What We Deserve

Part 50: The Return

"Baby?" Max softly says as I stand there frozen in anger as I witness this gorgeous woman sitting at my dining room table with a sweet smile on her face and seemingly not understanding my frustration. "Helen..."

I look at Max and I want to scream and break his face off the kitchen table.

"Mummy?" Zep touches my cheek and Luna looks at me funny.

"Mummy o-tay?" My legs are quite literally shaking and I feel as though I've been hooked up to an electric fence while some keeps turning the breaker on and off- sapping me painfully.

I set the kids down after giving them kisses and I can't even look at Max. I just shake my head a few times and breathe heavily.

I turn and I head upstairs without a single word to anyone. I climb the stairs and shut the bedroom door behind me. My heart pounding in my chest harder than ever before and I feel I may quite literally have a heart attack if it keeps up. I hear Max coming up the stairs and I wish I had the strength to just shove him down them. He opens our bedroom door and I just stand there're staring at myself in the vanity for a few moments.

I look over my entire body. From head to toe.

I look beautiful and stunning.

Slim frame.

Make up done beautifully.

Hair perfect as always.

"Helen."

The shaking is still coursing through my body and the next movement I perform is one that surprises not only myself, but Max. Going to the bed, I kneel down and grab out a suite case of mine.

"Helen- what are you doing?" I ignore him and go to the closet. I begin taking out my own clothes and slowly begin folding them into nice piles to place them in the suitcase. "Helen- stop...can you just stop? Talk to me?"

"What's there to talk about?"

"There's so much we need to talk about." I quickly turn and look at him with raised eyebrows- finding his agitated and slightly confused face irritating beyond measure.

"No, I don't think there is. I am far from stupid Max—though I have no doubt you believe I am...amongst other things."

"I don't think your stupid. I would never say that about you."

"Well...I am stupid, Max. Very stupid."

"Helen, just stop doing that." He removes my clothes from my suit case and I just put them back in. "Stop. Stop! Look at me! Helen look at me!"

He holds onto my shoulders and shakes me slightly to jar my eyes up to him.

"Don't touch me! Don't you dare lay a hand on me!" I slightly yell and point a finger at him. He releases me quickly. "It's one thing if you're fucking someone behind my back for God knows how long! It's another thing to bring that person into our house with our children and expect me not to be pissed off about it. You should count yourself very lucky that I am a decent minded person and am kind enough to remove myself from the situation instead of make a God damn bloody scene!"

"What the hell are you talking about, Helen?!" He acts stupid and I just flip. I lose it for a moment- whipping a heel at his face- that he dodged and lets it hit the closet door. "Helen!"

"I bloody heard you this morning Max! I heard you speaking with her in your office! About very personal and intimate things! Here I told Lauren that you couldn't possibly be seeing someone else because you would never do that to some you cared and respected...but I suppose I was wrong because here we are. So what?! What's the next move- Dear?" He swallows hard and then shakes his head and sighs, before he starts laughing.