“Hey guys,” she says, coming back from the front door, and I just look at her. “Did you guys have fun at the rink?” She walks to the sink and washes her hands. Her brown hair is tied on top of her head, and all the hard work she does in the gym keeps her body in perfect shape. That, and the many visits to the plastic surgeon. Her tits are done, her ass is lifted, her lips have been injected, and there is so much Botox in her face that, at times, I don’t even know if she’s smiling or frowning.
“Yeah, Dad showed me a couple of tricks,” Jaxon says to her. I walk over to him and take out a meal for him, knowing he doesn’t know which one he should pick. He looks up at me. “I want the chicken.”
Nodding, I walk over to the stove and put his meal in the oven to warm. “Go shower,” I tell him, “and it’ll be done when you come out.”
He walks out of the room, coming back two seconds later to grab a couple of snacks from the pantry, stuffing them in his pocket while he holds the apple.
“Don’t leave the wrappers in your bedroom!” Murielle yells after him.
“What do you care?” I say. “It’s not like you walk around cleaning up.”
“I don’t want him to live like a pig,” she says, leaning her hips against the counter. “What are we doing tonight?”
I laugh at her. “We are not doing anything.” I grab a couple of things out of the fridge and start to make a protein shake. “I have a dinner.”
“Should I come with?” she asks, and I just look over at her. “I’m just asking if you need me to accompany you.”
“Murielle,” I say. “I don’t know how many times I have to tell you. I don’t want you by my side. Aren’t you miserable living like this?” She folds her arms over her chest, pushing up her tits, and I see the hickey that she now has. “Don’t you want to just live your life happy? Be able to do whatever it is you want to do without me?” I don’t wait for her to answer me. “I mean, you just had sex with your trainer in the basement. Where my kid plays.”
“I have needs, Manning,” she says, her voice not even rising. “You obviously won’t entertain them, so I have to get it elsewhere.”
“I’m not entertaining them because I don’t feel like that anymore. We’ve spoken about this for the past four years. You keep holding on to this marriage for what reason, exactly?” I start the blender. “So you can have the title of captain’s wife? What does that do for you?”
“I’ve sacrificed my whole life for you. To make sure you had everything you needed.”
I have to laugh at this. “What exactly did you sacrifice? I never stopped you from doing anything. In fact, I encouraged you to go back to school to get a degree or get a fucking hobby. All you cared about was wearing my jersey to the games. All the perks that came with being my wife got under your skin, so now here we are.”
“What about Jaxon?” she asks. “How do you think he’ll feel about having divorced parents and going from one house to the other?”
“You obviously don’t know your son,” I say, pouring my protein drink in my glass. “You think he doesn’t know we live separate lives? He knows I live on the other side of the house. He’s smarter than you think,” I say. Spinning, I walk out of the kitchen, leaving her with those words. After I climb the winding staircase, I turn right to go to my room. I walk into the bedroom and make my way to my en suite, locking the bathroom door. I had to start doing that after I walked out one day and found Murielle naked, getting ready to join me in the shower.
After I shower, I walk into the closet, grabbing a blue suit and white button-down shirt. I run my hands through my hair, slide on my silver Rolex watch, and then make my way down the stairs. I find Jaxon playing his Xbox in the living room. “Hey there, kiddo,” I say, and he looks over at me. “Are you alone?”
“Yeah, Mom said she has a migraine,” he says, and I look up at the ceiling.
“Do you want me to stay with you?” I sit next to him, and he shakes his head.
“I’m okay.” I mess his hair up and bring him to me, kissing his head.
“Well, you call me if you need anything,” I say, and he nods without looking away from his game.
I walk out of the front door and call Murielle on her phone. She answers right away. “Can you at least try to parent while I’m gone?”