Page 97 of Checkmate
In all of their marriage, she had never made him laugh this much. She was the biggest joke ever told. Every word from her stupid mouth made him angrier, sadder. Dejected. He hoped she’d have an explanation. Or, at least, the right words to make him understand why.
What he hadn’t expected was the complete lack of interest she was showing at the moment. Even as she pleaded, her words felt empty. Her weak apology was only because she thought she’d have to find somewhere else to sleep.
“Get your shit and leave.”
“No,” she said, reaching for him again. “I forgave you for Erica, so you can forgive me for Alex.”
He had been wondering when she would bring Erica’s name into this. “What do you mean, forgave me for Erica?”
“Don’t play me for a fool, Marcus. I know you’ve been shagging her.”
He laughed and shrugged. “I know we made you think we were shagging, but no. Unlike you, Erica isn’t a whore.”
“Whatever. Look, just fight for me, Marcus, fight for us. We can get through this.”
“Why would I fight for you when you’ve made it clear our marriage wasn’t worth fighting for? Just go.”
“No.” Her tone was firmer this time, her arms crossing over her chest. “Why should I be the one to leave?”
“Because it’s my fucking flat, for a start.”
“Our flat,” she corrected.
“Mine, bitch. You haven’t paid a penny. And even if you had, I wasn’t the one who cheated. I was here, I was present. You fucked up. You ruined the marriage. You fucking leave!”
“I’m not going anywhere, Marcus. This is my home.”
“Not anymore.”
The two of them stared at one another, neither of them willing to back down. For all his anger, Marcus hated every moment of this fight. For her, she’d lost her meal ticket. He had lost his everything.
He wanted so badly to hug her and fix their marriage. He wanted to tell her he forgave her and always loved her. The urge was so strong that he tightened his grip on the kitchen counter to keep his arms still.
And then an image of Erica’s face swam into the forefront of his mind. A reminder that all was not lost. That there was a life beyond Sophie. A woman who would love him the way he loved her.
This was it for them. Their marriage was over.
Anything less than that, and he was letting her know he would accept her disrespecting him. Nothing would ever change, and if not Alex, he was sure she’d find somebody else to open her legs to.
“I’ll give you half an hour to get your shit together and then I’m calling the cops.” He spoke firmly, calmly. “After that, I’ll arrange something with my lawyer to allow you back in the house to grab the rest of your stuff.”
“Marcus…”
“I don’t know where you’re going to go, nor do I care, but I will need an address to serve you with divorce papers. Make it difficult for me, and my lawyer will wipe the floor with you. Let me save some semblance of my dignity, and I’ll be fair in the settlement.”
“Look, Marcus, please!”
“As one last favour to you, I will give you money for a hotel room for tonight only. Anything to get you out of my home. After that, you’re on your own.”
“Baby, please think about this.”
“Your thirty minutes start now, Sophie. Come on, I’ve got places to be.”
Marcus made a point of glancing at his watch, though he’d never be able to recall the time when asked. Thirty minutes was an arbitrary number he’d pulled out of his ass just to get her moving. He was hoping it wouldn’t come to calling the cops.
“Five minutes already gone,” he warned as she stood there staring at him. He could see the intrigue on her face. She wanted to know where he was going, and once again, he realised just how calm she was, how unaffected. She was standing in front of him, almost challenging him. It was as though she dared him to follow through on his words.
Another stab through his heart confirmed it. She had long checked out of this marriage. Getting caught was an inconvenience to her, nothing more, nothing less.
