Fae Second Chance

Chapter 23 - The truth will set you free

Chapter 23

Amelia P.O.V.

A little over a week later I am contemplating calling Mr. Johnson.  I am starting to worry that I just got scammed out of $2,000.  As if my thoughts conjured him up my phone at my desk rings.  I answer it and hear a very gruff voice ask for me.

“This is Amelia Smith; how can I help you?”

“Mrs. Smith, this is J. Johnson.  I was wondering if you are available for lunch today to go over my findings?”

Speak of the devil and he usually arrives, my mom used to say, and it appears that it is true.

“Sure, can you come to the business district on 5th street?”

“No problem, noon?”

“Yes, there is a sandwich shop on the corner of 5th and Board.”

“I know the place.  I will see you then.”

Excitement runs through me.  I wonder what he has found out.  I don’t know if I want to find out it is true or if I am making it all up in my head.

I arrive at the restaurant early.  I am watching the door as people walk in.  Finally, an older gentleman walks in.  He is wearing a tight tee-shirt, that stretches across his muscles and plain blue jeans.  His steel gray hair is longer and pulled back in a low ponytail and he has a short grey beard.  He looks rugged but his face is devoid of wrinkles so I cannot place his age.

The gentleman walks up to me and asks if I am Mrs. Smith.  This must be Mr. Johnson.  I was not expecting him to look like this.  I nod and he sits down at the table. 

“It is nice to put a face with the name.”

“Nice to meet you too,” I tell him.

“Well, no reason to beat around the bush.”  He reaches into the messenger bag he had slinged on his shoulder.

“I appreciate that,” I tell him.

He slides a large envelope over to me.  I take a deep breath and pull out a series of photos. The first one shows John and some woman sitting at a café. The next one shows them standing and embracing in a passionate kiss.  The final one shows the woman leading John into what appears to be an apartment building. I look up at Mr. Johnson with tears in my eyes. 

He clears his throat, “I am sorry.  They appear to have stayed in the building for 2 hours.  He then left the building, alone, and went home.”

I stare at the last photo, “Could this be something else?”

Mr. Johnson shrugs, “Maybe, but I doubt it.  I do this a lot; Mrs. Smith and it is more likely exactly what you think it is it.”

I am still staring at the photo and hear Mr. Johnson rummage through his bag.  I look up and watch him slide a piece of paper towards me.  It has an address on it and a time.

“What is this?” I ask him.

“Jessica Tanner has coffee here nearly every day from what I have observed around this time.  Your husband met her twice there.  It was on Tuesday and Thursday night.  He showed up both days approximately one hour later.”

Those were the days he had to work late.  Thinking back on the last few weeks he was always working late on Tuesday and Thursdays.  Truthfully, he is always working late.  Could there be more women?

“He is always working late.  Are there more women?”

“Not that I could find.  The rest of the week he went to a warehouse in the manufacturing district.  There were a lot of cars there, so I doubt that it was liaison.  And the address is not one of the known w***e houses located in the city. I checked; it appears to be a legitimate business.”

I nod.  “Thank you,” I whisper.

“I wished I had better news for you.”  He reaches over and pats my hand.  He looks uncomfortable about this situation.  “If you need anything else you have my number.”  He starts to stand and stops to look back down at me.  “It is better to know the truth.”

I nod and tears keep sliding down my cheek. 

Once Mr. Johnson leaves, I put the photos back into the folder and head back to work.  I am completely useless at the office and finally tell my boss I am feeling like crap around 2 pm.  One look at me and he agrees and sends me home.  As I am shutting down my workstation, I call Jordan and ask if she can meet at the coffee shop near her office.  I am guessing by the tone of my voice she can tell I am upset. 

I am sitting at the coffee shop nursing my drink staring out of the window.  Jordan comes storming in and sit across from me.

“What’s wrong?”

I reach for the envelope out of my purse and hand it over to her. She opens it and flips through the photos. 

“That Bastard!  Do you need help hiding the body?”

I chuckle sadly.  Leave it to Jordan to go straight to bloodshed.

“No, but” I pause not sure if I really want to do this or just accept what I see and move on.

“But what?” She asks c*****g her head at me.

“I know where Jessica is going to be in an hour.”

“Jessica?” Jordan asks.

I gesture to the photos, and I see Jordan eyes light up.

“Do you want to confront her?”

I nod.  “I think I do.  I don’t know why.  I don’t have any idea what I am going to say to her.”

“Hey b***h, why are sleeping with my man?” Jordan shrugs. “Just a suggestion.”

“Will you go with me?” I look up to her and plead.

