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  She rolled onto her back and locked eyes with the man she once proclaimed to love. His normally brown eyes appeared black with anger, possessiveness, and desperation; but for the first time in their marriage, she saw fear. He knew what was happening. He’d finally lost control of her. Her days of bending over and taking it were in the past.

  She cocked her right foot back and sent the heal of her shoe crashing into his raged filled face, officially breaking free from the chains that had been holding her back for the past eight years. She was free. She could finally leave.

  But she couldn’t just move on. She was far too broken to do that. She’d been damaged from a lifetime of abuse, torment, and neglect. It was impossible to simply move on from something like that. She needed to accost three and a half decades of pain. In order to escape from her past, she had to return to the one place where she could confront it.

  She needed to go back home.

  Chapter 2 – An Early Midlife Crisis

  Mike casually strolled down the hallway, yawning as he made his way toward the living room where he’d been working on his laptop for the past few hours. Something had caught his eye as he passed the bathroom, however. He paused, took two steps backwards, and leaned inside.

  “Um…where are you going?”

  “Out,” Cindy said.

  He checked the time on his phone before addressing his concerns. “Baby, it’s ten at night…on a Wednesday.”

  “And?” she asked.

  “And…I’m asking where you’re going at ten o’clock on a Wednesday night by yourself,” he said, doing his best not to stir the pot. “Especially dressed like that.”

  “I’m not going by myself,” Cindy responded with plenty of attitude. “I’m going out with a few friends.”

  He curiously watched his wife finish applying her makeup in the mirror. Still to this day, he wondered how he’d gotten so lucky. Cindy was five-foot-six, a tad over one hundred and twenty pounds, and shaped like an hourglass. Her sleeveless leopard print mini dress was the perfect complement to her brown hair and dazzling brown eyes. Everyone in his life told him how stunning she was, and he certainly couldn’t disagree.

  Mike wasn’t a bad-looking guy himself. He was still well put together at thirty-five, with a full head of brown hair and a body he worked hard at the gym to maintain. He wasn’t above admitting that Cindy was out of his league physically though. She would’ve been the perfect trophy wife for a professional athlete or a rich investment banker, but he definitely wasn’t either of those things.

  He’d shared stronger mental connections to other girls before; but what he had in the bedroom with Cindy just unreal, and the first five years of their marriage couldn’t have been more spectacular. Constant sex, an onslaught of blowjobs, and a carefree personality that he couldn’t get enough of: everything was perfect. Well, it was perfect until two things happened. One, Cindy turned thirty. Two, her friend Jessica became a prominent character in their lives.

  “I’m gonna take a guess and say that you girls aren’t going to a Waffle House?” he joked.

  Cindy rolled her eyes.

  Mike had beat around the bush for long enough. It was time to address this head on. “I know you feel that you missed out on your twenties—”

  “I don’t feel that I did,” Cindy interrupted, focused on her long eyelashes in the mirror. “I know that I did.”

  “Yeah, but—”

  “Did you have to work all throughout high school because your mom had a spending problem and pissed away all your family’s money?” she cut him off again. “Did you? No, you didn’t, Mike. Your parents bought you a car when you turned sixteen, didn’t they?”

  “Yeah, a cheap used car that I help pay for, and—”

  “And what about college?” she interjected for the third time. “Did you have to work two jobs because your alcoholic dad couldn’t even throw you some money for books? No, you didn’t. And then did you go out and get a full-time job right out of school because you thought it was the responsible thing to do? Did you miss out on everything your former classmates experienced by traveling the world before they joined the workforce? Did you?”

  Mike shook his head no.

  “Exactly!” she huffed. “I just want to have some fun while I still have the chance.”

  “Baby, you’re thirty,” he laughed. “You’re acting like your sixty or something.”

  She responded by glaring at him in the mirror.

  “Why don’t we start doing more things together?” he proposed. “Like, let’s go on a hike tomorrow. Or instead of me playing in my softball league this spring, we can find a coed one to play in together.”

