Lauren stepped aside and held the door open. It’s been awhile since the last time he’s been in there. He stood against the wall while she turned on the bedroom light and sat on her bed. “Before you go into the usual rationalization of your cheating ways, I would like to know if you’ve spoken to Josh?” she asked.
“Yes, and he’s not doing well. I’ll check on him after I leave here.”
“Good. He needs a friend and I’ll call Tami tomorrow.”
Nick stood tall and focus his eyes directly on Lauren. What he was about to say would not be easy for her to hear. “This arrangement is no longer working for me. Neither one of us is happy. It’s time for us to do what’s best and part ways?”
“I don’t see the problem. I allow you to do what you please without interference from me.”
“But, I don’t want to do this any longer.”
“Why not?” she shrugged. “It’s been working thus far, why change now?”
Nick shook his head in disbelief. “How can you be okay with this? We spend most of our time apart and when you are here, we act more like acquaintances than spouses.”
“Your point?”
“This isn’t a marriage anymore. Why should I suffer because you rather pretend we’re in a blissful union than admit to your friends what’s true?”
Lauren’s eyes widen and her nostrils flared. “Suffer! Who’s suffering? I don’t believe having random women on the side is suffering?!”
“And who’s idea was it? You made it very clear you only needed me as your husband when we’re with your friends or attending an event. But, when we’re home you’re as cold as a fish.”
“This sudden displeasure with our arrangement is because of her.” Lauren frowned. “She doesn’t seem like your type. Where did you meet?”
“I’m not discussing her with you.”
“Why not? She’s the reason you suddenly want out!”
Nick refused to discuss Ramona with Lauren. Their problems were not about her, it was about the two of them. “Why are you fighting so hard to stay in this marriage?”
He watched as Lauren walked over to her dresser and retrieved a nail file. She remained quiet while she focused on shaping the nail of her thumb. It’s her way of avoiding his question. Whenever he asked her something she doesn’t want to answer or a topic she wants to avoid, she’ll play with her nails, brush her hair, whatever to avoid answering.
“Nick, you know the people in our circle,” she finally said, “they’ll speculate on our relationship, gossip, and spread untruths if we parted. Besides that, do you realize how embarrassing it would be to have my husband leave me for someone who lacked basic social decorum? She doesn’t fit into our world.”
“That’s your problem. You’re too focused on your image and what others think. That’s what destroyed us.” Nick moved to the chair next to the bed and faced Lauren. “After college, I didn’t make the money you were accustomed to, so you borrowed from your father. All to have a fancier car, more designer clothes, or a bigger house than your so-called friends.”
“He offered to help,therefore, I wasn’t about to turn him away.”
The conversation was not going how he rehearsed in his mind. He’d thought he would tell her he wanted to part ways and she would agree. He never thought she would put up a fight. “Lauren, can you imagine how that made me feel as a man, as your husband? I told you many times I didn’t like your father interference. But, you didn’t care as long as you got what you wanted. You emasculated me every chance you had.”
A creased formed between her eyebrows as she narrowed her eyes at him. He knew then she felt offended. She could never take criticism well. “I’m sorry you felt that way. But, you can’t blame me for our marriage falling apart. It began when you lost your marketing job.”
“You’re right. I’m not being fair by placing all the blame on you. I’ve also contributed to our downfall however, I felt you no longer needed me when my job laid me off.”
“That’s not fair!” She stood before him with her arms crossed. “If you recall you had become depressed and withdrawn. I had to beg Josh to offer you a job. You still weren’t satisfied, so you made having affairs your new hobby.”
“I didn’t have affairs, Lauren,” he said rubbing his forehead. “An affair requires an emotional attachment. I used the women as a release of my frustration.”
“You can call it what you want it’s still an affair. And this one, the trash that you’re emotionally attached to is definitely an affair.”
“Look, I don’t appreciate the name calling.”
