Page 36 of Fault Lines
I let out a laugh. “That’s harsh.”
He shrugged, then switched gears. “So, what’s your plan today? Want to tackle the new romance display, or are you in a counter mood?”
I scanned the store. “Honestly, you only really need one of us out here at a time. I can handle the whole place if you want to work on your… real job.” I nudged him gently.
Nate’s face turned thoughtful, his grey eyes serious. “I like it here, Livi. I want to be here.”
I smirked and poked him again. “Well, far be it from me to stop you.”
The morning picked up fast. I moved between customers and setting up the new romance display. There was a big releaseby a local author and people were basically fighting over the books.
I was restocking the table when a petite brunette stomped in, her phone glued to her ear and her voice rising over the shelves.
“I’m going to be late to lunch; I have to get a book for my niece, some new romance she’s obsessed with. Her birthday’s coming up, so crisis averted!”
She hovered by the display, grabbed a book off the pile, turned it over and over like she wasn’t sure. I was about to ask if she needed a hand when she burst out laughing—a high-pitched, delighted sound that startled me.
“Oh my god, yes! I had the best time last night. This guy? Amazing in bed. Super hot. And well-endowed, if you get my drift.” Her voice dipped lower, as if she cared about people overhearing, but I heard it all anyway.
I bit the inside of my lip to keep from laughing. The things people said in bookstores.
“Yeah, it's been going steady for a while now, like two months of non-stop heat.” Another pause. “No, it’s no strings for now, but I’m working on it. He’s in some kind of open relationship, but Becky, honestly, any woman who shares a man like that is delusional. I couldn’t do it.”
I froze mid-reach, a book in my hand. Her words prickled across my skin. Was she—
“Seriously,” she continued, “every Thursday night he’s over, and his girlfriend or wife or whatever just waits at home. He says she’s too in love with him to see anybody else. So obsessed that she lets him fool around while she sits home alone. She must be so weak.”
She looked up and gave me a polite, oblivious smile. And I saw her clearly then. Expensive suit, perfectly styled hair, high heels that made her legs look incredible. She was confident andsharp, probably a lawyer. The exact type I’d always imagined Cam admiring. Of course, I thought. Of course she would look like this.
Suddenly, it all made sense. He wanted a woman like that. Classy, powerful, put together. It didn’t matter that it had been Cam’s idea for me to be a homemaker; now it just felt like he was planning his upgrade. I’d never thought of myself as ugly, not really, but looking at her, it was impossible not to see all the ways I might lack.
A heavy hopelessness settled over me. He was slipping away, and the woman was already digging in her claws. I could see how easily Cam might give in. I believed he loved me but what if she was everything he was missing? She wanted to keep him; she said it out loud. I was barely holding onto him as it was.
I realized I was still hunched over the romance display, staring straight at her. Nate had to take the stack of books from my hands before I noticed he was there.
“Livi?” he said softly, concern clouding his voice. “Are you okay?”
I didn’t answer right away, still caught in the undertow of realization.
“His name’s Cameron,” the woman said at the counter, getting rung up by the night shift employee that had come in early. “Hotshot CEO, downtown office. He thinks it’s just for fun, but I’m playing for keeps, and we both know I always get what I want.”
She actually laughed—a quick, villainous little cackle that made me picture a Disney villain, but this wasn’t a cartoon. Cam had chosen her. He was the one who carved this space out of our marriage so he could see her. I’d agreed. And it was becoming clear this was just the start of something bigger.
I managed a shaky breath. Nate leaned in, voice just for me: “Go take a break in the back. I’ll handle the rest.”
I nodded and slipped away, not trusting myself to even look at that woman again. I made it through the doorway before I totally lost it—the tears came fast and hot, and I ducked between two metal shelves stacked with coffee bean bags, pressing my back to the cool wall. The smell was comforting, earthy and warm. I let myself cry, hard and ugly, hand over my mouth to muffle the sobs. I hated that she was right. I was weak. I should have left the second Cam asked for this kind of arrangement, but I hadn’t. I’d stayed, clinging to shreds of our old life.
The worst part was, even now, knowing how pitiful it made me, I couldn’t bear to leave. The thought of losing him, losing the comfort of his touch, the late-night conversations, the laughter, the warmth of his hand in mine—it was like imagining a world with no air. Every moment with him was precious, even if it was tainted. I knew he was selfish, and I hated the choices he made, but when it was just us, it was almost perfect again.
I slid down the wall until I sat on the floor, arms wrapped tight around my knees, letting the grief run its course. I barely noticed when Nate knelt beside me.
“Livi, what happened?” he whispered, one hand gentle on my arm. “Did that woman say something to you?”
I shook my head, unable to look at him. “No, she… she didn’t do anything.” I stared down, embarrassed by the mess I’d become and the mess I’d made of my marriage.
He eased down beside me. “You don’t have to talk about it, but I’m here,” he said. “No judgement. Friends take care of each other. I hope you know I consider you a friend.”
The confession tumbled out. “She’s sleeping with my husband,” I blurted, voice barely audible.
