I have enough training to know how to subdue without harm, and I tried doing that now while she fought me. But her screaming was a whole other matter. “Lauren, if you don’t stop screaming, you’re going to force me to knock you out. I don’t want to do that, and you really don’t want me to.”
I got her down the stairs, still holding onto my calm with her arm twisted up behind her back and my other hand in her hair pulling her head back. It’s an odd position to be in and one that can break her neck or arm with just a twist of my hand.
“Sit!” I pushed her down onto one of the side chairs in the living room, only then realizing that one, I was naked, and two, if Derrick’s alarm was anything like mine, the place will be crawling with cops any second. I was distracted for the barest of seconds. I’d let my guard down because I got her away from the girls, and she took that opportunity to lash out.
I barely jumped out of the way of the punch she threw at my stomach before jumping to her feet. “I don’t want to hurt you, Lauren, you need to calm down.”
“Fuck you-you little tramp, slut. Don’t you tell me to calm down when you’re fucking my husband, sleeping in my bed.”
“I wouldn’t sleep with your husband.” Technically I did, but that’s a whole other story. “I saw you through the window. He was fucking you right there on that rug.”
“What I mean, Lauren is that you and Derrick are no longer married.”
“What, what the hell are you talking about?” That seemed to stop her in her tracks.
“She means that we’re divorced.” We both turned to look at Derrick, who’d slid into the room unannounced. I felt the adrenaline begin to leave me at the sight of him and knew I was going to have the shakes any second.
The tension in the room was palpable as the three of us stood there, staring at each other for the first few seconds before Derrick broke the spell. “Go put some clothes on, baby; I got this.” He kept an eye on her as he pulled me to him and kissed my temple. “You okay? She didn’t hurt you, did she?” I shook my head, no.
“Okay, go.”
I wasn’t sure about leaving these two together, but neither did I want to stand there naked in front of his ex-wife. “I’ll be okay baby, go on ahead.” With one last look of warning in Lauren’s direction, I headed out of the room and took the stairs two at a time.
Shit, I had Derrick and my juices on my thighs from when we made love, but there was no time to take a shower. I picked my jeans up off the floor where he’d dropped them earlier and chose his long-sleeved sweater instead of the tight-fitting one I’d worn.
My feet were still bare when I headed back downstairs after checking to make sure that the twins hadn’t been disturbed, but I wasn’t willing to be gone a second longer. I heard their raised voices before I reached them. I walked into the room, pushing the sleeves of the sweater up my arms, and that’s how Lauren saw the ring.
DERRICK
I was almost tempted to let her get away if only for my daughters’ sake, but she was fast getting on my nerves. I was amazed as I stood there, listening to her rant that I felt nothing. There was no lingering feeling of warmth, nothing; it’s like I’d severed all ties both physically and mentally.
“I knew you were screwing her behind my back.” If that was meant to make me feel guilt, it failed miserably.
“I’ve already answered that question, not going to do it again. At this point, I no longer care what you think. As I’ve told you already, I filed for and received a divorce along with full custody.”
“You can’t do that; I wasn’t informed.”
“It was in the papers, I made sure and put it all of them. If you hadn’t done what you did and ran, you would’ve known. And just so you know, I might’ve been able to forgive your psychotic behavior since you seem to have some kind of problem I knew nothing about, but I won’t ever forgive you for fucking someone else while my ring was on your finger.”
“It was only once, I regretted it right away. And it was only because of that bitch. Tell me I’m wrong; tell me you two weren’t laughing at me behind my back while you played house with my kids.” Did she not know me at all? How could she think I was that kind of person? Not even the asshole I’d been when I was married to her would’ve done that shady shit.