Page 13 of Love You Madly

A knot forms in my stomach, but despite my reservations, I reluctantly agree to go.

A few days later, we attend the visitation. It’s awkward—funeral visitations always are, especially when you didn’t know the deceased. I hang back, trying to offer Adam whatever support he needs. He holds my hand as we go through the line, and Janelle isn’t outwardly rude, though the tension between us is palpable. Of course, she has other things on her mind, but the undercurrent is undeniable.

Ten days after we moved in, I saw the messages. Explicit. Intimate. Unmistakable. He hasn’t just been talking platonicallywith Janelle—they’ve been having an affair. And it’s been going on since before we moved back to Iowa. She’s been right here, in Burlington, this whole time.

He moved our family to Burlington at the recommendation of VanPelt Realty. As in Janelle fucking VanPelt. How I didn’t make that connection when I saw the listing just further solidifies how blind I was to all the shit Adam was pulling behind my back.

That night, when he got home, I didn’t hold back. “Care to explain these?” I asked, my voice calm in a way that scared even me. The laptop sat next to me, the messages pulled up from his Skype account, synced across all his devices. I watched his face drain of color as he saw the undeniable proof of his betrayal. You would think that considering I've caught him using this account for things like this before, he would have changed his methods. He obviously didn’t care enough to try and hide it more.

He stammered, "It's not what it looks like, I swear. Those are old messages from when you and I were separated.”

A bitter laugh escaped my throat. “Don’t insult my intelligence, Adam. I’ve seen the dates on these messages. They’re recent. Some of them are from after I went with you to her dad’s funeral visitation. I won’t even start on how fucked up it is that you’re screwing around with someone who just lost her father. But the bottom line is—you’re still cheating on me.”

Why am I even defending Janelle? She knew he was married, she’s just as guilty in this mess. This has all been going on since long before her dad died. But I can’t unpack that right now—there’s too much rage boiling inside me.

Adam stepped closer, reaching out as if his touch could somehow fix the damage. “Baby, please. Let me explain. I love you. I’m trying to make things right.” The words hung in the air, empty and meaningless. He was still trying to play the partof the devoted husband, but I wasn’t falling for it anymore. Not after everything.

I step back, shaking my head. “You’ve had plenty of chances to make things right. I’m done. This was your last chance, and you blew it.”

His face hardens, the desperation shifting into anger. "You’re overreacting. We just moved here. We’re supposed to be starting fresh. Why are you doing this?”

“Because I deserve better. Sara and I deserve better. I won’t let you keep hurting us.”

He scoffs, trying to brush it off. “You’re overreacting. We’re just catching up.”

“Catching up? Really? Because it looks a lot more like catching feelings.”

He denies it, of course. Gaslights me, like he always does. But this time, I’m not backing down. “Since when does catching up include seeing what her fucking tits look like these days?”

He storms out, slamming the door behind him, leaving me seething in the wreckage of my anger and frustration. I grab my phone and call Brooke, telling her everything. She’s furious, livid on my behalf, and she promises to do some digging of her own.

Adam doesn’t come home that night. Which is probably for the best because I really don’t want to have this baby in prison.

The next morning, Brooke calls me, her voice tight with disbelief. "Callie, I’m on my way to an appointment, and guess whose truck is parked outside the VanPelt house? Adam’s. He’s there right now. At her mom’s.”

That’s all it takes. I pack our things, my emotions swinging wildly between heartbreak and pure rage. And then I do what any rational woman in my position would do—I drive straight to Janelle’s family home, heart pounding with fury and resolve.

He must have gone to her parent’s house in Hawkridge to hide out last night. Why he would go to her parent’s house rather than the house she owns in Burlington is beyond me.

When I pull up, Adam’s obnoxiously huge F-350 is sitting there in the driveway, as if it’s mocking me, as if everything I feared has been right in front of me all along. I walk up and knock on the door, my hands trembling with adrenaline.

Janelle opens the door, and her stupid big, pretty eyes widen in surprise. "Callie? What are you doing here?”

For a moment, I can’t even speak. I just point to Adam’s “I have a small dick so I drive a huge truck to overcompensate” monstrosity still parked in the driveway.

Red Flag # I don’t even fucking know anymore.

God, why is she so fucking pretty? It’s almost unbearable. She looks like a Disney villain—Vanessa from The Little Mermaid, the human version of Ursula. Or worse, like Janelle Rabbit with jet-black hair. Hell, she’s probably named after that damn cartoon.

Why can’t she be as ugly on the outside as I now know she is on the inside? If there’s a God, he’s got a seriously twisted sense of humor. It’s no wonder Adam’s so drawn to her. And honestly, if things were different, she’s probably exactly the type of girl I’d go for.

Mother fucking fuck. Get your shit together, Callie!

“I’m here to see my husband. I’ll be in my car,” is all I manage to get out, my voice sharp, controlled, but seething beneath the surface. This fucking succubus is so infuriatingly beautiful it makes me want to scream. And I can guaran-fucking-tee Adam slept in her bed last night, not mine.

After what feels like an eternity, Adam finally slinks out of the house, looking as guilty as sin. He walks up to the car, panic flashing in his eyes. “Callie, it’s not what you think?—”

“Oh, it’s exactly what I think,” I snap, therage bubbling over. “I warned you, Adam. We are done. You can keep your lies, your fancy new house that she picked out for you, and your fucking girlfriend. I’m taking Sara and going to my mom’s. Don’t you dare try to stop me.”

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