Page 16 of The Perfect Marriage

“A toxicology report is being done, and we believe she had drugs in her system, which would explain why she didn’t wake right away. A preliminary autopsy found semen in her mouth, vagina, and anus. There is bruising on her right shoulder, but that appears to have been caused at least a day or two before. She has a couple of small tears in her anus and vagina, which would insinuate rape or rough sex. They found skin under her fingernails,” he finishes. He looks away, then back at me.

I finish jotting down the notes and look at him, “Is that everything?”

“That’s all we have as of now.” Our eyes meet, and I can see that he feels sorry for me. I can see how uncomfortable he is. I can see him questioning why in the hell I am defending Adam. The look I give back is a look of strength and vulnerability. I don’t know why I’m doing this. A loud bang on the glass pulls my attention away from Sheriff Stevens.

Adam is pounding on the other side of the one-way mirror. He seizes a chair and throws it. It bounces off and hits the ground with a thud. He screams and then collapses to the floor in a puddle of anguish.

I turn back to Sheriff Stevens. My mouth drops open and my eyes widen. I’ve never seen Adam react like that. I’ve never seen him do more than raise his voice. I’ve never seen him this enraged. Maybe he could be violent.

He comes across less like a confused man in the wrong situation, and more like a wild animal backed into a corner, capable of anything to claw its way out. I see a fire in Adam’s eyes that I didn’t know existed. To be honest, before this moment, if someone had asked me if I thought Adam was capable of murder, I would have quickly said no. Deep down, I thought he was a bit of a pussy. But now I see that I was wrong. Lurking beneath the surface is something else, something more.

“I need to see my client.”

Sheriff Stevens nods. “Just so you know, we just got a warrant to search both homes and pull DNA. We’re also looking at conducting a polygraph test if Adam is cooperative. But I’ll give you some time to speak to him.”

“Okay.” I stand up and collect my things. Before I pull the door open, I turn back to the sheriff. He is inches from me, and I can feel the warmth of his breath. “Thank you, Sheriff Stevens.”

He gives me a nod and tells me that he’ll be outside the room and that he’ll send someone in for the DNA testing in twenty minutes. I close my eyes and take a deep breath, reassuring myself that I can do this.

12

Adam Morgan

The door opens, and I pull myself off the floor and stand up. As soon as I see her, I almost collapse again. She’s beautiful. Dressed in a black pencil skirt that hugs her hips in all the right ways, a white form-fitting blouse and a tailored jacket. Every strand of her blond hair is in place, wrapped in a bun at the nape of her neck. As per usual, her pouty lips and green eyes draw me in, and it’s her eyes that almost cause me to lose it. They’re slightly red, and there’s a small smear of black mascara. She’s been crying. I’ve never seen her cry. What the fuck did I do?

“Sarah. I’m so sor—”

She holds up her hand stopping me. She gestures me to take a seat in the most formal of ways. I pick up my chair from the floor and place it upright. There’s no sense in arguing. I didn’t kill Kelly, but I did cause this. I caused all of this. I take a seat, folding my hands in front of me and hanging my head.

Sarah takes a small breath and approaches the table, her black heels clicking along the floor. Everything she does is with purpose. She is trying to hold it all together. She sets her bag down on the table and pulls out her chair slowly. With complete composure, she takes a seat. She runs one hand over her hair and takes another small breath. Her eyes are the same eyes I’ve always looked at, but she’s looking at me as if she doesn’t know me. Her gaze dances around me. She’s assessing me, questioning me. She’s treating me like I’m… a client.

“Sarah.” There’s a little aggression in my voice. I don’t mean it, but I don’t like the way she’s looking at me. How can she even question that I would do something like this? How can she act like she doesn’t know who I am? I’m her husband.

She pulls out a notepad and a pen. She sets them on the table, neatly, parallel to one another. She places her hands on her lap and looks directly at me. “Adam.” She pauses. She’s choosing her words with care, and I don’t know why she can’t just talk to me.

“Sarah. I didn’t do this. I didn’t kill her, I swear it. I couldn’t do it. I was sleeping with her, but I would never hurt her—you have to believe me,” I plead while fighting back tears.

She doesn’t flinch. She doesn’t react. “Okay.” She jots down a couple of words. Her eyes well up. She swallows hard. She’s so strong, and I’m the one breaking her. I’m supposed to be the one protecting her. Her chest rises and falls.

“Sarah, I love you. I love you so fucking much. I just want this to be over. I want things to go back to the way they were. I want to start a family with you. I want to be with you and only you. I’m an idiot, and I should never have cheated. I know that, and I promise I will spend the rest of my life making it up to you—just as soon as this is all over. I swear to fucking God.” I grab her hand wanting her to show me some sort of emotion, wanting her to love me, wanting her to yell at me or hit me or something. I need her to be mad at me. I need her to cry. I need her to tell me she loves me. I need her to hold me. I need her to tell me everything is going to be okay.

She pauses. Her hand is warm, but her eyes are cold. She’s hurting, and I don’t blame her. She pulls her hand away. “Adam, I need you to understand, I am here as your lawyer, not your wife.”

I stare at her in disbelief. “Why are you defending me? After what I did to you?”

“Because when I said ‘til death do us part’ I meant it and I’m the only person that has any chance in hell of getting you off.” There’s ice in her voice and rightfully so.

I drop eye contact. I can’t look at her. How could I do this? How could I get us to this point? “I’m sorry.” I let out a soft sob.

She puts pen to paper and gives me a stern look. “I need you to tell me everything… every single detail. Do not leave anything out. Do you understand?”

I nod. I don’t know how I’m going to do this. I should just tell her that I’ll get a different lawyer, but she’s right—she’s the best, and she’s my only shot at getting out of this. From what Deputy Hudson told me, the evidence is stacked against me. He said I’ll for sure fry, and he’ll be happy to see me pay for this crime. They’ll find my semen in Kelly. They’ll find my fingerprints and DNA all over her. They’ll discover texts and phone calls and meet-ups that go back over a year.

“When did you two first meet?”

“About a year and a half ago.”

“And how did you meet?”

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