Lauren eyed him with a smirk on her face. “Wow! You move her into your condo or wherever you two are playing house. You chastise me for referring to her as trash. To top it off, you want to leave me and our marriage. You must really care for this one.”
“Like I said before, I’m not discussing her with you,” he muttered.
“That look in your eyes says it all. I haven’t seen this side of you since — you know.” She plopped down on the bed with a look of defeat on her face. The last thing he intended to do was hurt her. Although their marriage has fallen apart and they no longer loved each other, he still cares for her.
“Lauren, I will never know the true reason you’re holding on to this relationship. Five years ago, we changed the rules of our marriage because of that agreement we have now reached a dead end.” Nick glanced at Lauren. She was holding her head down with her hands covering her face. He could hear muffled sniffles. It was strange. He hadn’t seen her show any kind of emotion but anger towards him. He knelt down in front of her and moved her hands from her face. “Why the tears?”
“They’re not for you!” she spat.
“I didn’t expect them to be. Listen, us staying together is not worth you sacrificing your own happiness.”
Lauren wiped her eyes with her hands. “I’ll call my attorney in the morning.”
“I’ll notify mines, as well.” He stood and walk towards the door.
“Nick… wait!” She walked over to him. “It wasn’t all bad. Our marriage?”
“No,” he said shaking his head. “When I said I do, I meant it. I wanted our marriage to last forever. However, we were young and full of ideas. Unfortunately, our ideas now differ from one another.”
Nick drove away feeling happier and lighter than he had in years. He called Josh to see if he was still at the bar. When his voicemail answered, he figured he was at home sleeping it off. So, he made a beeline to Ramona with the news she’s been waiting to hear.
CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN
Tami was much too distraught to notice the three new messages on her phone. The one constant thought that occupied her mind was of her husband walking out the night before and he still hadn’t returned. To say she was a total mess was an understatement. She had fallen asleep on the couch and had awoken to the smell of freshly brewed coffee underneath her nose. She opened her eyes to see Alexis kneeling down beside her. Tami grabbed the mug from her hand to take a sip. “Thanks, I didn't realize you spent the night,” she said.
“I thought it was a good idea if I stayed over. You were in pretty bad shape,” replied Alexis.
“Disagreements between Josh and I had never been bad enough for him to walk out on me. He would get angry and leave but he always returned,” said Tami with tears trickling down her face. Alexis handed her a tissue as Tami picked up her phone off the coffee table. “The pain in his eyes when I told him I ended my pregnancy is one I won’t soon forget. He was right I should have been honest. I know the man he is, he would’ve helped me through it.”
“The love you have for each other will overcome what happened yesterday. It’s one little bump in your marriage. He’ll recognize how strong you were to handle that entire situation alone.”
“I doubt if Josh will ever see it that way.”
“Try to remain positive and he’ll come back to you. Do you ever have regrets about not reporting it?”
“Sometimes.
It was a mental torture to return to work and face that bastard every day. But, I always believed it would have been my word against his.” Tami placed the coffee cup on the table and dabbed her eyes with the tissue. “I didn’t know if anyone would believe me because he had all the power.”
“I don’t know what I would’ve done if it had happened to me. Hopefully, Josh will come to understand that it traumatized you and every action afterward resulted from that trauma.”
“I don’t know, Alexis. Josh has a black and white way of looking at the world. There are no gray areas as far as he’s concerned. Instead of trusting my husband, I confided in Michael. I forced him to do what I wanted with threats. Who does that to a friend?”
“A woman who’s desperate.”
“Don’t let me off the hook so easily. I wasn’t acting like a good friend or wife.” Tami checked the three messages sent to her phone. She couldn’t decipher if what she saw was real or some kind of sick joke. “What the hell is this!” she shouted.
“What's wrong?” asked Alexis.