  She was quick to dismiss his suggestions. “I’m not playing softball. I want to have the fun I was supposed to experience during college.”

  Cindy’s lack of hobbies should have been a red flag back when the two met seven years ago. She was only twenty-three at the time, but he could still recall being caught off guard during their first few months of dating. She didn’t have any real friends, there was never any talk of hobbies, and her passions in life seemed fairly limited.

  In fact, she didn’t have much else going on outside of her great-paying job as a dental hygienist. She didn’t even go to the gym for the body she possessed! It was just natural for her.

  At first, it was cute how his girlfriend took a vast interest in the majority of his many hobbies. Hiking, rock climbing, canoeing, home improvement projects, the gym, basketball, softball, flag football, reading, working on his small business: he hadn’t experienced a single moment of boredom in God knows how long. There was always something to do, and he loved how Cindy would fill her free time with his many favorite actives.

  But then Jessica showed up. Well, she didn’t really show up. It started as a Facebook friend request before a few messages were exchanged, which resulted in a lunch together, and that led to Cindy discovering that her friend had been divorced and living a sorority girl lifestyle for the past three years. And now we’re here. Cindy felt like she’d missed out on her crazy youth; because in all fairness, she had. But she was thirty. She should’ve past the age of behaving like this. He wanted his wife to be thinking about kids, not concerned about what dress she would wear to the hottest nightclub.

  “Do you want me to come with you?” he asked.

  Her eyebrows perked up as she looked in his direction. “Really?”

  The club and bar scenes weren’t anywhere to be found on his endless list of hobbies. He’d rather avoid them completely if he could. “How late are you planning on being out?”

  She shrugged her shoulders.

  “Okay, have fun,” he told her before heading back to the living room.

  His wife was making him feel like a grandpa at thirty-five years of age. Was he that boring to hang out with? And the way she’d been so quick to dismiss his softball proposal kind of hurt him. Not only would it be something that they could do together, but it would get her out of the house and meeting new people. Maybe she could befriend one of the other wives on the team? Anything would be better for her than going out to clubs in mini dresses with Jessica.

  He trusted her. He wouldn’t be okay with her new lifestyle if he didn’t, so he wasn’t concerned by her going out without him. She’d never been anything but loyal over the past seven years. There was a person he didn’t trust though; and unfortunately, she was his wife’s best friend.

  Three Months Earlier.

  “Shots! Shots! Shots!” Jessica loudly chanted while walking into the family room with a tray of drinks.

  Mike shook his head in disbelief from his spot in the recliner. Another round? She was still going? It was close to one in the morning and the rest of Cindy’s new friends had gone home hours ago. His wife had planned a little get-together at their house and he was happy for her. Making friends could be a good thing for Cindy, but he was ready for bed hours ago. Jessica appeared to be just getting started, however.

  “What are these?
” he inquired, removing one of the small cups from the tray in Jessica’s hands. This new round of beverages were a different color from the previous seven.

  “Lime in the coconut Jello shots!” Jessica drunkenly replied while carrying the drinks over to Cindy. “Lemon and lime Jello with some rum and coconut milk. My personal favorite!”

  “Alright, bottoms up,” Mike announced.

  Jessica set the tray down on the coffee table, grabbing a cup for herself before sitting on the sofa next to her best friend. The three adults tilted their heads back and downed the drinks. They were still adults, weren’t they? The collection of empty Jello shot containers sure had them feeling like college kids again.

  “Mmmmm,” Cindy moaned. “Tasty!”

  “Not bad,” Mike agreed.

  Jessica had quickly moved onto her next desired activity. “Who’s up for a game?”

  Mike sent a glare Cindy’s way, and she responded with a shrug of her shoulders. All he wanted to do was go to bed. He would take good night’s rest over partying any day of the week.

  “What kind of game do you have in mind?” he asked in an extremely obvious unenthusiastic tone.

  “What about sip, sip, shot?” Jessica immediately suggested.

  He wasn’t familiar with her juvenile drinking games. “What’s sip, sip, shot?”

