A/N: Before you get started I want to thank everyone who has reached out to me, who know I've been having a tough go at it lately. Reading and Writing Richonne has brought me great peace during this time and hopefully I will be back to my former *better* self soon.
This chapter is mainly focusing on Lori, taking place largely in the past and hopefully will do well in answering some questions as to why she is the way she is now. We jump back and forth through the timeline in this chapter, italics signifying the past. Richonne will be back in the next chapters, so no worries. There are a few themes in this chapter that can be triggering for some, so proceed with caution.
Past: 14 Years Prior To
"Fill my heart with gladness
Take away my sadness
Ease my troubles that's what you do..."
The fine sounds of the piano delighted her heart as she swayed in his arms to the melodic arrangement of notes. All the work, planning and preparation for this one moment of fulfillment had finally paid off. Better than she could have ever imagined. She rested her head on his shoulder as they both adhered to the rhythm.
"There's a love that's divine, and it's yours and it's mine..."
The lyrics coming from him in his soothing southern twang as he quietly sang along in her ear, warmed her soul. All she wanted in this world was to love and be loved, and she found it.
Closing her eyes, she melted further into him, listening as he serenaded her.
They stayed this way, lost on the dance floor in a world of their own, until an acquainted voice broke its way through their serene state.
"Mind if I steal a dance with the bride? I promise to give her back." He joked.
Giving her a kiss on the forehead, he peeled his body away, Lori already missing his touch. "You better." He smiled at him, passing her into his best friend's waiting arms.
Lori shifted the tail of her wedding dress behind her then rested her palm on his shoulder, the other taking his awaiting hand. He locked his fingers with hers and placed his other hand at her hip.
"You look beautiful." He said as they slowly began to move to the music.
"Thank you, Shane."
"Far more beautiful than I could ever have dreamed." He added.
Lori felt him snake his hand from her hip to the small of her back pulling her closer, just enough to remain proper, smelling the first hint of whiskey on his breath. It was subtle, just under the mask of his cologne.
"Are you happy, Lori?" He asked, still moving in cadence with the song.
"Very." She answered. And she was. Her entire life had been molded for this moment. From the day she was born, be good, find a good man, have good kids, live a good life. She was on track for just that. "I am."
Shane nodded pulling her even closer to him where they continued to dance quietly together, neither saying another word. When the song ended, Shane placed a kiss on her cheek, just at the edge of her ear and whispered for only her to hear, "I love you, Lori."
Alone in the middle of the dance floor, Lori watched befuddled, as he walked away from her, scratching the back of his head and out the large ballroom doors. Shane had been her friend for a long time and she loved him too, they told each other many times before, but why tonight did it feel so different? She scanned the room to find Rick, the one thing she was sure of. Her eyes fell on him as he was chatting with her parents at the table. His eyes found hers and the sweetest smile graced his lips as he beheld her.
His wife.
Her husband.
Present Day:
Rick stood still in the doorway of his office as he stared at the framed photograph in Mike's hand. What he said to him was not registering. The string of words he was putting together made no sense. And he was still talking.
"This is Jenny! Her hair, her smile. Why do you have this? What is-?"
Rick felt his skin grow hotter each passing second as he watched Mike wave the picture of his family around. There was a mistake. There had to be a mistake obviously because the person in that picture was not named Jenny. But Mike, he was still talking.
"Is this a joke? Is this some kind of game? What the fu-?"
Hearing enough, Rick bellowed, "Shut the fuck up!" Silencing Mike where he stood. He stepped inside his office and slammed the door behind him. Walking up to Mike, Rick snatched the photo from his hand and walked around to sit behind his desk. Taking a hint, Mike sat in the chair opposite of him.
There had to be a mistake, Rick thought to himself. There was no way in hell. He placed the frame in his top drawer and closed it. Mike watched him closely, a sharp expression fixed on his face. One of anger and suspicion, but still he stayed silent. Finally, Rick regarded him. Taking in a deep breath he began, "Tell m-".
The vibration coming from his pant pocket interrupted him. Sure it was Shane, Rick retrieved his phone quickly, but instead of his best friend and partner, it was Michonne. For the first time since he met her he pressed the ignore button on his phone, sending her to his voicemail. This time she would have to wait.
Rick looked back at Mike and began again. "Tell me everything. From the beginning."
"Mmm... damn." He groaned reaching up to grab both of her breasts as she bounced with reckless abandon up and down his hard member. "Fuck Lori!"
