to him, begging for scraps of his attention, parading around in skimpy lingerie, all while he was getting his dick wet somewhere else.

Mercifully, there’s a routine to opening the office. My boss, Carl, runs the local insurance office. Most people get their quotes and policies online now, so we don’t get a lot of traffic, but there are a few technophobes such as Carl who insist on conducting business in person. I start a pot of coffee, turn on lights, and begin sorting the mail that came in over the weekend.

Liam slaps his hand down on the counter. “Would you stop ignoring me, damnit! Where have you been all weekend?”

I spin around. My long dirty blonde hair fans around me. “You lost the right to ask me that question.”

“Bullshit. You’re still my wife, now tell me where you were all weekend.”

“Don’t worry. I won’t be your wife much longer. You’ll be free to fuck every woman in town. Except me of course. Not anymore.”

“Wren, it was one mistake. You can’t throw away five years of marriage over one mistake.” His tone sounds like he thinks I’m overreacting.

In the past he’d tell me not to feel how I’m feeling, and I’d question everything until even I wasn’t sure how I felt. Not this time. I’m not going to let him make me feel small and stupid for being upset about this.

“It was our anniversary on Friday, did you even remember that? How much do you think I value five years of marriage after I catch my husband fucking another woman on the anniversary of the day he promised to be faithful to me?”

Liam crosses his arms, and stands in front of me, blocking my path out of the kitchen. “I want you to come home tonight. We’ll talk. I’ll make this up to you.”

There’s nothing inside of me. Anger will come again, I’m sure. There will be sadness once that fades, but right now I’m blissfully numb. “There is no making this up to me. I know when I’m not wanted. Maybe I’m a bit slow to figure it out this time, but I did.”

I steel myself for the feel of his body as I slip around him. He grabs my wrist and holds on to it tight. No matter how hard I tug, he won’t let go, and I don’t tell him he’s hurting me. “We can work through this. Please, Wren. We’ll go to therapy, anything, but I won’t give you a divorce.”

“Why would you want me to stay? You’ve ignored me for six months now. And no, I don’t believe this was a one time mistake. Six months.”

He hangs his head. “I know I’ve fucked up. I took you for granted, but I don’t want to lose you.”

“Who is she?” I don’t know why I ask him this. Harriston is a small town. We might not know every person in town, but we know most of them.

“Who isn’t important. She’s just a nobody,” he mumbles.

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