  “It’s like duck, duck, goose, but with drinking,” Jessica explained.

  Mike could only laugh. He wasn’t too confident in his ability to stand at the moment, let alone run. “Have anything that doesn’t involve us running around?”

  “Most Likely?”

  As expected, he had no idea what that game entailed either. “Most Likely?”

  “One person asks a ‘most likely’ question,” Jessica filled him in. “And on the count of three, everyone points to whoever they think would be most likely to do whatever act was mentioned. And whoever gets pointed at the most, has to do a shot.”

  “A few questions and then we call it a night. Deal?” he proposed.

  “Deal,” Jessica agreed with a big smile. “The man of the house can start!”

  “Who’s most likely to get shitfaced on a Tuesday night?” Mike sarcastically asked with a chuckle. “One, two, three.”

  Everyone pointed at Jessica—herself included. She reached forward and grabbed a shot before tilting her head back. “That was lame,” she noted. “Okay, my turn. Who’s most likely to shoot a porn scene? One, two, three.”

  Mike pointed at Jessica, while both the girls pointed at Mike.

  “Excuse me!?” he reacted, shocked.

  “I’ve heard some stories,” Jessica informed him with a grin.

  Cindy looked down at the floor with a smirk. She liked to brag about her husband. So what? Her man was a stud in bed, and she enjoyed letting her friends know how awesome her sex life was.

  He shook his head at that surprising news. He never would’ve guess that Cindy bragged about him. “Okay, shot time I guess.” He downed another drink before glancing over at his wife. “You’re up, big mouth.”

  Cindy could only giggle. She had quite the big mouth when it came to discussing his prowess in the bedroom, alright. “Who’s most likely to have sex in public? One, two, three.”

  Mike pointed at his wife; meanwhile, both the girls proudly pointed at themselves. Jessica turned to her friend, surprised. “Really?”

  Cindy shyly smiled.

  “Alright!” Jessica laughed. “Drink up, girl!”

  “Let’s end on that note,” Mike said, rising to his feet in an attempt to bring the party to a close. His slightly woozy view of his surroundings were a swift reminder as to why he wasn’t much of a drinker.

  Jessica shouted, “One more!”

  “One more round?” he asked.

  “Just one more question,” Jessica clarified herself. “I swear this is the last one. Who’s most likely to love blowjobs? One, two, three.”

  The girls each pointed at themselves. Mike wasn’t as quick to react. Actually, his hand had yet to move.

  “You’re the tiebreaker, baby,” Cindy reminded him with a look that could only be described as ‘wifely.’ There was no secret as to who she wanted him to point at. “Who’s it gonna be?”

  His eyes moved from his wife to her friend, the devilish grin on Jessica’s face impossible to miss. He raised his hand, paused for a moment, and slowly pointed at himself.

  Jessica bit her lower lip.

  “Shots all around!” Mike laughed as they each indulged in one last drink. “How you getting home, Jessica?”

  She stood up and reached for her purse. “I’m good.”

  “There’s no way you’re driving,” he said.

  “Yeah, there’s no way,” Cindy chimed in.

  “Uber?” Mike asked.

  Jessica unlocked her phone and began searching for the necessary app. “Yeah, I can grab an Uber.”

  “Or you could just crash here,” Cindy told her.

  Mike’s attention immediately shot to his wife. She was telling him to be nice with her eyes, but everything about this seemed like a bad idea. Her flirtatious friend didn’t belong anywhere near their house while they were in bed—especially when drunk.

  “You don’t mind?” Jessica asked her bestie.

  “Not at all,” Cindy confirmed with a big smile. “I’ll get you some blankets.”

  Thirty Minutes Later.

  Mike mindlessly stared at the bedroom TV, unsure if he’d watched these sports highlights already. That dunk looked familiar. Or did it? Actually, the picture was kind of blurry too. Just how buzzed was he?

  Cindy strolled over to the bed in her nightie before joining her husband, sliding under the comfortable blankets. “Thanks for tonight, baby.”

  “Huh?” he asked, turning to look at her.

