Love Prevails

Name-Calling

That evening, after the children had gone to sleep, Steven confronted Camilla regarding her meeting with the Hemmingways.

"Camilla, I don't know what you are doing, but having lunch with the Hemmingways is just unacceptable!" he shouted at her.

"Why is that?" she asked, "it was a meeting I had to attend."

Being in the realty business, Camilla often went to a luncheon with prospective clients in order to seal a deal for the sale of a property. This meeting would seem to be no different. However, this was during her leave.

"Steven, I am on leave, yes, but if a client needs to have a meeting regarding property, I will still take time and meet with them!" she bit back, "what is your issue anyway?" questioning his judgement.

"I don't like the idea of you meeting with those people!" he stated.

"Are you jealous?" she asked sarcastically, "that's very rich, coming from you!"

Camilla was dying to open up her can of worms but held her tongue because she knew her time would come.

Steven looked at her, "she has changed so much from being that quiet-yes-type person to someone who had no fear left in her," he thought to himself and responded.

"No, I'm not jealous, but you have no right to just go to meetings with men!" he yelled, "You're acting like someone who has no responsibilities. You're acting like a slovenly woman! A woman without respect for herself or her family!"

Camilla sat there and laughed.

"The audacity of this man!" she thought.

"Steven, who do you think you are to accuse me of such things? I have never once cheated on you or given you a reason to suspect anything!" her calm tone became more intense, "people who accuse others of such things are usually doing this to hide their own guilt!"

She let out a laugh.

Her laugh infuriated Steven further, and her words hit straight to his core. Camilla was so right in what she had said, but he wasn't about to admit to her his own indiscretions.

"You acting stupid!" he yelled, "You! I'm going out!"

"Fine, when things don't go your way, runaway like always, just remember my words to you. What goes around comes around, and when it does, it comes around full circle!" she raised her voice in harshness.

Angered by her outright blatant disregard for him as her husband, he walked towards her and landed a flat blow, that her head hit the wall.

Without saying another word, he picked up the keys and walked out. His anger was raging inside him.

As he was driving, he texted Tamara and let her know he was on the way. Tamara was ecstatic as she hadn't expected to see him until Saturday, and today was only Thursday.

On arriving at Tamara's, he was met by her in lingerie.

"Wow," he smiled, throwing his arms around her and wistfully tracing his hands across her body while landing a long, hard, passionate kiss on her lips. They didn't even care that they were in full view of anyone and everyone who wanted to be inquisitive.

Realizing they were still in the doorway, Steven, still holding onto her while kissing her, walked her backwards into the house and closed the door.

Once inside, Tamara asked, "And, what did my wretched cousin have to say?"

Steven related what happened back at their place. "She's such a cow!" Tamara said.

"Let's not worry about her now," he responded, pulling her onto his lap for an early appetizer.

Back at home, Camilla put an ice pack on her face. Her face was swollen from the impact of the smack she'd received from Steven. She had also taken a painkiller for the headache. She could feel the lump on her head. After the swelling started to subside, Camilla went to sit down and looked at her phone.

There were a few text messages.

Bradford: Hi Camilla, thank you for your proposal and lunch today. Grandpa and I are super excited to have you come on board in the next few weeks.

Camilla responded: It was a pleasure.

Bradford asked: Listen, I'm going to be getting your office ready in the next few weeks. Tomorrow though, I'm going to pick out your office furniture. Would you like to come with me?"

Looking the way she did, Camilla sadly declined. She didn't want others to see her with bruises or swelling.

Bradford sensing was wrong asked: Are you okay?

Camilla: I will be in a day or two.

Bradford couldn't understand why he had the urge to want to hold her and make everything all better. He knew something was wrong, but it wasn't his place to say or do anything. He also wanted to go over, but he thought better of it, fighting his desire just to be in her presence.

After ending her conversation with Bradford, she saw a message from Michelle.

Michelle: Hey girl, listen, I saw Steven's car outside Tamara's place. When are you going to throw this man to the curb?"

Michelle was very concerned for her friend. She deserved so much better.

Camilla: Michelle, just wait and see. In a few weeks, everything will be revealed.

Michelle and her chatted for a while, and she told Michelle her plan with the Hemmingways.

Michelle: Oh my goodness you and the Hemingways!

Michelle was immediately, super excited for her best friend.

Camilla didn't want to reveal anything to anyone, but she knew Michelle would always have her back. They had been best friends since they were three years old. They had been through everything together. Michelle was the one person she trusted more than life itself.

Later that evening, Steven came home. He went to the room and went to lay down. From the bedroom, he shouted for Camilla to come into the room. Camilla walked into the room and stood in the doorway. It had been a while since she had lain in the bed next to her husband. It had been so long since they had even been intimate.

"Camilla, you will not go to the Hemmingways again. Do you hear me!" he said forcefully.

Not wanting to be submissive any longer, Camilla put her foot down, "No Steven, business is business, end of story!" she challenged him.

Jealousy raging through him, not because he wanted her, but rather, he wanted to own and control her.

"You're acting like a Jezzabel!" he yelled.

His name-calling was his way of hurting her so that he could feel better about what he was doing behind her back.

"I don't care what you say," she said quietly but firmly, "after all, I know I am innocent."

Her comebacks towards him were her way of defending herself.