“I made you a cup of coffee.” My voice cracks, but I can hear the ping of hope in it that he’ll talk to me.
He stares at the cup on the counter as if it’s a poisonous apple. He stalks past it, grabs a bottle of water from the fridge, and walks out.
The front door slams, causing me to jump. I hang my head, knowing that I’ve caused this.
When I pull into the hospital parking lot, I sit in my car for the longest time. It’s the first time that I don’t want to go to work. I want to hide in my bed and dream that I can make a single wish and everything would go back to the way it was before I messed up our lives.
I pick up my phone and call the absent hotline. I punch in the code for a sick day and drive away from the hospital.
Las Vegas has been my home all my life, but right now I feel like a stranger. I don’t know where to go, I don’t know what to do, and I’m tired of crying. I look at the clock and realize that I need to talk to someone before my head explodes.
I pull out on The Strip and head for the MGM Hotel. My sister should be working, and she might be able to make time for me.
I walk up to the front counter and a pretty redhead smiles at me.
“May I help you?”
“I need to see Regina Staples.”
“Do you have an appointment?”
“No, but it’s important. Please tell her it’s Avery Godwin.”
“One moment.” The redhead picks up the phone. After a moment, she smiles. “You can go up.”
I nod, not smiling back, and head off to the offices on the far side of the building.
My older sister has worked here almost her entire life. She has been in management for the past few years. She loves it. I think it’s the most stressful job any one person could have, but who am I to judge; I’m a nurse.
I knock on the door with her name on it and hear her yell to come in. When I open it, my very tall, very blonde sister is sitting in a large leather chair.
“What are you doing here, Squirt?” She comes around her desk to hug me.
If you looked at us side-by-side you would never think we were even related. Regina takes after her father, who had been husband number two, and I take after our mother. My father was husband number five, but I never knew him. There’s a ten-year age gap, but you can’t tell it because Regina still looks twenty-five.
“What’s wrong?” She can see it plastered on my face and she wraps me in her arms. I didn’t think I could cry anymore, but I do. Regina guides me over to the small sofa in her office. “Talk to me. Are you okay?”
I shake my head. “I’m a horrible person.”
“You?” she scoffs. “Of everyone I know, you are the last person that would be horrible.”
“It’s true.” I take a deep breath and tell her my terrible secret. “I cheated on Jax.”
Regina mouth drops. “Shut up.”
“I did.” I pull out of her arms, drop my purse on the floor, and pace her office. “I ruined our marriage, and now Jax won’t even look at me.”
“I don’t know what to say. I mean, you said that you two were having issues, but I didn’t think that it was that bad.”
I nod. I tell her everything that has happened in the last six months. The pain I’ve felt, the way I’ve been ignored, and how Jax didn’t even realize it.
“Do you think that he’ll file for divorce?”
I shrug. “I don’t know, but by the way he acted this morning, I would imagine he's at an attorney’s office right now.”
“Squirt, I don’t know what to say.”
“I do.” I square my shoulders and stare at my sister. “I’ve turned into Mom.”