Page 17 of The Seven Month Itch
It wasn’t uncommon for Terrence to see Madison after he started working with high-profile clients. They didn’t run into each otherallthe time, but it was enough to make me uncomfortable and insecure. To his credit, he was transparent. He never put himself in a situation where the two of them were alone,and he never proactively reached out. Or so he said.
I steel my spine and stare through Madison’s eyes, straight into her soulless heart. “I’m glad he found your room after he came by mine.”
That’s right, witch. Two can play this game.
I don’t need to emphasizemine. My little revelation catches her off guard. Her poker face folds, and her jaw tightens.Didn’t see that one coming, did ya?
Who cares if it was a coincidence?
“Oh. I didn’t realize.”
The temptation to tell Madison her mother should’ve swallowed her grows with every second of this standoff. But I won’t allow myself to sink into the gutter, no matter how much she tries to pull me down. She won’t get that power over me. I want to choke Terrence, but I’ll pocket the urge for now.
“You see, Madison”—I step closer, my hands in fists behind my back—“Terrence and I might be separated, but wearen’tdivorced.” I save theyetto suffocate any hope. “He’s still myhusband. I know you’reso eagerto try and take him, but there’s a reason you never had his last name. Desperation is not a good look on you and hasn’t been for fifteen years. It’s time to move on. We’re too old for this.”
Justice: 1. Madison: 0.
Emma folds over in laughter, oblivious to the icy stare aimed her way. Madison is now the one with a vein threatening to burst through her neck. “You of all people have the nerve!”
In true bestie fashion, Em doesn’t miss a beat. “You’re right.” She raises her hands in surrender. “I’m just sad you missed lunch. No worries. Justice still has a few crumbs on her plate for you to make a meal. We all know how much you love her leftovers.”
We link arms and exit the restaurant. This isn’t the last time we’ll face off on this trip, I’m sure of it.
“I’m so proud of you for sticking up for yourself, Jay.”
We’re back in our suite on the sectional near the fireplace, a bottle of merlot and two glasses between us. The Madison encounter replays in my head, along with Terrence’s unexpected visit this morning.
“Did you know she was here?” The question comes out soft. Gone is the adrenaline. In its place, uncertainty lines the pit of my stomach. The answer terrifies me, but I need it.
Emma looks down at her glass and takes a breath. “There was someone last night who looked like her.” She sips her wine. “I’m sorry, Justice. I wasn’t sure, and the last thing I wanted was to put you on high alert with Terrence here. I know how much you questioned your marriage because of her, and I didn’t want history to repeat itself.”
I cut her a weak smile and sink back into the cushion. She’ll do anything to protect me, and I’m not about to give my best friend the silent treatment for it.
Still, this hurts.
“I need to get used to him dating…even if it’s her.”
“Do you still love him? I know we swept this conversation under the rug, but now might be a good time to revisit it, given the circumstances.”
I breathe out the air in my lungs to ease the pain straining against my chest. I loved that man with my soul. The hardest decision I ever made was to leave him. It’s one I still question to this day, but I needed to do it for myself.
Terrence and I married right after college. We were young, in love, and naïve about the pressures that come with “I do” in the form of friends and family who bombarded our love life.When are you having kids? Do you think you’ll get pregnant on your honeymoon?
Is it okay for me to enjoy his dick without strings?
Emma and Miles were the only people who didn’t want play-by-play updates on my uterus. I always wanted to be a mom, but not at the expense of my career. So we packed up what little we had and moved to Austin for a job that was too good to refuse.
Terrence supported me without hesitation and worked on his business while I found my feet in the marketing world. The decision to hold off on kids was a no-brainer. He didn’t want us to struggle like his mother did when he was little, and I had time to make a name for myself in my mid-twenties. But, despite our best efforts to stick to our timeline, life had other plans.
After the second miscarriage, I didn’t want to try again. It felt like my body failed me every time we tried to bring life into this world. Couple that with two years in conception mode, and I was beyond repair. Wrecked. Broken.
Family gatherings morphed into pity parties. Between my parents’ excitement about the prospect of their only child having babies and Terrence’s family—with enough cousins to fill a CVS receipt—I shut down. We considered IVF and adoption, but all of that went out the window as his business became more successful. Terrence took every opportunity to get away from me. The constant reminder of why he wasn’t a father.
Was I that much of a disappointment?
Toward the end of our marriage, Terrence became a memory of the man I loved. I lost the husband who wrapped me in his arms and told me it would be okay. The one who ended business trips early if he’d spent too much time away. He grew more distant at home but was a different person around others.
How could Inotquestion if there was someone else?
