Michael hit the brakes so hard that he almost bounced off the steering wheel. He didn't even hear what the man said from the sports car in front of him but he definitely saw the finger thrown his way. He tightened his hands on the steering wheel and leaned his head out the window...

"hey! This is NOT the day to mess with me buddy so if you value that precious piece of metal as much as you seem too, then I suggest you hit the gas and keep driving...and fast." he yelled out the window, his voice a little raspier than usual.

He must have sounded as crazy as he felt at the moment because the tires screeched as the car fled his presence. He sighed as he rubbed his forehead. He didn't want to deal with anyone right now. He didn't want to see people, he didn't want to hear people, and he definitely didn't want to talk to anyone right now. What he'd REALLY like is to be sitting home in front of his couch, drinking a glass of his favorite whiskey. That wasn't a possibility though. He couldn't be in the same house as Amanda right now. He wouldn't be able to look at her without thinking of her and Fabian and he was afraid of the things he'd have said if he had stuck around. He let out a choked laugh. It's not like there's much else to say after you tell the only woman you've ever loved that it was over and that she should pack her things.

He hit the steering wheel with the palm of his hand as he raced down the street faster than he needed too. He already knew he was going to get a room at the hotel just a few blocks away from his house, but right now he just needed to drive. Maybe if he went far enough and fast enough he could forget that his life was falling apart even more than it had been for the past few years. What was going on? He had thought he had everything under control when his death had been faked and he had finally gotten his family out of that situation and made a life here. He had thought that everything was going to be perfect. What else could he want right? He had money, a nice house, two great kids, and a beautiful wife that loved him. Right? He smirked...loved him...right. Guess she loved her tennis instructor too...and Fabian of course. He couldn't believe how stupid he'd been. Hiring two male instructors just to get her off his back. Any idiot could have seen this coming. Not this idiot though. Nope...he didn't see it coming until he walked in on her and her little tennis buddy in bed...HIS bed. He shook his head, that was how this whole mess started...him jumping back into his old lifestyle. He didn't think things through, as usual, and him and Franklin had gotten themselves in a little over their heads. Well, at least that had gotten rid of that little pest. If only it hadn't just cleared the way for Mr. namaste himself.

After everything he had done for her...everything he had given her...and she'd betray him not once but TWICE? How's the saying go? Fool me once, shame on you...fool me twice...he didn't even want to finish the thought. That was one of the hardest parts, the fact that he felt like such a fool. He had taken care of the first problem, only to go back to exactly what he had been doing before. Who else had known about Fabian? The kids? The maid? How long had everyone else known but him? He seethed at the idea that everyone knew and laughed at him behind his back.

Before he knew it, he was driving down by the water and at the last minute decided to turn into one of the parking lots along the beach. He sat in his car with the windows down, just listening to the waves crash along the shore for a few minutes. It had always had a calming effect on him and he felt his breathing slowly return to normal. The tightness in his chest didn't seem to ease though. He supposed that was no surprise, after all, he felt like his heart had been ripped out and stomped on. He sat there for so long that the sun finally began to set.

He rested his head against the back of the seat and stared up at the roof of the car. What had Amanda been thinking? Was he suddenly not good enough? Well what about you Michael? His head snapped up...what about me? He felt like his own mind was betraying him. You cheated on her first didn't you? What was the case then? Was SHE not good enough? He audibly growled...he hated when he had logical thoughts.

He liked to forget about some of his past mistakes. If he didn't think about them, then sometimes he could convince himself that they never occured. This one in particular was one that he liked to pretend never happened. That wasn't a possibility though was it? It HAD happened and he couldn't even explain why. It hadn't been that he was dissatisfied in his marriage. Quite the opposite in fact, he couldn't have been more in love with his wife. He had always loved her...still did. That's why this hurt so much. Like an idiot, he had allowed himself to drink way more than he should have and an opportunity presented itself. Next thing he knew, he was waking up beside a woman that wasn't his wife and knew he had just made the biggest mistake of his life. He'd never forget the look on Amanda's face when she found out. She had looked absolutely crushed. He had actually felt physically sick as he had watched her fall apart right in front of him. Oh she was angry, definitely angry, but first she had sobbed. He had felt like the biggest jerk in the world, but the sad part was that after it was all said and done he had started acting like that biggest jerk in the world.

