Page 36 of Deal Takers

“What about the first part of my question, Adam?” I press. “You’d continue being her husband in all the ways that matter? While you and I are still together?”

The sad part is that he seems genuinely perplexed as to why I would have a problem with this. Why I wouldn’t be okay with being the other woman while his wife gets to make a home with him. Have his children. Make love to him.

“Baby, I’d have to keep up pretenses,” he says. “I can’t do anything to make her suspect I’m leaving her until my attorneys have everything together. But that part’s only temporary. You’re the one I want to be with. So much so, I’d be willing to have another kid. With you.”

“Oh, how considerate of you,” I scoff.

“I’m being serious, Rainey. I know how badly you want children. I’m telling you I’m okay with that now.”

I roll my eyes. “Adam, we’ve been talking about children for years.Every single timewe’ve had the conversation, you were adamantly opposed to it. Little did I know that was because you already committed to giving them to another woman.”

“I never wanted children after Parker.” He shakes his head. “I love my daughter, and I’ll love the new one, too, but they weren’t planned. Norah trapped me by purposely getting pregnant.”

I laugh, probably a little too manically. “Here’s an idea, Adam. Don’t have sex with her! That’s a damn effective method of birth control.”

He looks truly confused. “She’s my wife. I can’tnothave sex with her.”

Wow…justwow.

“Let me ask you this. If your daughter was older—if she was Parker’s age—would you be okay with her being in a situation like this?”

He grabs the back of his neck. “No. Of course not.”

“So, then how is it okay for me? For Norah?”

“Because I love you!” he insists. “Norah is a gold digger—always has been. Ineverloved her, and I never will.”

I open the front door. “Please leave now.”

“What? Baby, no.” His eyes narrow as he looks at my left hand. “Where’s your ring?”

“Somewhere on Vine Street.”

His eyes widen. “What?”

“I threw it away when I was walking home from Pistorio’s.”

“That ring cost me twenty-five thousand dollars!” he yells. “And you just threw it away on asidewalk?!”

“Yep. It looks like you just put a roof over some lucky homeless person’s head.”

“I can’t believe y?—”

I open the door further. “Your time’s up, Adam. I’m done listening to your bullshit. I’ve been listening to your bullshit foryears! You’re clearly not getting it, and I’m done trying to make you see how fucked up this is.”

He stands to his full height. “I’m not leaving. We’re not done.”

“Get. The. Fuck. Out,” I say through gritted teeth.

“Rainey, don’t be like this.”

“Fuck you, Adam!” I scream, unable to hold back my anger any longer. My neighbors are probably going to call the cops, but I couldn’t care less right now. “Get the hell out of my house and never contact me again! If you try going after Brody, I will make sure yourwifeknows every dirty detail of youraffairso she can sue you for every penny you’re worth. If you see me at the hospital, you’d better turn the fuck around, or I swear to God, I will cut your balls off and shove them down your throat!”

He blanches and steps over the threshold, but not quite enough for me to slam the door in his face. “Okay, I get it. You need time to cool down. Don’t worry about the ring—I’ll get you a new one. We can resume this conversation later.”

Does he honestly think I give a fuck about the ring?

“I meant what I said. You’re not the only one whoknows how to use a scalpel. Try me, Adam. Just fucking try me.”

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