My Husband’s Regret, Not My Problem—Short Story

NALANI“If there’s something important you wish to discuss with Daniel, I’m sure you can discuss it with me too,” I say, standing in the doorway of our small duplex by the lake, and using my frame to shield Gwen from coming inside. I ignore the look of disdain tainting her face as I continue, trying to keep my voice calm. “After all, I am a fair owner of DANA groups, as much as my husband is, so you can tell me,” I finish, sounding confident in my words.Even though I am the entire brains and backbone of Daniel’s fashion design company, I don’t like that I have to state it, but Gwen won’t leave, so I have to make her.Her lips curl up in disgust, and she sizes me up as if coming to my matrimonial home on a Saturday evening to speak to my husband in an indecent red body con dress, isn’t disrespectful enough. “Don’t be naive. I came here for Daniel and Daniel alone, and it’s for work. When will you get your head out of the gutter and realize that you are just a prop? A very hardworking

NALANI[My bangle is missing. If you find it, please give it to Dan for me. It happened to fall off while we were talking.]What are the chances? Talking, she says. They were talking in the hallway which isn’t the same thing as the living room where I left them in?I scoff, and right after the text, a picture pops up from her of the exact piece of jewelry I’m holding in my hand. I groan angrily, furious for so many reasons, but the only thing that calms me down is Daniel’s voice assuring me that he loves me…that Gwen means nothing, and she’s just a clingy woman.“This is just her pulling stunts at me to get a reaction. I won’t grace her with one,” I tell myself, squeezing the jewelry in my hand.“Nalani.”I jerk at the sound of my name, and I whirl around to see Daniel behind me. “You scared me,” I say, and when Daniel frowns, all traces of the warmth on his face from when Gwen was here, gone, I change the topic, hoping to lighten the mood. I skillfully hide the bangle I found just

NALANI“This is the ladies room. You’re in the wrong place,” I rush out, and the man lifts his hand in a show of surrender, a charming smile appearing in his face. He stops a few feet away from me on noticing my instant panic, but that doesn’t get me to relax.“I know. I’m sorry.” He pulls out a white handkerchief from the inside of his fitted suit and stretches it to me. “I saw you outside, and I just wanted to make sure you were okay.”I huff, turning to the sink to fish for toilet papers because I am not accepting this stranger’s offering. The last thing I want is for Daniel to get wind that I was alone in a bathroom with a man, accepting things behind his back, to add to how mad he already is at me. “I am okay,” I state, facing the mirror, yet, the man still speaks. “Why did you let those people treat you like that? I watched you all night, and I saw through everything that happened. If you need help…”I don’t know why or how I snap. “I don’t know who you think you are or what

NALANII sit back down within a second, suspicion, curiosity, and anxiety, coursing through me like a storm. “You want to help me?” I ask Mr Pierre, and he nods. “Why?” I cut in, not giving him a breathing moment because to him, I’m just the new partner’s wife, a stranger, who let’s not forget, yelled at him on our first meeting yesterday. He shrugs. “Because I want to.”I shake my head. “I’m sorry, but I don’t believe you,” I say, not mincing my words. “You have no reason to help me. I just told you that a big check is going to be ripped from your company, and you want to help me rip it…because…you want to?” I scoff. “Try again.”His facial expression falls into something serious as he responds to me. “You’re right. I am a businessman, and I don’t play about my business. But when that business is going to exploit one party, and milk the sweat and pain of a woman whose only crime is loving a man, then that check has animal dung on it, and I don’t soil myself with wealth like that,”

NALANIDays have passed, and one would think that the more calls, texts, and ‘apology videos’ I get from Daniel, the less resistant I would be in my decision, but the reverse is the case. His apologies have been nothing short of coated in entitlement, so I remain firm in my decision. He has also sent me pictures of ‘gifts’ he thinks are worth my value and enough to make me come back home, but those have only been a bunch of red roses which I don’t like—and he knows, and other measly material things that wouldn’t even be sufficient to woo a lady, let alone fix a betrayal this deep. On the third day, I ask Keith to come over, and he does within the hour.“I have something to show you,” he begins after we exchange pleasantries, and I nod expectantly. He pulls out his phone and retrieves a file. “If you’re not comfortable with this, say the word, and I’ll have it deleted,” he says, and my brows deepen in confusion as I take a look at what he’s showing me. It’s a video. I gasp as I see