Page 42 of Absolution

“Yeah,” Cory says. “We wore them out in the pool today.”

I nod. And then I break.

I collapse in tears, sobs shaking my entire body. I cry so hard my knees buckle and Marianne has to hold me upright. She pulls meto the couch and sits beside me. Cory grabs tissues and sits on the coffee table across from me, silent.

When I finally calm down enough to speak, Marianne gently asks, “What happened?”

Through hiccupping sobs, I manage to choke it out.

“He was screwing someone else.”

Cory blinks. “Wait, what?”

Marianne whispers, like she’s piecing it together aloud. “He cheated on you?”

“I walked in on it.” I say. “Kyle had her bent over the balcony. He didn’t even see me.”

“What thefuck?” Cory jumps up. “I swear to God, I’ll kill him.”

“No.” I shake my head. “Don’t.”

“Don’t tell me you’re going toforgivethat asshole.”

“Cory,” Marianne warns.

“I’m not forgiving him,” I say. “I’m just… I don’t know what to do.”

Cory disappears for a second and returns with a glass of water. I drink all of it in one go.

“Ican’tleave him,” I whisper.

“Why not?” Marianne asks softly.

“How?” My voice breaks. “I don’t have a degree. No job. No money of my own. No experience. He has connections. He has everything. I’d lose the house, the kids,everything.”

“You haveus,” Cory says. “We’ll pool our inheritance, hire the best damn lawyer in the city.”

I shake my head. “No.”

“Jackie-”

“No,” I say again, standing up. “I didnotspend ten years with that man, holding this family together, smiling when his boss called me a ‘hot piece of ass’ at dinners, just to walk away withnothing.”

I don’t even realize I’ve started pacing until I see the shock on their faces.

“You know what’s really fucked up?” I ask, voice shaking. “When I first found out, Iblamed myself.I thought maybe I wasn’t enough. That I wasn’t pretty enough, fun enough, young enough. But no.No.This ishisfault. His misogynistic, cheating, arrogant fault.”

My fists clench at my sides.

“I’m not leaving this fucking marriage with nothing, I will not lose my children, my home. Even if it means staying in that fucking house and looking at his smug fucking face every single day, I’ll do it.”

Cory and Marianne just stare.

I don’t know if it’s because their sweet, pushover little sister is suddenly breathing fire or because I just said “fuck” three times in one sentence.

I don’t care.

I’m done.

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