Page 113 of Checkmate
She felt sick. How often were they fucking for the smell to permeate the house this deeply? “Oh, how disgusting!”
“Yeah… you’ve got it.” Marcus squeezed her arm lightly. “Sorry.”
“But how?” She asked, completely thrown. “I haven't been gone that long! Have they had a break at all?”
“I’m not sure either of us wants the answer to that question,” Marcus said, wrinkling his nose.
He was probably right. Oh, how mortifying this was. Here she was, throwing clothes into a bag to go and sleep on a friend’s sofa, while her husband, who spent the past three days telling her how much he loved and missed her, was having sex with his mistress all over the house she once called home.
At that moment, she hated him.
She hated him for making a fool out of her, for promising her the world and leaving her with nothing. He’d not only tore her heart out but stomped on it and thrown it into the dirt. It wasn’t enough to cheat on her with his fucking secretary. He had to shack up with her in their house and defile it.
“Do you know what I find so fucking sad about all this?” She asked Marcus as she sat on her suitcase to close it. “From what you said, Sophie thinks she’s found her happily ever after with Alex. And he just does not care at all. Can you imagine if she read the things he was telling me the past few days?”
“Let her live in bliss, I say,” Marcus said with a shrug. “More fool her when it all comes crashing down on her.”
“Did you expect them to be together?” Marcus took a moment to answer her question, his fingers paused on a silk blouse.
“Yes.” It was clearly a complete sentence, but Erica could sense he hadn’t finished. She stayed quiet to let him gather his thoughts. “I know it was different for you and Alex. He hadn’t pulled away from you the same way Sophie had with me. She’s tenacious, you know? She knows what she wants, and she doesn’t quit until she gets it.”
“Are you okay? Perhaps I should have come alone.”
“I’m okay,” he said, finally placing the blouse in the open case. “I’m glad I came and saw all this for myself.”
“Yeah, I know what you mean.” She cleared her throat, swallowing past a lump. “They’ve just jumped into a life together.” She picked at a loose thread caught in the zip. “As soon as I found out about them, it was over for me. No going back. But seeing all of this? It’s just cemented that I’m doing the right thing. All doubt is long gone.”
“Over for good?” Marcus asked.
She nodded. “Over for good.”
“Come here, you.” Without waiting for a response, Marcus pulled her to her feet, enveloping her in a warm hug. She buried her face in the crook of his neck and allowed herself the moment. She needed arms around her so she wouldn’t break, and Marcus had strong, warm arms that made her feel safe and secure.
“Thank you,” she whispered against his neck, feeling the subtle tightening of his arms.
“I’d like you both to leave now.”
A low voice broke the silence. It was venomous and unfriendly. Erica looked over Marcus’ shoulder, seeing Alex standing in the doorway of her closet with a face like thunder. In an instant, Marcus pulled her slightly behind him, shielding him from her.
“I’m almost done,” she said. “I think I’ll send Josh and Lottie for the rest.”
“They are not welcome in my home after the stunt they pulled,” Alex said, his lip curling. It was a pity Josh hadn’t caused more bruising when he punched him. “I’ll send them to you.”
“Josh and Lottie will be here, and you’ll let them in, Alex.”
“Or what? You’ll leave me again?” He scoffed. “You’ll take everything in the divorce?
“I don’t want anything in the divorce.” That made him pause.
“Nothing?”
“Absolutely nothing,” she confirmed. “All I want is what already belongs to me. Not the house, not our valuables, not the car you bought. I don’t want any of it.”
“The car was a gift, Erica.”
“A gift I no longer want.” She felt Marcus reach for her hand, offering her reassurance. She took it with a small squeeze she hoped would convey her gratitude, while Alex curled his lips as his eyes caught the gesture.
“Oh. Couldn’t have your new boyfriend feeling inferior, I suppose,” he scoffed, a horrible, smug smirk on his face. “Or did you not get into his financial situation before you got into his bed?”