He rubbed his eyes and ran his hands down his face. Well...maybe all that money he was paying for that counseling crap was actually paying off a little. Wasn't this what mature functioning adults did? Think about the things they had done and the situations that had resulted from them and accepted responsibility for them, rather than blaming everyone else for all of the problems? When Amanda had cheated the first time, she had gotten so upset with him when he had let his anger and jealousy get out of control. He remembered their conversation quite clearly.

"Who do you think you are calling ME a whore?" she had screamed at him. "Don't you dare forget that YOU cheated on ME first Michael! You! You sure weren't thinking about me and my feelings were you?"

"Oh sure Amanda, let's try and take the focus off of you and your sleeping around with any man you find. I know! Let's blame your husband for the fact that you cheated!"

"Any man I can find Michael? I begged you to play tennis with me. I begged you to spend ANY time with me! YOU were the man I WANTED to find. YOU'RE the one that insisted on hiring a tennis instructor! 'It will help your game' you said. 'Maybe you'll actually be able to beat me then' you said. Don't you dare act like Mr. innocent with me"

He cringed when he thought about it now. He HAD been the one to insist on hiring the idiot. So stupid...why couldn't he have just played a few games with his wife like she wanted? Maybe take her out for drinks every now and then. But no...he had lost himself in his own moping around, thinking about how his life was going nowhere but down.

He started the car again and with a heavy sigh he pulled back onto the road. He had definitely screwed up majorly. In so many ways he didn't even know if he could count them all. He definitely held some blame in his marriage falling apart. As much as he wanted to scream screw you at his wife and put all of the blame at her feet for her infidelity, he was man enough to own up to his own mistakes. He HAD been the one to cheat first and he knew that making that mistake had dealt a very damaging blow to his marriage. Unfortunately he hadn't worked at repairing that damage and his wife had decided to carry out her revenge by dealing out the same poison. Yeah...he definitely owned part of the blame. It didn't matter now though. At this point his marriage felt like it couldn't be repaired. His therapist kept telling him that a marriage needed to be based on trust. He let out a snort of laughter. Trust...well that was pretty much screwed at this point.

He pulled into the parking lot of the hotel and sat in silence staring at the entrance for a few minutes. He wondered what Amanda was doing right now. Was she packing her things like he had said? Part of him hoped that she was...the other part hoped that she had refused and would still be there when he calmed down and returned. Ah who was he kidding. She probably couldn't pack fast enough...she had probably ran straight into Fabian's arms. Namaste. He wished he'd have broken his jaw instead of pushing him into the pool. Let him try to keep spouting off that stupid word then.

He threw open his door and stepped out. He had left the house in such a hurry that he hadn't even grabbed any clothes or toiletries. He always kept a change of clothes in the trunk though. You never knew when you'd need a quick change in his line of work. He grabbed the bag and walked into the hotel. The woman at the front desk had been all ready to exchange pleasantries but he just wasn't in the mood to talk, let alone play nice with anyone. He had said as few words as possible and knew he hadn't made a good impression. What did he care though...he was only planning on being there for a few days. Besides, it was his life that was falling apart. He figured he had the right to be a jerk right now if he wanted too.

Walking into the cool air conditioned room, he dropped his bag as soon as he got in the door. Well, now what? Watch tv? Sleep? Pretend this entire day hasn't happened...the last two years haven't happened? That would be nice. Instead he decided that his own thoughts were going to drive him crazy.

'When all else fails...whiskey never lets me down' he smiled as he made his way back out the door and down to the bar he had passed on the first floor. He didn't miss the wink from the attractive blonde leaning against the counter, but honestly...he had zero interest. Yeah, she was pretty...but she didn't compare to his wife. He shook his head, trying to force any thoughts of Amanda out of his head. Whiskey in hand, he returned to his room where he drank and drank with memories swirling through his mind until finally, mercifully, he passed out on the bed.