Page 10 of Pieces Into Place

“I’m trying to,” she whines, wringing her hands together. She takes a deep breath and continues. “I met someone and feel like we have a real chance to make things work.”

She met someone…while I was away.

It’s so cliche that I almost laugh. Almost. Soldiers talk about this situation all the time. It’s a tale as old as time. A soldier leaves, and their significant other replaces them while they are off, risking their lives in some remote corner of the world. I just never in a million years imagined it would happen to me.

Suddenly, adrenaline gives me strength I didn’t possess twenty minutes ago. I stand up and turn to face her. She’s still sitting on the bed, crying as she rips my heart out.

“You never had a problem with me being gone before,” I say flatly.

“I tried to make the best of it,” she weeps. “But I missed you constantly.”

“Tell me about this relationship,” I demand.

“What?” she asks, her eyebrows drawn together in confusion.

“Have you slept with him?” My tone is accusatory, but I already know the answer. I’m just waiting for her to confirm it.

“Kane-” she starts before I cut her off.

“Are you in love with him? Are you just having sex because you’re lonely? What is the situation, Kathrin?”

She stares at me blankly, effectively answering my questions tacitly.

“So let me get this straight? You missed me so much that you what? Tripped and fell on some guy’s dick and developed feelings for him?” My voice is raised but I can’t control it. This is too much.

Kathrin finally meets my gaze, her blue eyes bright with anger. “Don’t be so crass, Kane. That isn’t what happened,” she says sharply.

My jaw clenches in frustration as I yell back, “Yeah, I don’t think you get to act morally superior here, Kathrin. If you’ve been feeling this way for a while, why didn’t you tell me? We could have fixed it!”

She stands up to face me, anger radiating from her posture as she shouts. “Fix it? How would you fix it, Kane? Would you leave the Navy for me? You know that’s never going to happen.”

I stare into her eyes, unable to recognize the woman standing before me. Heartache and anger collide inside me like two ships in a stormy sea. I attempt to reign in my temper but I’m finding it more and more difficult with the news of my best friend’s death and now this.

Kathrin takes a deep breath. “I know what’s happened is difficult. I wish it weren’t like this.”

My voice rises in pitch as I step into her personal space and shout again, “Do you wish we were getting married? Do you wish I had, I don’t know, proposed to you?”

She shakes her head sadly and pleads with me, “Please don’t make this more difficult than it needs to be, Kane.”

Then I remember something my mother had said about how Kathrin hadn’t answered any of her calls or texts recently. With an intense stare, I ask slowly, “How long?”

Kathrin regards me quizzically and remains silent.

“How long have you been fucking me over?” I grit out.

Kathrin shakes her head and takes a step back. “I’m not doing this with you, Kane.”

“Great,” I say sarcastically, throwing my hands in the air. “So when are you moving out of my house?”

She stills and then speaks so softly I can barely hear her. “I moved out last month.”

My eyes widen as her words sink in. “Last month? What about Annie? Is she home alone all of the time?” I ask, with barely contained anger.

Kathrin looks like I slapped her across the face. “No, of course not. She’s with me.”

“So you got a new place and took my dog with you?“ I ask incredulously. I’m so angry I can feel my heartbeat pound in my temples.

“No. I moved in with Ryan.”