  “Thanks for tonight,” she repeated.

  He wasn’t following. “For what?”

  “For being so cool about everything,” she said. “I know the last thing you want is a house full of my girlfriends, but you were great.”

  He sent a loving smile her way. “Making you happy, makes me happy.”

  “I know I don’t have a lot of friends, but I’m kinda trying to break out of my shell, you know?” she said. “It’s just so much easier when you have a partner supporting you.”

  “That’s my job,” he told her while looking back at the TV. Okay, he’d definitely seen that dunk before. Or had he? God, he was drunk.

  “And I wanna say thanks.”

  He turned back to her to explain how unnecessary it was to thank him for being a decent husband was; except this time, she wasn’t there. Cindy had already slid under the covers, and it didn’t take long before she was showing him how grateful she truly was—physically.

  Three Hours Later.

  Thud… Thud… Thud…

  Mike’s head was pounding.

  Thud… Thud… Thud…

  The thirty-five-year-old now absolutely remembered why he rarely drank. Someone may as well have been smashing a bat into his skull. The miserable sensation vibrating inside his head refused to dissipate. Water. He desperately needed water. The bathroom sink wouldn’t cut it either. He was urgent need for ice cold fluids.

  He journeyed downstairs in only his boxer shorts and lumbered into the kitchen, yearning for some much needed relief from his awful headache.

  “Hey.”

  It wasn’t so much the realization of no longer being alone that caused him to jump. His reaction had much more to do with whose voice he’d heard. It didn’t take long for his worst nightmare to become reality either.

  He spun around to find Jessica standing next to him, leaning against the counter in a pair of black panties and a white t-shirt.

  “Um…hey, Jessica,” he greeted her awkwardly with his eyes looking everywhere other than the gorgeous blonde. “Did I wake you up?”

  “No,” she answered while twirling her finger through her hair. “I couldn’t really sleep.”

 
“It’s not the couch, is it?” Mike asked while pouring himself a glass of water, still refusing to look in her direction.

  “No, it’s something else,” she told him.

  “Something else?” he inquired after finally taking a look in her direction.

  Her voice dropped to a seductive whisper. “Uh-huh. It’s something that’s been on my mind.”

  He took a sip of water, his heart racing from the sound of her soft footsteps coming closer. Nothing good could come from this. His wife’s friend—who’s completely gorgeous—stood just to his side in her panties and a t-shirt. On what planet would this end up okay?

  “Something Cindy told me about…” she whispered.

  Uh-oh.

  “Something I wouldn’t mind spending a little private time with,” she went on, biting her lower lip.

  He quickly turned back to the kitchen countertop. “I think you’re drunk, Jessica.”

  “I think we’re all a bit drunk,” she said before reaching out and unsuccessfully attempting to wrap her hands around his bicep. “Cindy’s so lucky. So…fucking…lucky…”

  The temptation to stray had always been there despite how crazy he was about Cindy. A wedding ring on his finger didn’t magically eliminate his love of women. Older, younger, black, white, yellow, purple: he liked them in all colors, shapes, and sizes. That didn’t change his commitment to Cindy, however. She was the only woman in his life, no matter how hard it was to say no at times.

  Jessica’s body wasn’t all that different from his wife’s. She possessed blonde hair and blue eyes instead of Cindy’s dark features, but everything else was fairly similar. The most noticeable difference was Jessica’s attitude. While Cindy was good in bed, something told him that Jessica was unbelievable between the sheets. She just had a vibe about her which oozed of sexual fun.

  “Jessica, I’m flattered…really…but I could never do that to Cindy.”

  “She’ll never find out,” Jessica breathed seductively, her finger tracing along the bare skin of his wide shoulder. “It’ll be our little secret.”

  He took another sip of water in an effort to suppress his true urges.

  Why are you still standing here? Go back to bed, shithead! Go upstairs to your wife! You know, the woman you love. The one you promised to always be loyal to. Standing in the kitchen with her sexy friend isn’t a good idea—especially while she’s in her panties! But shit…she is sexy…