The Aftermath.

My ride back home felt almost unbearable.

I watched the city pass in a blur through the taxi window as tried to hold back my tears. I couldn’t seem to rub this feeling of disgust off of me

How could I? Why could I?

I was a cheater. I had silently betrayed our marriage a few months before we renewed our vows.

And with Serge Sterling. A man I knew and loathed with everything in me.

Yet for some reason, some sickening reason, I knew deep in my heart that I wouldn’t forget everything we did.

Even when I wasn’t supposed to. And I hated that reality.

Signing, I cleaned the tears on my face.

I couldn’t stop thinking about what I was going to tell Matthew.

The storm couldn’t let me get back earlier? I got stuck in the elevator because power went out?

“Ahh.” I groan for the umpeth time and the driver throws another look my way through the review mirror.

“Sorry.” I mummer to him, slightly embarrassed

Wrapping my hands around my self, I realised something was missing.

I didn’t have my blue scarf around my neck.

Oh no.

Dread washes over me as I realize where it could possibly be.

Can this night get any worse?

I rub at my neck looking through the blank screen of my phone making sure to remove any marks he might have left on me.

“We are here ma’am” the taxi driver calls.

“Ohh, thank you.” I smile, handing him a dollar bill before rushing to my house porch.

Judging from how much my body was aching the smell of expensive men’s cologne and fresh sex all over me, I knew I had to make a stop in the bathroom before Matthew saw me.

Quietly, I opened the door and stepped in.

Everything was quiet, a total contrast to my pounding heart.

Softly, I patted through the living room towards the bathroom that was at the end of the hallway but froze when I saw Matthew waking up from his slumber on the couch.

“Honey?” He softly called

He had a blanket wrapped around his back, his brown eyes were swollen and looked tired, his shirt and shorts were wrinkled and his hair seemed like he had run his fingers through it several times.

My heart sank when I realized he sat on the couch throughout the storm waiting for me to come home.

“Are you okay? Where have you been.?” He came closer, capping my face while his eyes searched for any injuries.

I closed my eyes and held my breath.

I couldn’t stand the guilt, the shame and the rage that was building inside of me.

Matthew was a good man, he was my man for the past two years, he made sure I was always happy, he made sure I never paid any bills around this house, he worked his ass off for us, for me to be as comfortable as I could.

I toke a cleaning job because I couldn’t watch him do everything for us because I could work too, even after several arguments from him, I insisted to work.

But right now, I regret why I didn’t listen to him the first place, why I didn’t just accept my fate as a house wife.

Because maybe I wouldn’t have fallen into temptation.

“Ava, talk to me. Is everything alright.!” He cooed

“Yeah. I just was really scared about tonight, am sorry am late, power went off and I got stuck in the elevator.” I lied through my teeth, sniffing in the process to ground my lie.

However selfish it sounded, I wasn’t about to lose the best thing that ever happened to me because of my one stupid mistake.

Matthew grabbed his blanket and wrapped it around me, hugging me in the process and kissing my forehead.

“I was terrified Ava, The news said the subways were flooding.” He says but I pull away from him, my heart stopping in the process.

Could he smell the cologne on me, the expensive mixture of coffee and cigarettes?

Pretending to need a hot shower, I excuse myself from him to go to the bathroom.

I needed to wash off any grimes of that office off my body, any traces of that man off of me forever.

Making my way down the hallway, I catch a glimpse of my reflection in the mirror and I pause.

My lips are swollen and slightly pink, my eyes look puffy and my neck is almost in a shade of pink with light marks of huge fingers around it.

I looked like a woman who had been thoroughly awakened in a dark room and in a door, not one that had been trapped in a four wall silver box like I claimed.

Rushing inside the bathroom, I lock myself in stripping all my clothes in the process then turn on the shower and jump in.

I scrub myself like it’s the last shower I was ever having. Focusing on every part he touched , trying on trying to wash off all the dirt forbidden pleasures I just experienced.

After what seems like a life time, I jump out, feeling somewhat fresh and a little relieved that I got rid of his stupid scent that was still lingering on me.

A hot meal sounded good about now, I think to myself as I head to the kitchen and start warming up the sauce Matthew had made for me.

Chicken soup with mushroom and vegetable rice. My favorite

“Ava?” Matthew calls from the living room

I hum in response

“ Did you manage to check out the design templates I emailed you?” He says, walking to the kitchen and settling at the small island in front of me.

I didn’t. I totally forgot

“ Ahh.. my phone battery died but can I see them now, with your phone.” I smile at him, lying again for the second time tonight.

I sign.

He pulls his laptop closer to me and we check through the various designs could we use for our wedding Anniversary invitation cards.

It was in three months and Matthew was really excited about it. I was too, but he was more.

We had decided to renewal our vows too and right now, I felt like I needed it more than ever.

To correct my underlying wrongs.

“Ohh. I almost forgot, a friend of mine came back to town by the way, he had been away for a while but he promised to attend our anniversary, I missed that guy so much.” He laughs and slightly poses to think.

I felt so lucky to have a man like him, so blessed to be married to Matthew even though he kept thinking he was the lucky one to have me.

“Oh.. here he is.. this was back then, when we were still in military training.” He points to a photo on the laptop.

It was a picture you get looking Matthew and someone else, he looked so familiar but I couldn’t place my figure at who he was.

“Who.. who is that?” I voiced my curiosity

“That’s him. Leo.. That my man.. .” He grins

But I can’t help than have an unsettling feeling about that photo.

I had never seen his friend but his photo felt like I had seen him somewhere though I couldn’t quite place my finger where.

I yawn and stretch for almost a full minute.

My body was really aching, my back felt like someone had snapped it into two.

He literally did.

I scoff in disappointment.

I needed to rest and mentally repair myself for tomorrow’s shift, to be ready and avoid that man as much as I could.

Even if it meant changing my hair colour for the sake of my sanity, I would have to dye it maybe to black from its dull brown color

While zoned out, I heard the door bell ring.

“ I gat it.” I tell Matthew before absentmindedly padding to the door.

It was almost 2 am in the morning for heavens sake, who was that?

Pulling the door open, there were two men standing on our porch but my knees buckled when noticed the man behind.

Mr. Serge..Sterling?