“This can't be Josh!” Tami’s hands trembled as she zoomed in closer to the man’s face in the pictures. It was definitely him in the photos. Tami angrily threw her phone across the room and ran upstairs. She threw herself onto her bed, sobbing. “Tami...Tami,” Alexis called out, but she only continued to cry. Alexis sat on the bed next to her. “I saw the pictures. I’m so sorry you’re going through this. But, please open your eyes and see this for what it is. A devious scheme.”
Tami sat up and wiped the tears away. “What are you talking about? There’s no scheme involved. I did this!”
“Your actions may have played a part. However, there’s more you don't know or refuse to see.”
“Things I can't see? What are talking about?” Tami could always read Alexis and for whatever reason, she was holding back.
“Nothing, forget I said anything.”
Tami eyed her suspiciously. “Seriously? You think Ramona is behind this?”
Alexis remained silent.
“What is your problem? This thing, whatever it is you have against Ramona is insane!”
“You're too emotional to listen to anything I have to say.”
Tami stood and faced Alexis. “Tell me what Ramona could gain by doing what you're accusing her off. What is her motive?”
“Revenge.”
“Revenge?!” Alexis’ behavior was exasperating. The previous night events had frayed Tami's nerves to no end,and she didn’t need her adding to it. “I love you, but I need you to hear me when I say I don't have time for your conspiracy theories. These are the facts, I lied to my husband for months, I’ve committed hideous and unforgivable acts behind his back, and now he’s gone.” Tami sat in the chair in front of her vanity. She rubbed her fingers through her hair, removing a rubber band. She grabbed her hairbrush and silently brushed her hair into a ponytail, it helped settle her nerves. As she continued to brush her hair, she glanced at Alexis’ reflection in the mirror. She was watching her every move. “I need time alone. So, if you don’t mind I will talk to you later,” Tami said, flatly.
Alexis continued to sit with her arms crossed. “I’m not moving an inch until you hear what I have to say. Ramona is not the person you think she is.”
Tami forcefully pushed her chair back from the vanity and stormed out of the bedroom towards the stairs, she couldn’t bear to listen to her anymore. “Michael is Ramona’s father!” she blurted. Tami slowly turned and faced Alexis. “What did you say?”
“You heard me right. Dr. Pennington is Ramona’s father.”
Tami allowed Alexis words to penetrate before speaking. How is that possible? She doesn’t recall him having a daughter named Ramona. He always referred to her as Angel. Could’ve it been a nickname? He always called her his angel when they spoke and she never heard him refer to her by any other name. “Michael had a daughter locked away in juvenile detention. He was distraught about it and I told him it was time for him to contact her.”
“That daughter is Ramona. The one who has gone through a lot of trouble to turn your life upside down.”
“Where did you hear this?”
“Tim.” Alexis relayed everything Tim had told her. She started with the blackmail and ended with Ramona wanting to right a wrong she believes Tami had committed. After hearing the truth about Ramona and what she’s done Tami was speechless. It was disturbing to think she had befriended someone who hated her and who purposely entered her life to destroy it.
“What are you going to do?” asked Alexis.
“At this moment? Nothing.”
“Nothing?”
“I can't allow myself to think about Ramona. It’s a shock to hear she's not who I thought she was. But, my marriage hit rock bottom last night and my nerves can only handle one problem at a time.”
“Why are you taking this so lightly?”
“I’m not. Do I want to confront Ramona about her lies and what she’s done? Of course! Despite the anger I have towards her, what’s most important at this moment is my husband.”
Alexis shook her head in a disapproving manner. “I'll call you later,” she mumbled, hugging Tami goodbye.
She watched her friend walk out of her bedroom and eventually out the front door. Later that day, her mother returned from a physical therapy session. Tami met her mother in her room, crying uncontrollably as they sat together.
“Don't...cry...baby,” said Carol, struggling to speak each word.
“Mom! That was a full sentence!” she exclaimed, wiping her eyes. “This is incredible!” Tami hugged her mother. “I guess you heard Josh and I fighting last night.”
“Yes.”
“I messed up, mom. I'm not sure I can fix this.”
