Page 14 of Fault Lines
When he’d gone, I let my forehead drop to the countertop and just stayed there, trying to memorize the way the world felt, because everything was about to change.
∞∞∞
Rachel swept through the door around noon, a bottle of wine dangling from one hand.
“I’m not sure I can keep up with you today,” I said, clutching my stomach. “Still recovering from last night.”
She grinned as she walked into the living room and set the bottle on the coffee table. “So? What did Cam say when you confronted him? Did he cry? Grovel? Did you threaten divorce and he begged you to stay with all his money?”
I managed a laugh and sank onto the couch. “Worse, actually.”
“Worse how? What’s worse than cheating?”
“It wasn’t cheating,” I said. “He… he wants to open our marriage.”
She stared at me a good three seconds before exploding. “WHAT? You’re kidding.”
“Nope,” I said, resting my head on the back of the couch. “I wish I was.”
The silence between us was heavy. Finally, I huffed and got up. “On second thought, maybe I do need wine.”
Rachel looked delighted. She twisted the cap off her grocery store bottle (of course she’d choose a screw top), and poured us each a glass.
It smelled like syrup but I didn’t care; I downed mine and poured another.
“Slow down, Livi—I’ll have to coax you off the ceiling.”
“Just trying to survive.” I slumped back, glass in hand. “It’s been… hell.”
Rachel sipped. “So, what’s the story? Why an open marriage?”
“He says flirting with women makes him feel alive. He thinks sleeping with others will somehow get him back to his old self.”
Rachel looked unimpressed. “That’s the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard. Maybe he just wants to screw around.”
I almost laughed. “You’re probably right. I don’t know if it’s some kind of early midlife crisis or what. But I feel trapped. If I say no, I honestly think he’ll just cheat. So it’s either agree, or divorce him.”
Rachel nodded, thinking this through. “You don’t want to divorce him.”
“No, but I also don’t want this.”
She took another drink. “It means the marriage is open both ways, right? Like—you could see other people?”
I shrugged. “He knows I wouldn’t.”
Rachel grinned at me. “Maybe you should try it. You’ve only ever been with Cam. Who knows—you might end up liking the options.”
I shook my head, thinking about it for only a second. “I’m not wired that way. I need… connection. I’ve never wanted someone just for a night.”
She shrugged. “If you go through with it, you ought to keep your options open. Gives you leverage, at least.”
“He told me to make a list of rules. Non-negotiables, basically.”
Rachel perked up. She darted into the kitchen and came back with my shopping list notebook and a pen. “Okay, rule one! If you even decide to go through with this, I mean.”
I slumped on the couch. “I don’t even know where to start.”
“No kissing?” Rachel said.
