Page 33 of The Hotel Room

James’s head snapped up, frowning.

“Are you kidding me right now? I’m trying to fix things, Nick. I’vedone everything. I explained. I told her it was a mistake. I’m providing for the kids. She’s the one acting like the marriage is already dead. It’s not fair.”

Nick exhaled, shaking his head slowly. “James, listen to yourself.She’s punishing me?Come on. You cheated on her, man. You don’t get to play the victim here.”

James’s jaw tightened. “I’m not playing the victim. I’m just saying—how long am I supposed to keep begging? At some point, she has to let it go, right? One mistake—one—shouldn’t erase seventeen years of marriage. It shouldn’t be enough to destroy our family.”

Nick was quiet for a long moment, his gaze narrowing like he was measuring his words carefully.

Then, he leaned forward, elbows resting on the table.

“You’re missing the point, James.”

James blinked, frowning.

“Look, I get it. You’re hurting. You’re scared. But this whole thing you’re doing—trying to dictate the outcome? Trying to gether to stay because you think it’ll just…fix itself? That’s not how this works.”

James shook his head, the frustration bubbling under his skin. “I’m trying to keep our family together.”

Nick gave him a look—one of those old, familiar looks James hated, the one that saidYou’re lying to yourself and you know it.

“No, man. You’re trying to control her. Think about it—she’s staying under your roof, sure, but is she actuallywithyou? Or is she just there for the kids?”

James felt his stomach twist, and he looked away, staring down into the whiskey, watching the amber liquid catch the dim light.

“I thought…” His voice cracked slightly, and he had to clear his throat. “I thought if I could just get her to stay long enough, she’d see we could rebuild. That we could find our way back. That one mistake wasn’t worth—”

Nick cut him off gently but firmly. “You keep sayingone mistakebut it sounds like the only thing you regret is getting caught.”

James swallowed hard, his hands curling into fists beneath the table.

He wanted to argue. Wanted to say Nick was wrong. But he wasn’t.

The silence stretched between them, heavier than before.

Nick sat back again, his own drink forgotten. For a moment, he looked more tired than James had ever seen him—like he was carrying something heavier too.

“I know what it’s like to lose someone. Not like you, maybe. But I’ve spent the last ten years keeping things casual, telling myself it’s easier. That feelings just…get in the way.”

James blinked, surprised. “Nick—”

But Nick shook his head, a bitter smile curving his lips.

“It’s not easier. It’s not better. It’s empty. And now I’m watching you—my oldest friend—tear yourself apart trying to control the damage instead of dealing with the real problem.”

James felt the words hit deep, raw and unrelenting.

Nick leaned closer, voice steady.

“You need to fixyourself, man. Not the marriage. Not the house.You.Or you’re gonna lose her for good.”

James scoffed, shaking his head as he downed the rest of his drink. “I’ve been with Kate for seventeen years. I know how relationships work better than you ever could.”

Nick's expression tightened, the hurt flickering behind his eyes and James looked away, swallowing hard. In the hollow ache beneath his anger, James felt fear.

“You need to fix yourself. Or you’re gonna lose her for good.”

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