Falling Apart (On Hold)

Prologue

Copyright © 2012 Tavita Khan

All rights reserved

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Hey guys, this is a new story I'm writing. :) Hope you guys like it. It's kind of different to what I've been trying to write, but I'm going to go for it. But it's also kind of similar, too, because there will be lots of pain in this story, too. :/ I guess I"m just good at writing emotional things.

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I was panicking, my breath coming in heavy pants as I watched him shove clothes into a suitcase, face masked with firm concentration. He wasn't even bothering to fold his shirts and pants, just put them in carelessly, working quickly. When the case was full, he zipped it shut, then hauled another one out, going through the exact same motion as before.

Tears streamed down my face and dripped down onto the wood paneled floors. "Cash, please," I pleaded, my voice hoarse and raw from crying and begging. "Please, just rethink your decision." I hesitated, but then took a few steps into our bedroom.

Cash straightened up and mirrored my movements, shifting back. His actions added to the pain that was threatening to overwhelm me. "Tessa," he said, trying his best to keep his voice as gentle as possible even though I could hear the obvious irritation in his undertone. "I've already thought this through. I've thought this through for months."

"You can't leave, Cash," I wept. "You can't just pack up and leave your wife and son, just like this." The tears blurred my view of him, but I could make him out shaking his head and beginning to pack again. "Cash, I love you. Please!" I choked on a sob.

 "Tessa, I've already talked to the lawyers," he said simply. I took in a staggering breath feeling like he had just punched me in the gut and stumbled back. "You can have this house, have the kid and I'll send you money every month. We'll have a clean divorce and you can move on," Cash told me, zipping up his second suitcase. From the walk-in closet, he pulled out a duffel bag and put in the rest of his clothes he had left in the closet.

I rubbed at my eyes, but the tears were like a flood, refusing to stop flowing. "Tanner is only two months old, Calvin," I cried, calling him by his given name. "He deserves to know his father. He doesn't deserve you leaving us now, leaving him," I gasped, trying to hold onto a reason, any reason for him to stay. "Cash, I love you. What about this past year? How could you forget them? How could you forget that you loved me so much just a few weeks before?"

Cash stopped and turned around. The look he gave me stilled and chilled me to the bone. "Tessa," he started, his voice like ice. "I'm going to be honest with you because I haven't been for a long time," he said softly.

My heart began to pound. "You've been cheating on me, haven't you? This is what it's about. There's someone else." I gripped my hair. "How could I not have noticed?" Then I began to cry again, only harder, almost doubling over.

The footsteps came closer until I could see Cash's shoes in my view. "This marriage was a joke, Tessa. I never really loved you, goddamnit! No, I haven't cheated on you. God, I couldn't even if I wanted to. I did take consideration of my vows," he yelled, angrily.

"What do you mean?" I whispered, my lower lip trembling. How could he refer to our marriage as a joke? And how could he have lied about all those beautiful words he'd whispered to me, those loving touches? How could he have faked that gentle, caring look that was always in his eyes when he looked at me?

"My grandmother wouldn't give me my inheritance until I married and stayed married for at least a year," he explained, impatiently. Whipping his head around, he glared at me. "I didn't want to get you pregnant! I just got carried away and forgot to wear a condom, but I'd thought you'd be on the pill."