So Sweet a Changeling: A Novel of the Terribly Acronymed Detective Club (Book 6)

Chapter Twenty-Three: Sunny, Thursday

She was sobbing now, and Sunny passed over his box of tissues; they were standard equipment in his line of work. Nobody filed for divorce just for kicks. 

She took a tissue and wiped her eyes, blew her nose. He waited for her to compose herself. 

She said, "I slept with another man just to get back at him, and because I thought it would make me feel better, but it just made me feel cheap. This Tinder business isn't for me; who can go out there and sleep with someone they just met? I didn't think Johnny could, but apparently he can."

Sunny wished he hadn't heard that, but he'd heard worse in his time. "It's natural to want to hurt your partner after they hurt you. But I understand why the way you went about it didn't make you feel better; sex involves a great deal of trust between partners, and how much trust can you have in someone you just met?"

She glared at him with red-rimmed, watery eyes. "I blame Joe for this."

He blinked in surprise. "Sorry?" 

"Joe, and Lauren, opening their marriage to that Joanie woman, and Rachel, I just found out about Rachel; I had no idea Lauren was bi."

"Well, I don't know if I'd go that--"

"What the hell is going on with them? Are they some kind of swingers club now?" she asked, throwing up her hands in indignation. "Did you know about this?!"

"Uh, I don't think it would be right for me to discuss--"

"Fine, whatever," she said, sighing. "It gave Johnny ideas, hearing about their exploits, never mind that Joe moved out of his own house for a few months and they had to go to marriage counselling; suddenly Johnny wanted us to try giving each other 'hall passes,' as he called them." She said the phrase with air quotes. "Like I'd be interested in trying it on with one of my friends' husbands, who are all overweight and balding just like Johnny is, and I didn't even think Johnny was interested in any of the wives either. Jesus, we all see each other in church!" This last part seemed to fill her with the most dismay. "What would people say if that got out? I couldn't go along with it. I was like, 'Johnny, if you're unsatisfied with our love life, maybe we can try some new things to put the spice back,' but, nope, he was determined to fuck someone else." She put her hand over her mouth and blushed. "Excuse me. I didn't mean to--"

"It's all right," Sunny said, chuckling. "Feel free to say exactly what you like here. This is all completely confidential."

She nodded and sighed in relief. "Thank you. I'm already feeling a little better. You're a good listener, has anyone ever told you that?"

"Thank you," he said, feeling that he hadn't been listening; rather, he'd been barraged by her monologue. "May I ask you something?"

"Sure."

"Is adultery the only reason you're here?"

She blinked in surprise. "What do you mean?"

"Has he ever abused you?"

She gasped. "Never! He's the sweetest man. He loves me, he loves his sons, I have no doubt about that. It's just this goddamned mission of his to go out and have another lover; I think he must be having a mid-life crisis." 

"That's a very real possibility. I'm afraid your situation is quite common in my field."

"Yeah?" she said. "And what do you tell people who've told you that story?"

"Nothing at all. I can't advise you which way to go on this. You're angry, and rightfully so, but I'm not going to tell you to pull the plug before you're ready. Are you ready?"