The Marriage Counselor

13. You're Going to be My Good Girl, Aren't You?

Samantha

She stirs awake slowly, feeling the warmth from the sun through the bedroom windows on her bare back, the sheets tangled around the rest of her naked body. She's not sure what time it is and right now, she doesn't care. She's remembering last night. The way Henry's body felt on top of hers, the way he looked at her with dark lustful blue eyes, how his hands moved across every inch of her skin. The way he held her after, so close in his arms, only breaking from her when the Chinese food arrived. The way they stayed in his massive bed while eating lo mein out of the paper cartons. He taught her how to use chopsticks, beaming when she proudly showed off the new learned skill. The stories he shared of his childhood in Wisconsin, taking care of his little sister his whole life, working at a steel factory to pay his way through college. How he asked questions about her life and listened intently, only interrupting her every now and then with a small kiss on the lips. They must've stayed up the whole night talking and laughing together. And when the sun started to rise, she turned over to face the windows and he spooned her. She doesn't even remember falling asleep. Perhaps the first time in a long time she slept peacefully and stayed asleep through the whole night.

As she basks in the memory, her hand slides across the blankets to feel for his body, but she feels nothing. This causes her to sit up and look towards the open bedroom doors, listening carefully for a moment for any sounds in the house. "Henry?"

Silence.

She rubs her eyes and looks towards the nightstand next to the bed, catching sight of a piece of lined paper. She recognizes his fancy handwriting instantly. Went to take Red for a run. Be back soon. Think about what you want me to make you for breakfast.

The last sentence makes her smile, but then she sees her phone next to the note, along with her wedding ring and other jewelry from last night. It's enough to force her back into reality for a few seconds. The reality where she's still very much a married woman and her father in law has threatened to ruin not only her life but Henry's too. She reaches for her phone with a nervous pit in her stomach, dreading what she may find when she turns it on. The screen lights up and slowly starts vibrating with new messages and voicemails. Some from Cody; wanting to know why she didn't stay last night, where her and Rebecca were off to, why she didn't let him know she was leaving before hand. Nothing about being madly in love with their ex marriage counselor. So Stephen hasn't said anything yet. Good. Although who knows how long that may last?

The other messages and missed calls are from Becca. Asking for a call back. Wondering where her best friend is. Why is Cody calling me about a trip we're supposedly on right now?! Please call me to catch me up on our great escape! The last one was from 30 minutes ago. You better not be dead in a fucking ditch! Call me now!!!

She sighs and dials Becca's number, leaning back against the headboard as she listens to the ring.

"God dammit, woman, do you know how close I was to calling the police?" Her best friend answers. She sounds scared but like she's trying to keep it together and appear as her usual nonchalant self. Becca rarely likes to be serious. "Sam, what is going on? Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. Totally fine. I'm so sorry. I should've called or texted. I just..." She pauses. "Henry came to Cody's birthday party last night."

"Really?" Her friend's voice perks up, there's some sound in the background and then she speaks closer into the phone. "Tell me everything."

After Sam fills her in on everything that happened, her friend lets out a slow whistle on the other end of the line. "Well," Becca says, pausing for a long moment. "All I can say is it's about fucking time you slept around on the bastard."