Mercedes sat at the head of the table in the dining room with all the kitchen and dining room lights off. The table was completely empty of any silverware. The only thing that remained was the half empty bottle of wine that she'd been saving for one of those nights, her wine glass that had been refilled about three times already, a closed brief case and two candles that provided the dim lighting and only lighting she sat in. She tightened the string on the burgundy silk robe that covered her black lingerie clad body and propped her legs up on the table, crossing them at the ankles, her red bottoms hanging off the edge. She looked damn good and she knew it. If she was hurting, she sure was going to make this as excruciating painful for him as possible. Hell, he deserved it. He deserved everything that she was about to do to him for putting her through all of this. Swirling the drink in the cup she took a sip and waited for her husband to walk through the door. She'd gone over the events that happened earlier that day a million times over in her head. Each scenario started out somewhat the same: a letter in the mail, a phone call, a knock at the door; and they all had the same end result, heartache. She was beginning to blame herself and she couldn't seem to figure out why. It's his fault. Mercy thought out loud. He just couldn't keep his dick in his fucking pants, could he? Nope! He just had to stick it into anything and everything with a pulse. She continued to ramble as she downed her fourth glass of wine and poured another. She stood up, glass still in her hand and walked over to the mirror across the room, staring at her reflection. And you, you're so fucking stupid. You knew he was out cheating. Everyone knew. Even his friends warned you, but nooo…. You just had to go fall in love huh. She scoffed and shook her head in disgust sighing. "Yep, Mercy, you're a fool."

Today you had a visitor

Or should I say an old friend

But wait a minute

That's not where it ends, no

Is there something

That you wanna tell me, hmm

Cause I'm believing what your friends say

About your hidden secrecies

Mercedes was shaken from her thoughts when she heard keys being turned in the lock of her front door and soon followed the footsteps of her husband. He entered their two story house, the one she made sure to put in her name, and dropped his bag at the door. Taking off his coat and hanging it on the coat rack and proceeded to the dining room to find his wife standing in front of the mirror, ignoring or simply not aware of the suitcases packed back the front door. He slipped behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist. Placing a kiss to her cheek, moving her hair in the process, he nuzzled his face in the crook of her neck and placed small kisses on the flesh. A soft smile formed on her lips, a reaction to being kissed in that particular spot and she felt herself almost falling into the familiarity that is them as she looked at him through the reflection. The smile disappeared shortly after the faint yet very familiar scent of cheap perfume found its way to her nose. She scrunched her face and he turned her around in his arms pecking her lips.

"Hey baby."

"Hello." She replied blandly.

"How was your day?" He asked staring into her eyes.

"It was eventful to say the least." She answered blandly, shifting her weight from one foot to the other pushing him away from her.

"Where are you going?" he asked trying to pull her closer and kiss her again.

Mercedes turned her head before his lips connected with hers, and instead his lips made contact with her cheek. He looked at her confused and she extended her arms again, breaking free from his embrace. He opened his mouth to talk and she shook her head, taking a couple of steps back.

"Sam, we need to talk." She answered his unasked question about the new space put in between them, motioning to the table.

"What about?" He asked and sat down while she reclaimed the seat she left vacant. She took a few moments to gather her thoughts before she spoke.

"You had a visitor today." She started, looking around the room at everything but him.

"Really? Who was it?" he asked.

The room was silent for a couple of moments and he was almost convinced that his wife had dazed for a minute. He reached out his hand and she pulled her back before he made contact. "An old friend. You know her as, Veronica I believe. She's such a sweet girl honestly." She said finally making eye contact. "She had quite a lot to say you know," she paused "about you." Sam looked at her confused, his green eyes fixed on her brown ones and for a moment he didn't understand what she meant. When realization finally hit him and the wave of shock was replaced with one of regret, Mercedes nodded her head and took a sip from her wine glass.

Your girlfriend

She wasn't disrespectful

In fact, she's a hundred percent sure

And how could I argue with her

Holding a baby with eyes like yours

"Mercy, I..I-" she raised her hand cutting him off.

"But baby I..I can-" she held up both hands shaking her head, motioning for him to stop.