“Do...you...love...him?”
“Very much.”
“Does...he...love...you?”
“I believe so.”
Her mother didn’t speak another word, she only smiled. No other words were necessary Tami understood what she was trying to tell her. She wasn't confident that love could fix the mess she’s made. Tami watched a movie with her mother, afterward, she checked her phone for any missed calls. There were none. She swiped through the pictures of Josh with that woman. Viewing them for the second time made her ill to her stomach. But, she needed to conduct damage control and crying herself to sleep wasn’t accomplishing a damn thing. If only she could find where Josh was staying. She zoomed in on a white hotel robe in the picture until she could make out the words embroidered on the outside. Parisian Hotel. Tami looked up the hotel on the internet, she called every location in the Houston area until she found the right one. He was at the downtown location and the front desk offered to ring his room, but Tami declined. She had to handle this in person. She showered, change, and made her way to Josh to repair what she had broken.
CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT
When Ramona returned home from Josh's hotel room last night, Nick was not home. So, it surprised her to find him snoring next to her the following morning. She debated with herself if she should wake him because she wasn't in any mood to deal with all his back and forth. After much consideration, she woke him in the most deserving way. She put on her pink silk robe, walked to the kitchen, fill a glass pitcher with cold water with ice cubes, walked back into the bedroom and emptied the entire pitcher on his face.
“Wake up!” she shouted.
Nick jumped up and wiped the water away from his face. “What the hell is wrong with you?” Ramona placed the pitcher down in the bathroom and grabbed a towel for him to dry off.
“What are you doing here?” she asked handing him the towel. He snatched it from her hand. “Last time I checked, this was my house!” he snapped.
“And the last time I checked, you left me to be with your wife!” exclaimed Ramona.
“I did not leave you to be with Lauren. You know I had to handle an important matter.”
“I can't live my life on the fence waiting for you to do what’s right! Un
til then, you can't be here.”
Nick tugged at Ramona's robe to pull her towards him, but she slapped his hand away. “I'm serious, you need to leave.”
“Come here,” he said in that seductive tone she loved. She watched as he removed his wet shirt revealing his muscular six-pack. “Before you kick me out of my house, there’s something I have to tell you.”
He sat shirtless on the dry side of the bed. She didn't resist when he pulled her forward, placing her on his lap. “Last night you made me realize that I had to reevaluate the arrangement I had with Lauren. So, I left to speak with her about it and I made my choice.” He placed his hand underneath her chin and tilted her face upward. He gazed into her eyes. “You're the one I want to be with.”
Ramona let out a half smile. “She wants a divorce, huh? There is no way you outright chose me.”
“No, you're wrong. I explained to her that our arrangement was no longer working for me. We mutually ended our marriage.”
Ramona excitedly threw her arms around him. “I don’t care about the details if it means we finally get to be together like a normal couple.” They removed each other's clothing and made love on the water-soaked bed. Ramona heard her phone alert her of a received text message but she ignored it to relish in her happiness. Everything was finally going the way she planned. She checked off each item mentally in her head. First, she has decimated Tami's marriage. Check. Second, she drove a wedge between the two bitches, Tami and Alexis. Check. Third, she finally had her man to herself. Double check. Life was finally going her way, yet it still wasn’t enough. One item remained unchecked on her list. A life for a life. Tami's life for the one she’s taken.
After Ramona showered, she checked her text messages, there was one from an unknown number that said We have a matter we must settle, meet me at 527 Hendricks Road at 2 pm, tell no one. Alexis. “Alexis?! How did that annoying bitch get my number?” Ramona mumbled to herself. She wasn’t about to meet her in an unknown place. She text her back telling her she would meet her at seven pm in front of her apartment complex, LaVista Terrace. She didn't give a second thought to why Alexis wanted to meet. She intended to make her wish she never involved herself in other people's business.
Shattered Lives (The Shattered Series Book 1) Page 21
