My Wife, My Man?

Chapter Twenty-six

"Love is always being given where it is not required." E. M. Forster

"Dad, I hear you," Jack groaned, "loud and very clear."

"Good," Daniel's voice echoed with anger.

Jack sighed. Pulling his phone away from his ear, he ended the three-hour-long call that had drained all the energy out of his body. Three long frustrating and miserable hours.

Irritated, he tossed his phone across the desk and groaned to himself. His head hurt from being so angry. The more he thought about it, anger could not be the only word he could use to describe how he felt. His father's demands were torturous to him, eating away the little happiness he was still trying to hold on to. Why couldn't Daniel just understand? It was as if his happiness meant absolutely nothing to him.

He sighed again. Attempting to drift his mind away from the phone call, he directed his gaze out the window. There, he spotted Maggie and Perli talking. He couldn't make out what they spoke about, but the little smile on Perli's face told him it must have been something serious. He wondered whether it had anything to do with the problems they were facing in their relationship.

Since the confrontation, they barely talked nor met eye-to-eye. It was hard pretending all was well between them whenever Maggie was around, and dinner time had become the most awkward time of it all. It bothered Jack very much, but he didn't do anything about it. Besides, he had the right to be distanced; the right to be angry.

"It's okay," he reassured himself, rubbing his hands against his chin and lips.

He shifted his gaze away from the window. There was a lot he still needed to do than stare at the two ladies. He moved to his chair and fell into it. There in front of him was all the work he had yet to get to since his arrival. Frustration left his mouth through a grunt. Being in this place full of paperwork, books and files was beginning to drive him insane.

He shook his head. "I'm not doing this," he said to himself, looking down at the papers that were on his table. He decided to leave it for later when his mind didn't constantly think about his wife.

Pushing his chair away from the desk, he got up. He looked out the window once again and noticed that Maggie and Perli weren't outside anymore. He figured they must have gone back into the house. So, he made his way downstairs to where he was most likely to find them. The echoes of their voices became louder as he approached the kitchen. Hearing them reminded him of the happiness of having a family around. Even if he didn't say nor show it, he didn't want Perli to leave. He hoped, just like him, she would choose to give the marriage a second chance.

He heard Perli laugh but instead of sounding happy, the laugh sounded bitter. He could tell that she was displeased and imagined her rolling her eyes. Frowning to himself, he wondered what they talked about, whether this conversation had something to do with him.

"You don't believe me?" Maggie sighed. Why did she sound so unhappy?

"Ha!" Perli clapped her hands. "There's no way I would believe that Jack had a challenging..."

Jack felt his heart clench at the mention of his name. It suddenly hit him like a brick on the head. What was Maggie doing? She could only be the one to bring up anything about his past. She was going to tell Perli everything. He didn't want that; he didn't want Perli to see him for the broken man that he truly was.

He clenched his hand tightly to calm down. He couldn't allow himself to relive his past. Quietly, he moved towards the entrance of the kitchen. There, he saw Perli helping Maggie, who placed dishes into the sink, chop some vegetables. As if sensing his presence, Maggie looked towards the kitchen entrance. She was the first to notice him and when she did; she stopped speaking.