Page 6 of Forever My Soldier

Yawning and stretching for the last time before getting up, I threw my legs over the bed and slipped on the heels I kicked off last night. I heard the unlocking of the door, though, and that startled me enough to make my head snap in that direction.

I immediately grabbed the sheet off the bed and covered myself fully when I saw a tall, leggy, red-head in jeans and a long-sleeve shirt standing, hands on her hips, in our room. “If I didn’t see it myself, I wouldn’t believe it. Where is Michael, you two-bit tramp?” she barked.

I shot her a look. “What are you doing inourhotel room? How did you get a key?”

“Oh, don’t get smart with me, you little piss-ass. I have every right to be here. It is my money that’s paying for this little hideaway, after all.”

She was handing out insults like they were candy and I wasn’t going to just sit there and take it. “Excuse me, but the next thing that comes out of your mouth better be an explanation or I’m calling the front desk and having you hauled out by security.”

Michael was in the bathroom, so I shouted for him to come out. “What?” he yelled, taking the earbuds out of his ears as he strolled out of the bathroom wearing nothing but a towel.

His tune immediately changed when he saw the woman whose nose began to flare with anger. His eyes went wide and he looked like the cat that ate the canary. I watched him swallow hard, then the gears in his head turning as if trying to come up with a cover or explanation.What the hell was going on?

Her eyes were wide, too, and she pointed a finger in his general direction. She stomped her foot on the ground and blew outwardly before directing all of her anger at him now. “You lying, cheating son of a bitch!”

He held up his hands and the towel wrapped around his waist fell down to the floor. “Shit!” He stared down at the floor and then back at her, clearly unsure what to say or do first. Not standing there stark naked would probably be job one, I thought.

As if reading my mind, he shouted “Wait!” while simultaneously picking the towel back up and wrapping it around his lower half in a hurry. “It’s not what it looks like.”

I knew he didn’t have enough time to concoct a great answer, but that was the best he could come up with? Because it was exactly what it looked like.

The woman placed a hand on her hip and threw her hair behind her shoulder, scoffing. “Really? Then what the hell is going on here? ‘Cause it looks like you’re cheating on me, your wife,” she said, extending her ring finger in my direction, “with some cheap floozy.”

Now, I scoffed. “I am not a floozy.”

She shot me the dirtiest look. “How could you do this to us?” she asked, directing her question toward Michael. “What is wrong with you?”

Michael swallowed hard and just stared back at her a blank expression on his face. “I don’t know.” He rubbed his forehead and sighed. “Please, you need to hear me out. Can we just go someplace and talk about this?”

“No! You can go to hell as far as I’m concerned and you can take your little bitch with you. ‘Til death, my ass.”

I didn’t know if I was ever going to be able to pick my jaw up from the floor, but I managed to when she left, if for no other reason than to give the lying dirtbag next to me a piece of my mind. “You’re married?”

He nodded. “But it’s not what it seems. We’re getting divorced.”

“Doessheknow that?” I was so disgusted and infuriated I could’ve flung the vase on the table at his head. I didn’t, though. “Does my father know?” I could hardly believe he’d allow me to get involved with a married man.

Michael had the decency to look ashamed, but he didn’t outright answer me, which I figured was answer enough.

“Oh my God, you’ve made me the other woman!”

We’d been dating, sleeping together.What the hell was wrong with him?

I picked my clothes up from the floor and swiped my bra and panties from the back of the chair I tossed them on last night before we’d had sex for the last time. “You’re a cheater, you know that, right? And a liar!”

“This was never supposed to happen this way,” he said. “She gets half of everything if I cheat on her.” He rolled his eyes. “It’s in our prenup.”

I scoffed. “None of that is my problem.”

Michael walked over to me as I was getting dressed and placed his hands on my shoulder. “You have to look at me.”

I really didn’t want to.

“Just look at me, dammit.”

I looked up at him and felt sorry for him. I felt sorry for the man that he was.

He continued, “Our marriage hasn’t been easy. She’s not the easiest woman to be with. When we first started dating, she was great. I proposed and we were happy, but she’s changed. You have to believe me. I was going to divorce her. I’m having a friend draw up the paperwork. Then you and I could get married. I’ll be a free man.”

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