Chapter 2
998 Words
I froze on the spot, my fingers trembling.
The water in the bathroom stopped. I put the phone back where I found it and fled to the bedroom in a panic.
I didn't know why I was running. I wasn't the one who'd done anything wrong.
I looked at our wedding photo on the nightstand. Alex in his black-and-red racing suit, leaning in to kiss my cheek. It looked so sweet, so full of happiness.
How could he cheat on me with my best friend?
I pushed the feelings down and went online, desperate to find something, anything. I combed through every platform, every account Alex and Claire had ever touched.
Nothing. Spotless.
Not a single interaction between them. They weren't even following each other.
I was about to give up when a post from a random anonymous account caught my eye.
[I slept with my best friend's husband. Can we ever go back to how things were?]
I clicked on it.
[Every single day, I'm torn between my morals and my desires. It's driving me insane.]
[One is my closest friend. The other is the man I love. What the hell am I supposed to do?]
Most of the comments were tearing the OP apart, calling her a homewrecker with no shame. But a few people took her side, saying she should follow her heart and live in the moment.
A: [The one who isn't loved is the real third party.]
I scrolled down and saw that the OP had pinned her own reply.
[For my best friend, I'm willing to stay in the gutter, watching them be happy from a distance. I won't bother them anymore.]
[This is the last time. Let the fire of my desire burn out all my love.]
Underneath the text was a photo. A white hotel sheet, and two hands clinging to each other for dear life.
I knew those hands better than my own.
The ring on the man's hand was identical to the one on my right finger.
The scar on the woman's hand was from a cigarette burn she'd taken for me back in the day, when some thugs tried to mess with me.
Those hands had once protected me from the storm. They'd kept me safe and happy.
Now they were holding each other behind my back.
That was when Alex walked in.
"Wendy, you're back? Why didn't you say anything?"
He came over with a gift box and handed it to me.
"I got you a Christmas present. See if you like it."
He opened the box. Inside was a miniature gold figurine of the two of us holding hands, with a tiny engraving that read: [Forever Love.]
"Gold prices have been through the roof lately," he said with a grin. "This little thing cleaned out my secret stash. You're gonna have to support me this year."
He wrapped his arms around me, joking around. I pulled away without making it obvious.
I wanted to ask him flat out what was going on with Claire. But then I remembered how evasive he'd been about last night, and I swallowed the words.
"Thanks."
Not "I like it." Not "I'm so happy." Just thanks.
Alex picked up on my mood and figured I was just wiped out from the overnight shift.
"It's Christmas morning. Let's go to the church first, say our prayers, and then you can crash."
"I don't feel like going this year," I said without thinking.
But Alex wouldn't take no for an answer. He grabbed my hand and pulled me toward the car.
"We've done this every year for seven years straight. Christmas morning at the church. It'd feel wrong to skip it."
We hadn't even made it ten minutes down the road when his phone rang. His face went dark. He slammed the wheel and made a U-turn so sharp I nearly hit the dashboard.
"What's going on?" I grabbed the seatbelt.
"Claire's at the racing club placing bets. She said whoever wins the mountain pass race tonight gets to take her home. This is insane!"
He was furious, stomping on the gas. My head snapped back and smacked against the headrest. Stars exploded behind my eyes.
The speedometer was already past one twenty.
"Alex, let me out," I said, my voice rough.
He didn't say a word. He just kept flying down the road, tearing toward the mountain pass, giving me no chance to get out.
The engine roared. Smoke billowed from the tires. Sparks flew off the rear wing.
Life or death, he pushed past one car after another. At a killer S-curve, he kept accelerating. The G-force was so brutal I thought we were going over the cliff.
He wrenched the wheel, pulled off a perfect drift, and took first place.
"Holy s**t, Alex! That was insane!"
The crowd went nuts.
I was dizzy, nauseous, barely holding it together in the passenger seat.
Alex didn't even look at me. He got out, stormed through the crowd, grabbed Claire by the arm, and dragged her off to the side.
I forced my shaky legs out of the car and followed them.
I didn't even have to get close to hear his voice, thick with rage.
"Claire, what the hell are you doing? You think you're some kind of prize to be won?"
Her voice cracked. "I was trying to forget you. That's why I did it. Why did you have to win?"
Alex grabbed her shoulders and kissed her hard.
"I wanted to forget too," he said. "But I can't stand here and watch you throw yourself away."
"What about Wendy?"
Claire pushed at his chest, but they just kept kissing, deeper and deeper.
I stood there and watched. The wind howled down from the mountainside, cold enough to cut through me.
I finally understood. When love reaches its end, it doesn't shatter you with a bang. It leaves you standing silent, like a single blade of grass on a grave.
- Writer
