SMACK DOWN

CHLOE’S POV

My home was quiet, almost too quiet.

I turned to the other side of the bed slowly, where Bryan always slept. My hands touched the sheets and they were cool, which meant he had been gone for a while now.

Pulling my legs out from under the blanket, I sat up slowly. My body still remembered everything that happened last night. His weight on me, the pleasure mixed with shame. I swallowed the pain down my throat and pulled my robe up before walking barefoot down the staircase.

A certain smell welcomes me into my own kitchen.

Pancakes, butter and eggs. There was a plate on the dining table, still hot. I paused and saw a folded note resting on the napkin.

“GOOD MORNING, LOVE. EAT THIS WHEN YOU WAKE UP.”- B

I stared at those words. My grip on the paper tightened before I folded it into a ball.

Did he just call me his love?

He said he loved me, whispered it into my ear while touching me like he hadn’t had practice sessions with another woman before coming home. My stomach rumbled in anger.

I picked up the plate and dumped everything right inside the trash. All of it.

I leaned over the kitchen sink, breathing hard while trying to stop myself from burning down my one home.

He thought breakfast could fix me?

A few minutes later, I had made my way into the shower to wash off every single inch of my body. The water was hot, hot enough to hurt me but I didn’t care. All I wanted was to wash away every bit of him from my body.

My destination was Lois’s office, my lawyer. I need her to draft a divorce agreement for me and Bryan. I didn’t even care about makeup or anything else. I just pulled my hair into a bun, wore some jeans I found and threw on a black top before heading out of the house.

Lois’s office smelled like vanilla and fresh, hot paper. Luckily, she was outside her office when I walked in.

“Chloe? Oh my God. Are you okay?”

I nodded and looked her in the eye. “We need to talk. Privately.”

She nodded. “Alright. Come in, come in.”

Inside her office, I picked a seat. She started to speak, but I lifted my hand and cut her off.

“Shut the door. Please.”

Lois blinked. “What?”

“Just do it, Lois.”

Something in my voice must have made her see that there was fire on the mountain. She walked towards the door and twisted the lock.

“What’s going on here?” she asked, taking a chair across from me.

I reached into my bag and pulled out my smartphone. She looked at me with a confused stare until I gave it to her.

“Swipe left,” I said with an empty tone.

She did and saw the first photo. Then another and another. Each one was worse than the previous one. Her eyes opened up and her hand flew to her mouth.

“Oh my God, Chloe. Is that....where did you get these?”

“That’s Bryan,” I confirmed for her. “That’s my husband.”

Lois looked at me and saw how hurt I was. “Who is this woman?”

“That’s a question that I don’t have an answer to. Her face is always blurred in every shot. But we can both see that the rest of her is clear enough.”

Lois shook her head slowly, still swiping. “Jesus Christ. How many of these did you get?”

“Seven. All different pictures.” I replied.

Lois dropped the phone on the table, turning it on its face. “You got all of this sent to you?”

“Yeah. Just before the big interview he had yesterday.” I answered, holding back tears in my eyes.

“Are you sure they aren’t photoshopped?” Her eyes moved to mine. “Have you said anything to him?”

“No.”

“Why not?” Lois asked with a shocked look on her face.

“Because I didn’t want to be arrested for murder. I’m doing my best to do this the right way.” I leaned back in the chair, crossing my arms. “I’m here to get a divorce contract. I need it ASAP.”

Lois stared at me like I had just hit her with the worst news she had heard all day. “You’re serious?”

“Dead serious.”

She nodded slowly, lips pressing together as she pulled her laptop closer to her. “Okay. Simple and straightforward.”

She typed in silence before asking me. “You want to request alimony?”

I shook my head. “I can’t. Remember how we signed a prenup when we got married?”

“Yeah, that’s right.” She murmured. “It had the no alimony clause.”

“I just want to be free from all of this.”

Lois paused, staring at her laptop screen. “You’re going to be giving up everything if you do this.”

“No,” I whispered. “I’m taking back control of my life.”

A few more strokes on her keyboard and she moved to the printer to get the documents. When she returned, she handed the papers over to me and I just stared at them.

Two pages that would lead to the end of our five years of marriage. It was like I had flushed my dreams down the drain for this to happen.

Lois stood by my side and when I got up, she pulled me in for a hug. “I’m sorry, Chloe. God, I’m so sorry.”

I closed my eyes and hugged her tighter because I needed that from someone. Anyone.

“I’ll be fine,” I whispered. “I’ve always been strong.”

She stepped back and looked at me. “Do you want me to follow you home and be there with you?”

I shook my head. “No. He won’t see this coming. That’s exactly how I want it.”

*

*

The sun was setting while I sat on the edge of our bed. My hands were steady, but I could hear my own heartbeat in my ears. I held the already signed divorce papers in my hand, while I stared at our bedroom door waiting for him to open it.

I could hear the garage door closing and his footsteps. I didn’t move, I just waited and watched the bedroom door swing open.

“There’s my baby girl,” Bryan said with a big smile on his face. “Did you miss me?”

He dropped his bag next to the door and walked towards me, still having a big smile on his face.

He leaned in to kiss me with the same lips that he had used to make love to another woman. The thought of those same lips landing on my cheeks caused me to give him the hardest slap he had ever received in his life.

His head jerked back as the sound rang throughout our home. He stared at me like I wasn’t the same person he called love.

“What the f**k, Chloe?”