THE OTHER SIDE
1159 Words
Adrian didn't know that Vanessa had spent the afternoon in a hotel room with his brother.
He didn't know that she had cried in Derek's arms, or that they had agreed to end things, or that she was sitting alone in the dark, her phone in her hand, wondering who she had become.
He knew none of this.
What he knew was Nina.
Her body beneath his. Her voice in his ear. The way she said his name when she thought he couldn't hear her.
He was falling. He had been falling for weeks. And he didn't want to stop.
---
Saturday morning, Nina woke to sunlight and the smell of coffee.
Adrian was in her kitchen, wearing only his boxers, rummaging through her cabinets. He had stayed the night — the first time he had stayed the whole night.
"Find what you're looking for?" she asked from the doorway.
He turned. Smiled. "Mugs. You have seventeen of them."
"I like options."
He held up two — one blue, one yellow. "Which one?"
"Blue."
He poured the coffee and handed it to her. Their fingers touched. Neither pulled away.
"You stayed," she said.
"I stayed."
"Does Vanessa know?"
He shook his head. "I told her I was working late. Then I told her I was going for a drive. Then I stopped telling her anything."
Nina looked down at her coffee. "That's not sustainable."
"I know."
"What are we going to do?"
He sat on her couch. Pulled her down beside him.
"I'm going to leave her," he said.
Nina's heart stopped. "What?"
"I've been thinking about it for months. Before you. Before any of this." He took her hand. "The marriage is over. It's been over for years. I've just been too afraid to admit it."
"Adrian —"
"I'm not saying it's because of you. It's not. You're not the reason I'm leaving. You're the reason I finally have the courage to."
She stared at him. Her throat was tight.
"When?" she asked.
"Soon. I need to talk to a lawyer first. Figure out the logistics. But soon."
She set down her coffee. Took his face in her hands.
"I don't want to be the reason your marriage ends," she said.
"You're not. You're the reason my life begins."
He kissed her. Soft. Slow. A promise.
---
Across town, Vanessa sat at her kitchen table, staring at nothing.
The house was empty. Adrian had said he was going to the office. She didn't believe him.
She thought about Derek. About the hotel room. About the way he had looked at her when he said goodbye.
I'll always love you.
She thought about Adrian. About the receipt. About the woman with the dark hair and the steady hands.
Who is she?
She thought about Nina. The way she had said Adrian instead of Mr. Cross. The way her eyes flickered when Vanessa mentioned his name.
Is it you?
She didn't know. She couldn't prove anything. But she could feel it.
She picked up her phone. Scrolled to Derek's contact.
She wanted to call him. Wanted to hear his voice. Wanted to tell him she had changed her mind, that they didn't have to stop, that she needed him.
She put the phone down.
No, she told herself. You ended it. Let it stay ended.
She poured herself a glass of wine. It was 10 AM.
She drank it anyway.
---
Monday morning, Adrian walked into the office like a different man.
Linda noticed. She didn't say anything — she never did — but her eyes followed him as he passed her desk.
Nina was already at hers. She looked up when he walked by. Their eyes met. Just for a second. Just long enough.
He closed his office door and sat down.
His phone buzzed.
Nina: You look happy.
Adrian: I am happy.
Nina: Me too.
He smiled at his phone like a teenager.
---
Vanessa came to the office at noon.
She didn't call first. She didn't bring dry cleaning. She just walked in, her heels clicking on the marble, her eyes scanning the room.
Linda stood. "Mrs. Cross. Adrian is in a meeting —"
"I'll wait."
She sat in the waiting area, her legs crossed, her hands folded. She watched Nina.
Nina was on the phone, her voice low and professional. She didn't look at Vanessa. But her shoulders were tense. Her hands were not as steady as they seemed.
Vanessa watched her for ten minutes.
Then Adrian's door opened. A client walked out. Adrian followed, shaking hands, saying goodbye. He saw Vanessa. His face flickered — surprise, maybe, or something else.
"Vanessa. What are you doing here?"
"I wanted to have lunch with my husband. Is that allowed?"
He hesitated. "Of course. Let me grab my coat."
He walked to his office. Vanessa turned to Nina.
"You're very good at your job," she said.
Nina looked up. "Thank you."
"I've been watching you."
Nina's expression didn't change. "Is there something I can help you with, Mrs. Cross?"
Vanessa smiled. "No. I just like to know who my husband spends his time with."
Adrian returned. "Ready?"
Vanessa stood. Took his arm.
"Ready."
She looked back at Nina as they walked to the elevator.
Nina was typing, her face neutral. But her hands were shaking.
---
Lunch was quiet.
Adrian asked about her week. She asked about his. They talked about nothing — the weather, a movie they wouldn't see, a friend's upcoming party.
"Vanessa," he said finally.
"Yes?"
"I need to tell you something."
Her heart pounded. This is it, she thought. He's going to tell me about her.
"I've been thinking," he said. "About us."
"Yes?"
He paused. Looked down at his plate.
"I think we should see a counselor. Try to work on things."
Vanessa blinked. "A counselor?"
"I know we've been distant. I know I haven't been present. But I want to try. If you do."
She stared at him.
He wanted to try. He wanted to fix their marriage. While he was sleeping with someone else.
The audacity, she thought. The absolute audacity.
But she didn't say that.
"Okay," she said. "We can try."
He nodded. Looked relieved.
She felt nothing.
---
That night, Vanessa lay in bed, staring at the ceiling.
Adrian was beside her, turned away, already asleep. Or pretending to be.
She thought about his offer. Marriage counseling. A chance to fix things.
He doesn't want to fix things, she thought. He wants to ease his guilt. He wants to say he tried.
She thought about Derek. About the hotel room. About the way he had held her while she cried.
She thought about Nina. About the dark hair and the steady hands and the way she said Adrian like she had the right.
I will find out who you are, Vanessa thought. And when I do, I will destroy you.
She closed her eyes.
She didn't sleep.
- Writer