Jordan reaches over and grabs my hand letting the pictures fall to the table. “Of course.”

I take a deep breath and stand.  Jordan follows suit.  She picks up the pictures and put them back into the envelope, but she puts them in her bag versus handing them back to me.  We turn and leave the coffee house and begin the short walk to the café.

I walk up to the café and feel my heart sinks.  There on the patio sits a very pretty young woman.  She is much younger than me, with stylish blond ponytail and a figure you can only get with youth or plastic surgery.  I walk up to the table and seat myself across from her.

“Hello Jessica.  Do you know who I am?”

She physically gulps and stammers, “Yes, you are John’s wife.”

I smile at her to get her to calm down a bit.  “I am.”

Jessica looks around the café looking for assistance, “What do you want?”

“I just want to talk.”

“About?”

“Has John told you anything about me?”

“Not much.  Just that you are barren.  That he had to marry you for the money and influence your parents have.  That your marriage is just a front.”

I feel a knife slice though my heart at her words.  “I am barren.  But John knew that in college right when we started dating.  He never wanted children.  Has he told you that?”

She just shakes her head looking scared and confused.

“My parents are as middle class as they come.  They have no money or influence, and I thought our marriage was real, but apparently I was the only one.”

Jessica is squirming in her chair looking anywhere but at me. “I didn’t want to break up a real marriage.  He told me it was only a matter time till he asks for a divorce.  He was waiting for the right time.”

Looking at this sad little girl I realize the lies John told her.  I wonder how many Jessicas there were before her.  John was still sleeping with me, and he was sleeping with her telling her that our marriage was just a sham for money and influence.  I have no doubt that he has no intention to divorce me, especially for a childlike Jessica.  I make a decision; I am not mad at her, I feel sorry for her.  If John doesn’t respect our marriage than neither do I and I see no reason to stay in it.

“Don’t worry about waiting till the right time.  The divorce will be happening sooner than he wants.  I just have one question for you, do you love him?”

Jessica actually smiles a little for the first time since I started this encounter, “Yes, I do.”

I nod and get up.  “Good luck to you then.”  She doesn’t know what she is getting into.  Loving John has brought me nothing but sadness.  I lost who I was and what I wanted.  Looking at the younger version of myself with hopes for the man we want John to be instead of the man he is, I am just resigning myself to leave and try to find what I want, what will make me happy.

I turn and start to walk away.  Jessica stands and yells, “Wait.”  I turn and see her reach a hand out to me.  She drops her hand and states, “he said you were a frigid controlling bitch.”  She is looking around trying to find the right words she wants to say, “After meeting you, I don’t think you are.  I am sorry I hurt you.”

Sadly, I smile at her, “I am not mad at you, dear.  We were both taken in by his lies.”

I walk away and meet Jordan who was watching from the building next store.  She turns and walks with me away from the café.

“You handled that better than I would have.  I would have pulled all that fake blond hair out and smashed her pretty little face against the table a few dozen time.”

“Would it have change anything?  My marriage has been over for a while now.  It just took me a little longer to realize it myself.”

“So, what are you going to do now?”

“Do you know any good divorce attorneys?”

Jordan chuckles, “a few.”

“Then I guess I need to find a place to stay and start over.”

“Well, I know of a pretty good guest room with lots of noise and kids running around you can camp out in until you find a new place.”

“Thank you, I think I may take you up on that offer.”

Jordan pulls out her phone puts it on speaker and calls her husband Peter, “Peter, I need you to borrow Brain’s truck and meet me John and Amelia’s apartment now.”

“Why am I bringing a truck to their apartment?”

“Because Amelia is going to stay with us until her divorce is final.”

“What? Why?”

“I will answer all your questions later, but I would like to get her stuff out of her apartment before John gets a phone call from his mistress letting him know the cat is out of the bag.”

Peter is silent for a moment.  “Crap, I will call Brian now and I am calling the apartment building security team.  They will escort you two into her apartment to get her stuff and bring it all downstairs.  Neither of you go off without one of the security team or me, understand?”

“Yes dear, thank you.”

“Thank You, Peter.” I say from beside Jordan.

“Amelia, are you alright?”

“I will be.” I state into the phone.

“Okay I will be there soon.”

Jordan hangs up the phone and drops it into her purse.  “Well, let’s head to your apartment so you can get your things.  So how much of John stuff can I set on fire?”  Jordan asks.

“Damn girl, remind me to tell Peter to never stray.”

“He knows better.”  She smiles at me, “So the fire?”

I laugh for the first time since I received the pictures, “All of it for all I care.”