Page 35 of The Wife
But it was too late.
Her eyes welled up and I watched as the tears just came rolling down her cheeks even as she scrunched up her face in what could be called nothing less than fury.
“You promised!”
“Ellie…”
“You FUCKING PROMISED!”
“I… this isn’t…”
She ran out of the room and I was about to follow her when I realized I still had to deal with Carol. I ran my hand through my hair and looked back at Carol, not really sure what to say.
She was slowly getting off the counter, about to the reach for the scales she’d knocked off.
“No, don’t touch those. I’ll get them.”
“I’m sorry,” she said. “I thought…you said it was okay that we were doing this.”
“It is. It is okay. We had this rule and she thinks… it doesn’t matter.”
“I think I better go,” she said.
“Yeah, that would be for the best.”
I watched her grab her bag and head out. Heard her stop for her boots and then heard the door close behind her. Once she left I turned and made my way up the stairs.
I knocked on Ellie’s door. “Can I come in and explain?”
“Go away.”
“It wasn’t what it looked like. She came over early for a ride and decided to surprise me with breakfast.”
“Go the fuck away.”
“She didn’t stay the night. I didn’t break any promise. It was just a kiss.”
Which might have gotten out of control. If Carol hadn’t knocked over the scales. If the sound of them crashing hadn’t gotten through to me. Would Ellie have come downstairs to see me screwing Carol on the kitchen counter?
I grabbed my head with both hands and again the fury raged through me. This was not my fault. I was not this guy.
And then it came out. All my anger and rage. All of it spewing up and out. I banged on the door hard.
“You know what Ellie, FUCK YOU! I did this thing FOR YOU! I married you! I kept you out of the foster system.Idid that! I kept your ranch running. I kept your legacy alive for you. I put my life on hold FOR YOU! And now I’m trapped in this fuckingmarriagethat I can’t get out of. I can’t touch you. I can’t fuck anyone else. And I’m the bad guy. Always guilty. Always doing something wrong no matter what I do. No matter why I’m doing it. And I fucking hate you for that! Can you hear me behind your locked door, Ellie? I hate you for that!”
* * *
Ellie
“And I fuckinghate you for that! Can you hear me behind your locked door, Ellie? I hate you for that!”
I couldn’t even cry. The breaths were coming so fast.
Jake hated me. Jake hated me. Jake hated me.
Then I couldn’t breathe at all. It was like the day of our wedding. I couldn’t handle what I was feeling inside. I knew it. I was going to faint.
What if I died? What if I died because I couldn’t breathe anymore?
