9

Chapter 9

Patrick Banks

~•~

I woke up with a throbbing headache.

I had too much to drink the previous night. I couldn’t even remember half of what happened after I met Jessica at the hotel.

But I knew that it wasn’t something good.

I thought I would feel some sense of relief or something after being intimate with her sister. But the only thing I felt was guilt.

I couldn’t even blame Jessica.

She didn’t force me to do anything with her, I was just blinded by rage, so I gave into her tempting offer. Why did I let myself do something like that?

As I tried to blame myself, I had a tiny voice at the back of my mind, reminding me of what Valerie had done. If she could comfortably betray me without thinking of my feelings, why did I have to care about how she would feel?

I tried to justify my actions, but I still felt like a terrible person.

My eyes darted around the room, looking for any sign of Valerie or the divorce papers. I didn’t see any of them. I looked at the wall clock and saw that it was almost noon.

Letting out a deep sigh, I stood up from the bed and went downstairs to the kitchen. I wanted a glass of water and anything else I could find to help with my migraine.

“Good morning sir, I made you something to help with your hangover.” The maid handed me a small cup as I walked into the kitchen.

By the time I went back to my room, I was feeling a little bit better. I remembered asking Valerie to sign the papers and leave the house before I slept off earlier.

Did she already sign them and leave?

My heart skipped a beat as I thought about it.

Giving Valerie the divorce papers didn’t mean I wasn’t in love with her anymore. I just decided to choose myself. Sometimes, I wondered if I could have done something differently.

Should I have fought for my marriage and given her a second chance? But the thought of her having an affair with someone else would taunt me for the rest of my life.

Maybe moving on was the best decision.

It hurts badly but I would eventually get over it. I couldn’t just dismiss her betrayal and disrespect. I just wished that things were different.

I had never cheated on my wife and she owed me that same loyalty. Wasn’t I enough for her? She shouldn’t have betrayed me like that. Now, my trust was broken and I couldn’t move past what she did.

I picked up my phone to text my assistant.

The day was already far gone and I wasn’t sure I would be able to show up to work. But as I unlocked my phone, I saw that I had gotten several text messages from Jessica.

I scoffed as I read the messages where she talked about how amazing the night was. She even asked when we would meet again.

It was just a one-time thing.

Jessica was just a pawn in my game.

It wouldn’t repeat itself anymore.

I swiped away from her message and texted my assistant.

After a quick shower, I headed out of the house to meet with Jordan for lunch. “Are you ready to talk about what is bothering you?” He asked as we were settled on our table.

I sighed, rubbing my temple. “Valerie and I are getting a divorce.” My voice was barely audible. Saying it out loud made it feel real. I wished it was just a dream.

Jordan’s eyes grew wide in shock. “A divorce? What did you do to her?” He asked, his voice laced with a hint of curiosity.

I scoffed. “Why do you think it’s my fault?”

He shrugged. “I mean, Valerie is perfect. It feels like you two were a match made in heaven.” Jordan continued singing praises about her while I just shook my head.

“She cheated on me.” I had no idea when it left my mouth. I didn’t want to paint Valerie as a bad person. I just wanted us to go our separate ways without involving any third parties.

But Jordan had this idea that she couldn’t do anything bad to me, so I just blurted it out, so he could stop talking about how great she was.

“What?” He gasped in shock. “Valerie cheated on you?” His expression turned sour and he glared at me as if I just sat down and made up everything.

I nodded slowly. “Yes, she cheated on me.”

Jordan let out a deep exhale. “Why? How did you find out? I have so many questions.” He sounded conflicted like he didn’t believe what he had just heard.

“I saw all the proof, text messages, photos, everything.”

“Wow,” Jordan muttered, running his fingers through his hair. “Have you talked to Valerie about it? What did she say?”

I rolled my eyes. “She denied everything. It doesn’t matter through. I already signed my part and asked her to sign the papers.” I replied, leaning back into the chair. “It wasn’t an easy decision to make, but it was the best decision.”

Jordan sighed. “Did she see the proof and still deny them? Who did she even cheat on you with?” He asked, raising a skeptical brow at me.

“Jamal,” I muttered under my breath. I was ashamed of saying it out loud. I felt like I wasn’t enough for her. Maybe it would have even hurt less if she cheated on me with someone else.

She knew how insecure I was when it came to that man.

But she went ahead to have an affair with him.

“I didn’t show her the proof. It felt like a slap in the face. She already knew what she did, so what was even the point?”

There was a brief silence.

“Maybe she wouldn’t have been able to deny if she had seen the evidence. Are you sure you just want to walk out of the marriage without showing them to her?”

I contemplated for a while.

Was Jordan right? Should I have shown Valerie everything? But why did I even need to show it to her? It won’t change anything or erase the betrayal.

It would only make me feel more miserable.

I wasn’t sure it was the right move.

She must’ve signed the papers already. Who knows how long she had been wanting to leave the marriage?

If I wasn’t making her happy anymore. Maybe Jamal would make her happy. I had seen how they looked at each other on the screen, I was just too blind to realize what was happening.

“I don’t want to show them to her. I just want her out of my house.”