"You can what? Explain? You can explain?" she asked, no waiting for an explanation. "Tell me what is there to explain? My husband, the only man I've ever given all of myself to, wasn't too happy with what he had at home. I DON'T KNOW WHY." She all but screamed. "But he wasn't…" her voice was a bit calmer, "and so he felt the need to step out on me, on our marriage. He fucked around only God knows how many times and ain't no telling what I got." Tears glossed her eyes, but she refused to let any spilled. She'd already cried enough tears to fill a river for the both of them. No, she was done wasting tears on someone who didn't deserve them.

"Your girlfriend, she is pretty though. I'll give you that. And your son…..he's absolutely gorgeous, really." She looked down at the table and began to twiddle her fingers. "He has your green eyes. He's got her nose and her ears, but he has your dirty blonde hair and that trouty mouth of yours. You couldn't deny that boy if you tried. And I know you tried. Sean's a spitting image of you. He even does that lopsided grin you do." She looked up at him again.

"I know." He spoke softly, breaking his silence. "Look Cedes, baby… I didn't mean for this to happen. I didn't mean for you to find out…not this way." he added.

"Oh no Sam, you had it right the first time. You didn't mean for me to find out, at all, EVER! If you could you would've taken this to your grave." She fired, hatred filling her voice.

She said it's your child

And it really messed me up

How could you deny

Your own flesh and blood

Gotta face reality

There can never be any more us

Won't deny it's hurting me

Yet so precious

Sam tried to explain himself, explain to her why he stepped out on her, why he denied a child, a child that was most definitely his, but everything he said went in one and out the other. Mercedes wasn't here for it. She had already made up her mind and although she really wanted to know why. Why he'd done it? Was there something wrong with her? Did he no longer find her sexy or attractive? Was she no longer living up to her wifely duties? She couldn't and wouldn't allow herself to be strung along and roped up into this mess of a marriage. She was ignoring him until he said it and struck a nerve.

"Mercy I'm sorry. But after you miscarried, I just I couldn't. I was so hurt and I needed an outlet. Coming home to you knowing that we wouldn't have our baby, it killed me. I died a little that day and I've been dying ever since. I'm so sorry but-"

"And I didn't?" she screamed cutting him off. "I carried our child for damn near 6 months. I loved that little girl more than I loved you, myself or anything in the world. I'm the one who miscarried. I'm the one who stayed strong after….after I lost my child and I'm the one who stuck around even when I suspected your trifling ass of cheating. And I expected this way before I got pregnant."

The look on Sam's face was one of complete and utter shock.

"You didn't think I knew about all the other women you've slept with? Maybe not by name, but with you coming home all hours of the night, smelling like fish and cheap perfume, it wasn't hard to miss. I smelled your ass when you walked through the fucking door. But I stayed with your ass. I stayed with your ass because when we got married we said till death do us part. Those vows, they meant something to me back then. But you wanna know something, things change. People change too and the same girl you married a few years ago is long gone baby. I can't do this anymore." She shook her head, opening up the briefcase.

"What are you talking about Mercedes?" Sam asked her, fear washing over his body. He watched her intently as she pulled out a manila envelope and a pen. She took out a stack of papers and his heart dropped as she set them down, along with the pen on the table in front of him.

"I want a divorce. All you have to do is sign the papers. I don't want anything from you. Not a damn thing. The house is in my name, so I keep it, but I was going to sell it. If you want it, it's yours. I'm sure you probably fucked a couple or several of your girls in this house anyway. Probably in the bed we shared." She shivered at the thought and tried to wipe it from her memory. "We'll split everything that we got during this marriage down the middle. Anything I had before this that I acquired on my own while we were married, is mine and mine alone. It's not up for discussion. All you have to do is sign your name on the line. Your bags are packed by the door." She slid both her wedding and engagement rings off her finger and set them next to the stack of papers. "We've been through so much together, I'd be lying if I said I don't love you Sam, but I'm not in love with you anymore and I'm sorry but I just can't be in a loveless marriage."

Song: Mary J. Blige - Your Child