A/N: Two stories in one day! I'm on a roll : )

I'm hoping that this story will make it to at least three, probably four, parts, eventually. I know some of you will be excited about that! It's sort of a compromise, each chapter being sort of a stand-alone in the same theme: Unhappy Wives.

--

Chapter One – Sherry Tinsdale

--

"Never doubt, never look back. That's how I live my life."

-Catherine Willows, CSI (1:23, Strip Strangler)

--

Sherry sat on the toilet in the bathroom of her suite. Her mascara was running and her hair was a mess, but right now she didn't care. All she could focus on was the 'Pregnant' readout on the pregnancy test she held in her hand. She wiped at her eyes, just making the black smears worse. That was the fourth test. Was it a possibility that that .1 error had occurred all four times?

She laughed slightly at herself through the tears. Who was she kidding? She was pregnant. Shaking her head at her incompetence, Sherry ran her fingers through her tangled hair.

Christopher. How was she going to tell him? It was her who'd suggested the break in the first place. Would he think she was lying just to get him to come back to her? Would he still want to be with her?

Would he want to get married?

That thought scared her. Marriage? She couldn't do that. A kid? She couldn't do that either. She had a job, for Pete's sake! She didn't have time for anything else. Much less something – someone – who needed constant attention. Could she afford a nanny? Could she afford a baby?

A baby.

She thought back to elementary school, playing house, pretending to be the mother. Always taking care of her dolls, feeding them with the miniature plastic baby bottles. Back then, child rearing seemed so easy. And so fun. Now, it seemed, all she could think of was the work it would take. She didn't know if she was ready for that.

Shaking her head, she tried to clear her thoughts. She was getting ahead of herself.

Sherry sighed. All she could do was tell him.

And hope for the best.

--

He'd held her hand through the delivery. And then he'd held Georgia in his arms after somewhat squeamishly cutting the umbilical cord.

Sherry watched them: father and daughter. They looked so perfect together.

Georgia wasn't even over ten minutes old, and she could see Christopher in her. Chris disagreed, saying she was all Sherry: completely perfect. She'd blushed at that comment.

As all three of them sat together in the hospital room like a family, Sherry had the fleeting thought that maybe, just maybe, it would all turn out okay.

--

Despite both her parents' and her in-laws' protests, she and Christopher wanted the simple wedding. Just her, him, and the justice of the peace.

The whole world couldn't know that they were getting married just for the sake of Georgia.

And despite her workaholic tendencies and his long absences for business, they managed to make it work. For nearly two years, they kept it together.

'For Georgia,' she reminded herself every time she felt like leaving. 'It's for Georgia'

But when she got the job offer, she couldn't pass it up.

After a full week of thought, while Chris was in Seattle, she made up her mind.

She wrote the note with shaky hands.

"Dear Chris," It read.

"I was offered a job in Paris. Paris, France. And I'm so sorry to be doing this while you're gone, but it can't wait. I've waited. I've put everything on hold for almost two years to take care of our child. But I can't let this opportunity pass, Chris. It's too big of an offer.

I'm sorry. But for once, I need to do something for myself. It's my turn to see the world. Take care of Georgia.

I love you,

Sherry"

On the outside of the envelope, she wrote "Chris" in large print before filling it with the letter and sealing it shut. She handed it to the nanny, who seemed wary of the plan, as she headed out the door with her two suitcases.

She kept her eyes locked on the apartment door as the elevator closed in front of her. Just before the doors shut completely, she blew a kiss to her daughter, hoping she'd be all right.

And as Sherry pulled away, headed for the airport, she didn't look back. She never had, she never would. Everything happens for a reason. That was her philosophy.

Something deep inside her told her that she'd made the right decision.

It was time to move on.

--

To Be Continued…