I don't own these characters
"This life is of unending servitude is killing me slowly. I loved that man once, maybe I still do considering I've let him continue to treat me like shit since he started running for office. He cheated on me twice and cheated on his mistress and I thought he loved you but obviously love comes with a price of losing yourself to a person with no moral compass." Mellie says as she swigs another sip of red wine.
Mellie and Olivia for once just sat together listening to those stolen moments their dreams and hopes for the future. Two powerful, intelligent, strong women who just so happen to be attached to a certain powerful maybe not so intelligent man.
"Does he think we don't talk to one another?" Olivia says half-drunk half done with the way she lives her life personally. She thinks to herself, 'What if he divorces her and we get married? What happens next? Do I give up my life in my 30s and settle down with a man I'm not even sure I can trust?'
After bottle number 7 courtesy of the White House wine collection Mellie feels it's time, time to finally tell Liv a secret she's been holding on to.
"I waited long enough!" Mellie says a little too loudly, knocking Liv's train of thought, "Liv?"
"Yes Mellie"
"If I tell you something and it hurts you can we still do this?"
"Do what, Mellie?" the change in tone causing Liv to straighten up and put her glass down.
"Can we still have times like this? Where we aren't yelling at each other, where we're not fighting over some guy, where we're no enemies. Can we still have these moments where we're friends and we talk about our live together?"
"Why wouldn't we? This is probably the most relaxing form of entertainment I've had with another woman that I respect in years. We're drowning our sorrows in some of the best wine in the world and it's actually nice.
Mellie smiles finally having a confidant even if she was the other woman. "Well...you know how about a year ago when shit hit the fan and you asked me down to the bunker to discuss your name being leaked to the press?"
"Well yeah..." Liv's hands starts to shake. Something's coming and it's either going to fuck up her world or build the pieces that had broken off since she had gotten involved with the Grants 6 years ago.
"I did a bit of snooping and asked some questions and, well, Hun Fitz leaked your name to press. I asked him why because it made no sense, but then he said he leaked it so I wouldn't."
"Mellie, you're not vapid nor ignorant you wanted this more if not more than Fitz did. You leaking the name is a last ditch effort and that type of information coming from you would ruin your reputation. I can see the headlines now, the articles asking why you let it go on. Because this group is too close knit, too small for you not to know about an extra marital affair that lasted for years." Olivia slouches back in her seat gulping the rest of her wine down thoroughly pissed off at the news she's receiving.
"Does he not realize what he did to me? He ruined me he ruined my career...I've spent my life fixing other people and during that time after the leak I couldn't keep myself together. I literally felt empty and lost. Why didn't he say anything? Why didn't he at least give me some type of warning that he was going to throw my life into a burning fireball of hell?"
Liv sits in disbelief as the tears that once threatened to fall finally come rushing out.
"Liv I know and I would have told you...Hun, I could have told you just to spite him and you, but that wasn't my place." Mellie says as tears form in her eyes seeing the pain rack her friend's body.
"He had a house built in Vermont you know" officially done holding secrets, holding some grown man's lies in she tells her about the house "that fucking house he 'built or us' " Liv says in a sarcastic manner. "He had a home built for me and him in Vermont, in the middle of nowhere and I want to take you there."
Mellie already frustrated and raging finds her voice. "Why would you take me there? Of all of the places on this great earth why would you take me to a home he built for his mis-...?"
"It's ok, I understand, I am...was his mistress and I apologize for hurting you. But in order for this plan to work I need you."
"Ok shoot why are we traveling to that house?"
"Because WE are going to burn it down, every piece of wood, every ounce of whatever future he thought we would have in that house" Olivia pauses catching her breath letting the pain and frustration finally leave her body. "I want it burned down, Mellie, and you're the only other person that deserves to burn it down with me. He hurt you for years and he hurt me and together we're going to start living for us..."
With a smile and a sniffle Olivia continues, "You go fall even further in love with Andrew and I'll get to go back to that island and vacation with my boyfriend that I'm coming to realize I actually love."
Mellie not believing the words coming from Liv's mouth stops her to point out a few things.
"Ok I'm in but answer me some questions for me." Liv shakes her head ready to answer whatever Mellie has to say next. "Who's the boy? I need to know because friends tell friends about new relationships that make them happy. And can the First Lady of the United States of America divorce a sitting president?"
TO BE CONTINUED...