7

Chapter 7

Patrick Banks

~•~

It wasn’t like I didn’t care.

I cared deeply about my marriage.

I was in love with Valerie. But she hurt me badly.

What would people think if they found out that my wife cheated on me and I still stayed with her? My ex-wife now I guess.

As I drove over to the hotel, I wondered if I was making a mistake by going there. Maybe I was, but I needed to do it. Valerie hurt me and I wanted her to feel the same way I was feeling.

After a short drive, I arrived at the hotel’s parking lot.

I texted Jessica to let her know that I had arrived.

She gave me directions to the room, and in no time, I was standing in front of the door. Letting out a deep breath, I knocked gently on the wooden door.

A few seconds later, Jessica answered the door. She stepped aside to allow me to walk into the room, then she closed the door behind us.

“I had no idea you would actually come.” She whispered in my ear as she moved closer to me. “Are you sure you gave her the papers? I called her and she sounded like everything was okay.”

I sighed, walking over to the bed. “Yes, I just gave them to her before leaving the house,” I replied, the weight of my words suffocating me.

Jessica squealed. “That’s nice to hear.” She smiled at me as she walked over to the cabinet to get a bottle of champagne. “Let’s celebrate.”

I shook my head, politely declining her offer. “I don’t think that would be necessary.”

She frowned. “Why? Aren’t you happy that you’re leaving someone who lied and cheated on you?” She narrowed her eyes on me.

Sometimes I wondered if Jessica hated her sister that much. I knew they weren’t each other’s biggest fans, but I expected her to have a little bit of sympathy at least.

I was even surprised when she came to me with the evidence of her sister’s infidelity. Jessica was so excited to provide me with all the receipts and photos I needed to see.

It was even she who pressured me to file for divorce. I mean, I would have still done it eventually, but she made me speed up the process.

“You know that I’ve always liked you, but this doesn’t have to mean anything. It’s just for revenge. You want her to hurt the same way she hurt you, right?” She continued, her eyes locked onto mine.

Jessica didn’t mean anything to me. Over the years, I noticed that she always tried to make a pass at me even though she knew I was married to her sister.

I didn’t give her any attention. I just pretended like I had no idea what she was doing. I even spoke to Valerie about it a few times. But she asked me to ignore Jessica.

But right now, Jessica was just a pawn in my game.

I sat down on the bed and buried my face in my hands. “Sure, I want revenge,” I whispered, more to myself than her.

“Good.” I could picture the grin on her face already. I’m sure it was the same one she had when I finally chose to believe that she was telling the truth about Valerie’s affair.

At first, I thought she was just bluffing.

I trusted Valerie to an extent. We don’t really know people completely. But I saw her as someone who wouldn’t betray me in that way.

I believed her when she assured me that nothing was ever going to happen between her and Jamal. But when Jessica showed me everything, I couldn’t believe my eyes.

Even after a few days, I hoped it was just a sick prank. I didn’t want to believe it. I even wished it was just a bad dream. But I couldn’t ignore everything she showed me.

It was even more believable after I connected the dots. A few months ago, Valerie and I were meant to go on a trip together.

But she changed her mind and asked me to stay back. She insisted on going with her sister instead. According to her, she wanted to bond with her sister.

I didn’t think too much about it then even though it felt odd. She wanted to go on a trip with someone who she didn’t even get along with.

I felt so stupid as her words replayed in my head.

‘At the end of the day, she’ll always be my sister. So I think it’s a good idea to go on this trip with her. The both of us can go during the holiday, it’ll even be more fun.’

Everything began to make sense.

She just wanted me to get out of her way because she had other plans. The worst part was that she kept me updated with photos and videos of her and Jessica while she was on that trip.

But she didn’t show me the part where Jamal was involved. It didn’t matter anymore because Jessica showed everything to me.

She even provided me with screenshots of texts between them. My heart still aches whenever the image replays in my head.

Why did she have to ruin our perfect marriage?

“You know what? I’ll take the drink.” I stretched out my hand to reach for the bottle of champagne. “I shouldn’t stay miserable because of someone who doesn’t care about my feelings.”

I already had a lot to drink earlier, but I didn’t mind having some more. While I gulped down the contents of the bottle, Jessica sat down on my lap.

“Do you really want revenge? Do you want to forget about her?” She whispered, her breath warmed as she traced my ear with her tongue. I nodded, letting out a deep exhale. “Are you sure?”

I hesitated for a moment.

Was I doing it for revenge, closure, or destruction?

Did I really have to go down this road?

Before I could say anything else, Jessica’s lip crashed against mine, silencing every question that was racing through my mind.