The Marriage Rival

“Oh, c’mon,” I sneer impatiently. “Everything you do is behind my back. I don’t know who I married anymore.”

“And I could say the same for you.”

“You know what, you’re such a jerk. I’m going home,” I argue, my anger spiking the longer I stand in his presence.

“And ever since you lost the baby, you’ve been nothing but a cold-hearted bitch.”

I stare into those hazel eyes burning with anger, and my heart falls silent. The missing beat of my heart for a man who has always consumed me, gnaws at my insides. It hangs in the air like the suspended moment before falling glass shatters on the ground.

There is the unspoken void, needing to be filled with sounds, words, anything. But all that comes is resentment.

Resentment toward a man who brings my failures to the light, exposing it for all its glory.

I’m the bitch.

I’m the one who lost the baby.

Nothing I do or say will ever erase that.

“I won’t be home ‘til late,” he mumbles, head down. “I don’t know what time.”

He doesn’t need to explain why or where he’s going.

We are falling apart.

I don’t know how to fix it, nor turn back the hands of time.

And the worst part, I don’t even know if that’s what I want anymore.

Fifteen

Haden

Charlie and Lex walk around the house, admiring the place before we sit in the kitchen with a congratulatory bottle of wine.

After spending last night out with Noah at some bar near Malibu, wine is the last thing on my mind, but I don’t want to appear disrespectful. I wasn’t completely sober from the shots Noah made me take last night. The guy is fucking relentless when we’re out drinking and Kate was the one pushing him to go out since she was out of town anyway.

“The house is beautiful, Haden.” Charlie smiles, pouring the wine into Lex’s and my glass, and some juice for herself. “I wish Presley were here to celebrate with us.”

I told Presley I would pick up the keys, and she simply replied okay. When I mentioned Lex and Charlie visiting, she told me she needed to stay home and pack the house. It isn’t worth the argument. I am tired of trying to make her do anything anymore.

Lex told me that Presley has been ignoring Charlie’s calls, and Charlie knows exactly why. She just feels helpless when it comes to her best friend hurting. The girls have always had a tight bond, and despite my loyalty to my wife, she has no excuse for treating her best friend like this. I tried to bring it up last week, only to get shut down.

“Oh, well, it is what it is,” I mutter.

She reaches out her hand, placing it on mine. “It’ll get better. I promise. She just needs to grieve. It’s part of the process to moving on.”

“How long did it take you to get over it?”

“Let’s see… what’s today’s date?”

“Oh… I didn’t realize.”

“It gets easier with time, but if I’m being honest, it never leaves me. It took me a long time to learn not to blame myself and realize it was out of my control. God needed an angel, and that’s what he got.”

Lex places his arms around Charlie as she speaks, kissing the top of her head. The guy is a ruthless in the business world, but when it comes to his family, he is a straight-up pussy. Those girls have him wrapped around his finger. I respect the guy. It’s why we get along well.

I know this happened to Charlie and Lex a long time ago, and judging by her pained expression, it is still a difficult thing to speak about. The subject makes me uncomfortable.