Page 26 of Sins of a Husband

“It’s good to see you, too. Have a seat.” I gesture. “How’s Cindy?”

“She’s the reason why I’m here. There’s something you need to know.” He shifts in his seat, and his nervousness startles me.

“Okay. What is it?”

“Brian and Cindy were having an affair before….well, you know.”

“Excuse me?” My brows furrow. “How do you know?”

“I was looking for an old fishing rod of mine a couple of weeks ago for a friend, and I found a small box hidden wayback in the closet. I opened it and found her old phone. Not too long after Brian died, she told me she lost her phone and had to get a new one.”

“I don’t understand, Mark.”

“I couldn’t for the life of me figure out why she lied and stored the phone in the closet. So, I took it to work with me and charged it up. There were tons of pictures of them together in bed at a hotel outside of town. And then there were the text messages—mostly sexting, but there were a number of ‘I miss and love you’ texts, too.”

It felt like I had been stabbed all over again, and the killer was twisting the knife into my gut.

“I confronted her, and she admitted it. They had been carrying on for six months. That’s why, after what happened to you and Brian, she pushed for you to leave Rockstead. She couldn’t look at you anymore, knowing what they had done. She says she’s ashamed, but I don’t believe her. I hired an attorney and filed for divorce. I’m really sorry, Kat.”

My heart was thumping rapidly, and nausea swept over me.

“I know how much you loved Brian, but I wanted you to know that he wasn’t the perfect man you thought he was. You never looked through his phone after?—”

“His phone was missing and never found,” I say. “Thank you for letting me know, Mark, but it doesn’t matter. I’m happily married and have a great life. Brian was my past, and that’s where he’s staying.”

“I get it, and I’m happy for you, Kat. Again, I’m sorry to come here and tell you. But you had a right to know.”

I walked him out of my office, said goodbye, and ran to the bathroom and vomited.

I grip the edge of the sink and stare at myself in themirror as a single tear falls from my eye. I thought Cindy was my friend. After Brian was murdered, she took it hard—really hard. I didn’t think much of it at the time because I was grieving. But looking back, she acted like it was her husband who died, and she was the grieving widow. Yet, she took me in and let me stay in her guestroom. She helped me pack the entire house and Brian’s things. She was never my friend. She was just playing the role. I run back into the stall and vomit again.

Chapter Nineteen

The soundsof screeching tires and crunching metal fill the air as I peer out the window, trying to assess the situation that a massive pile-up is standing between me and my destination. We were trapped in a gridlock of idling cars. Horns were honking, people were throwing their arms out the window, and some were shouting obscenities.

My heart sank when I checked my watch and saw that I only had fifteen minutes until my appointment with Dr. Burton.

“Is there any way you can navigate around this mess?” I plead with the cab driver.

“Look around, lady. Does it look like I can move an inch?”

Dr. Burton’s office is only two walkable blocks from where we are gridlocked. Pulling some cash from my wallet, I hand it to the driver.

“I’ll get out here. Thank you.”

“Suit yourself,” he says.

I pull my coat tighter, trying to shield myself from the biting wind that whips through the city streets. My heartpounds with nerves and dread as I make my way to Dr. Burton's office. Every few steps, I look over my shoulder, convinced I'm being followed. The wind is fierce today and muffles the bustling sounds of the city. All I can hear are my own footsteps and those of the strangers passing by. Yet, I still look over my shoulder every few steps.

“Thank you for seeing me on such short notice,” I tell Dr. Burton as I take off my coat and sit on the couch.

“You sounded very frantic on the phone. What happened?”

“Do you remember when I first came to see you a few years ago and I told you about my friends Mark and Cindy?”

“Yes. Didn’t they take you into their home after the break-in?” he asks.

“Yes. And Cindy was the one who helped me pack my entire house up. Anyway, Mark came to see me today at my office and told me something awful.”

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