She held his hands to her chest and continued to grind against him with increasing vigor. Shutting her eyes she tried to commit the feeling of Shane inside her to memory. This was likely the last time she would be with him. She was a plague now having destroyed so much, it was time to stop. She banked in her memory how he filled her up, his grip on her breasts, the sound of her name gruffly leaving his tongue. She would never tell him just how much he meant to her now after everything. Now that she made many mistakes, some really bad ones, but letting him go was the worst of all. If she would have chose him, followed him, her life would not be what it was. She could feel the sting of tears threatening to fall as she bucked against him. He removed his hands from her breasts, bringing his thumb to her clit and she submitted to Shane making her cum for one last time.
Past: 5 Years Prior To
The door slowly creaked open and she heard her husband enter their bedroom. Lori turned on the lamp and sat up in the bed observing him as he placed his sheriff's hat quietly on the bureau. His face was troubled and she knew immediately that he had a difficult night on the job.
"What's wrong?" Lori questioned, getting up, she walked around the bed to where he stood and began helping him out of his uniform shirt.
"Just tired." Rick answered. He worked on his belt buckle as Lori got finished with his last shirt button. "Rough shift."
Stepping away from him, she let him get the rest of his shirt and pants off. "Wanna talk about it?"
"Not really. I'm just tired."
Lori sighed. It was so hard to get anything out of Rick lately. He never wanted to talk about the job, about what was troubling him, instead he was always 'just tired'. She returned to her side of the bed and climbed back in, her back facing him now.
Rick pulled up the sheets on his side of the bed and slid inside. Resting his arm on her waist he pulled her into him. Her back against his chest, he kissed the top of her bare shoulder. "How was Carl's birthday party?" he asked.
"The kids had fun, but he missed you. A lot." She spoke softly. Carl turned five today. A milestone, that Rick had to miss because of his job. Lori thought to herself just how many more he would have to miss.
Lori felt Rick press his forehead into the back of her neck. He did not say anything, there was nothing really for him to say.
Present Day:
Lori caressed Shane's chest as their breathing returned to normal. The past few days left her weary, from Rick's unannounced visit, the divorce papers, him finding out she was moving in the way that he did. All the problems that she spent running away from and ignoring were now starting to come to a head, and it felt like she was suffocating.
"So, what is your plan?" Shane asked, piercing her thoughts.
Lori stopped caressing his chest and laid flat on her back. She looked up at her ceiling in deep thought. "I'm going to start a new life away from here. Carl and Judith deserve the best life. No accusing stares, none of the judgement that Rick and I-that I brought to them."
Shane peered at Lori from the corner of his eye. There was something terribly wrong that she was hiding from him. It was not just the guilt of the two of them sleeping together, but something before all of this. Something she was hiding that was eating her up from the inside. "Lori?" He queried, tracing the frown of her lips with his thumb. "Tell me what's going on."
Past: Around 3 Years Prior To
"Are you close?"
The sweat trickled down his brow as he drove in and out of her center like a piston, trying his best to get her to reach her peak.
"Not yet." Lori bemoaned, lifting her hips to match his thrusts.
"How much longer?" He questioned through labored breaths.
"I don't know Rick, just keep going!" Lori closed her eyes and tried to focus on her pleasure. She and Rick rarely had sex nowadays and when they did it was always the same. Missionary until she pretended to orgasm. All the intensity and desire was gone from their bedroom, and for a while now, it just felt like a job. A dull, tedious, job.
"Almost?" Rick asked again, his own release just as elusive. He was tired and in a hurry.
Fed up with his questioning, Lori did what she does best. Channeling her inner Streep, she quivered beneath him, moaning in artificial ecstasy. Relieved, Rick kissed her swiftly then rolled off of her, but instead of lying down for sleep, he sat up and began reaching for his boxers.
"Where are you going?" Lori confronted. It was bad enough that she had to pretend in satisfaction, but now he was running off. She sat up in the bed and observed him.
"I told you. I told Shane I would cover his shift tonight."
Lori was incensed. "Rick! Are you serious right now? You're running off to work, when we just...?" She raked her fingers through her long brunette hair in frustration. "You're never here anymore. Even when you are here, you're not. Not really. Its no wonder you can barely keep it up."
Rick continued to get dressed, putting on a pair of sweatpants and t-shirt. He did not want to argue. He had no energy to argue, but she was doing her best to pull him into one.
"Rick!" Lori yelled, annoyed at his dismissal of her.
Rick raised his hand in defeat. "What do you want me to say, Lori?"
"Anything! Something. I want you to talk to me!" She shouted, rising to her knees on the bed, bringing the sheet up with her to cover her bare body. With pleading eyes she waited for him to answer her. To say something. To participate in a conversation for once.
