Alice put her phone down on the coffee table in the living room after talking to Lindsey and leaned back into the couch, sighing. Just when she thought things were fine between her parents something had to happen, there was no other way with the two of them. It hurt her deeply as a daughter, even if she wasn't a little girl anymore, seeing her parents go through something all the time, them having to fight for their love, for their relationship, that's all she had ever seen since she could remember.
Jeremy joined Alice, taking a seat next to her, his hand moving to rest on her five month pregnant belly. They met in their first year of their studies. It took him some time to find the courage and ask her out and when he did, she was rather hesitant. Alice liked him, a lot. But she was in an on again off again relationship with another guy, even though there had been no love left, she tried to stay loyal to him, as long as they were officially together. When that failed, Alice approached Jeremy herself. They had been a couple ever since.
"How is she?" He asked, seeing the sad look on Alice's face.
"She didn't say much, she just asked me not to tell dad she's here."
"Don't you think he'll come look for your mom here?"
"Pretty sure he will, but I don't think she cares about it much. All she wanted was to be away for sometime, be it a day or a week. I know them, that's as long as it takes. They'll be that madly in love couple again soon."
Jeremy had been long enough in their life, but maybe not long enough. He thought that Alice was probably right, but he wasn't as optimistic at that moment yet. "I don't know... She came here a wreck."
"Yes, I know, I saw the state of her, but I don't want to jump to conclusions. She'll sleep and maybe then she'll open up and explain what happened."
"Hopefully. She's your mother, but she's a wonderful woman and it's tough seeing her so... I don't even have a word to describe her at the moment."
"She seems completely ruined. I wonder what he did to her this time..." Alice trailed off, clutching Jeremy's hand in hers.
"You think it was your father that did something?"
"I'm absolutely sure about. It's always him. I don't understand why he would try so hard to win her back and fuck up again."
"We don't know what happened, maybe you're just blaming your dad for no reason."
"Jeremy, I love you, but I know my parents."
"I know you do, baby, but..."
"No, don't bother. You don't have to defend him. You've been around long enough to know this whole thing is somehow his fault."
He sighed and shrugged, putting his other arm around her shoulders. "I don't want us to start fighting."
"I don't either." She laid her head on his shoulder. "Let's talk baby names instead."
"That I would like to do." He pressed a kiss to her forehead and they started a much more pleasant topic.
~
Stevie lay in bed, staring at the ceiling for god knows how long. She did sleep for a couple of hours at first. She didn't want to get up and go downstairs and face people and be asked questions. She wanted to be swallowed into the ground. She wanted to be gone.
What did I do wrong, she kept asking herself. She couldn't understand why would Lindsey need another woman. He fought for her, he wanted them to get back together, he asked her again and again, when was she going to move back in and they would be a normal family again. The night before she decided that that day would have been today, but now? No. She wasn't going to set foot into that house, she was done. She wasn't going to live with someone, who swore he loved her, then went and slept with someone else. He didn't deserve her. She had made up her mind, Lindsey used up every single chance she had given him, he screwed up and he was going to pay for it. The price being him losing her for good this time. Although, why would he even care? She didn't matter enough to him for him to stay faithful to her, she couldn't think of why he would care if she left him.
Stevie realized that her phone was buzzing, again, the number was unfamiliar, she had a good guess of who was calling her.
"What do you want?"
"How very rude of you to answer a phone call that way, Mrs Buckingham or is it Ms Nicks already?"
"Just tell me why you called."
"I wanted to ask how are you?"
"You can't be serious..."
"No, I'm honestly interested. I don't know how a betrayed woman feels."
"You're a horible person, you know that?"
"Oh please! Don't be so dramatic, though, that's kind of your thing, isn't it?"
"What. Do. You. Want."
"Nothing. I got everything from you already."
"Is that a reference to Lindsey?"
"You catch up quickly."
"You can have him, I wish you all the luck in the world."
"Poor Stephanie... You've lost it. You're old now, you're not wanted anymore. Did he tell you everything? All the details? Did he tell you how he kissed me and said I reminded him of you when you were much younger and still beautiful? Did he tell you how desperately he wanted to fuck me? Did he tell you how he kept calling me by your name? It should bother me, I guess, but it somehow didn't. He might still want you, but the younger you, you know? Younger like me. He can call me anything he wants, but he'll be fucking me. I can pretend, I can put on an act for him, I can be whoever he wants me to be, even if that is a fantasy of you from years ago, I don't care. The satisfaction of having him inside me, is greater than anything. Since I called, maybe you could give me some tips too? I've been with your husband only once, but I plan on seeing him again, so... I want to satisfy him thoroughly. What is his favorite position, mm? I couldn't tell much from last night if he likes to be the one with all the power or does he like to be bossed around a bit? Knowing your history, you must be a pretty damn good cock sucker, I think. I'm sure all those men weren't dating you just because you were a very smart and interesting woman. How do you get him off? Oh well, you're being awfully quiet, Stephanie. But not to worry, I'll call you back!"
The phone slipped out of Stevie's hand as she started crying uncontrollably. She wanted to scream, to throw and smash things, to beat that woman up, to call Lindsey every obscene name she knew, she wanted to drink herself into a coma, she wanted a hit of cocaine, she wanted to not feel this level of pain. She wanted to leave. Permanently.