Rick turned away and grabbed his hat off the nightstand. "God not now, Lori. Can we not do this now?"
"Then when, Rick? When is it a good time for you?" Lori watched as Rick made his way to the door where he stopped short.
"I don't know, but I'm going to be late for work." And in a instant, he was gone and Lori was left alone.
It was as if she had any intimation of what was going on in her parents bedroom, the sound of infant cries began to wail through the baby monitor on the nightstand, harshly cutting through the silence of the cold, forsaken bedroom Lori shared with her husband. Unable to move to see what was wrong with her child, Lori sat on her knees, the sheet that was covering her long since fallen. Her own tears began to fall. Soundlessly, she cried right along with her baby girl in the next room over.
Present Day:
"Nothing is going on." She lied. Not wanting to further pull him into her mess. "I'm good. I will be even better when I finally get out of here."
"You're lying." Shane sighed. He returned to his position on his back. "I know you, Lori."
She had no response. Shane did know her well, probably better than anyone else. Better than Rick for sure.
"Who knows," Lori began, changing the subject. "Maybe you can come visit me in Cali, once I get settled down. I'm sure there will be plenty of eye-candy on the beach. For them and for you." She playfully slapped at his six pack stomach. She knew that could never be the case. When she leaves King County that would be it. Everything and everyone gone with it.
"Yeah?" Shane chuckled grabbing at her hand, "Well, I've got a better idea. Maybe I should just come with you. Seeing as how you're the only one that can satisfy my sweet tooth."
Past: 1 Year Before The Accident
"It is all the rage nowadays."
The skies were clear and the sun was shining. Lori sat on the terrace of her favorite coffee shop with one of her good friends, Karen.
"It does all the hard work for you. You take a compatibility test and bam! Dozens of matches." Lori listened as Karen explained about her past year fishing on an internet dating site."I met this guy, Tyreese. Super hot. Big, strong, used to play for the Atlanta Falcons before he got injured."
"Really?" She looked at Karen in disbelief, anyone could say anything over the internet and it would be true.
"Yes, really! He sent me a team photo with him on the roster, and then I looked it up. He was indeed telling the truth." Karen laughed.
"I would be so nervous." Lori opined. "You never know with people nowadays."
"That's true, but me and Ty didn't meet until 2 months after we began chatting online. And from what I hear from others, that's a long time. Everything was on my terms, when and where we would meet. I felt like I knew him already. I trusted him before we even laid eyes on each other. I trusted him even more after I got a taste."
Lori laughed at her friends lack of couth, but considered. It did seem like a pretty smart way to meet someone. To understand someone at their very core before you even get physical. Before you even decide to tie yourself to them. Compatibility is important in any relationship. Something that can easily be overshadowed by pleasantries and manners. Compatibility, something that she and Rick were now suddenly, or not so, lacking.
Karen leaned forward and gave Lori a friendly pat on the arm. "Why am I even telling you this though? You're happily married to the town's law with not one but TWO wonderful children."
"Right." Lori dismissed. "Happily is one way to describe it."
"Leave the sorry internet dating to people like me who need a damn computer to help them with basic human connections." Karen said laughing at her own expense. She observed Lori, noticing the troubled expression on her face. Karen's previous state of glee turned into one of concern. "Is everything alright? You don't look too good."
Lori took a sip of her cappuccino, and waved her friend off. "I'm fine." She lied. In fact she was pondering if Rick would even show up in her matches these days. Something told her she knew the answer to that already.
"Why can't Shane do it?" Lori complained. A fussy Judith fidgeted in her arms as she tried to pull up her pants after giving her one more diaper change before she handed her off to Rick. He was taking the children to stay at his parents house for the weekend.
"Because I told my superior that I would." Rick calmly tried to justify why he was taking another 12-hour shift, leaving Lori alone once more.
Lori finished pulling up Judith's pants and now held her in her arms. "If I didn't know any better I would think you wanted to be there. Away from me. Away from your children."
Rick sighed and left the nursery. Lori trailed close behind him, out the room and down the stairs, not wanting to let him off the hook for this one. "I don't understand why every time someone is needed for a shift or an assignment, you're the first one in line. You have other responsibilities, Rick!"
As they approached the living room, Rick swiftly turned his body around to face her. "That is exactly why I take the shifts, Lori!" His voice just slightly louder than he intended it to be, causing his wife to step back and clutch her daughter tighter. "Because I have other responsibilities." Rick sighed and lowered his voice. "Just because we stopped answering the phone, doesn't mean the debt collectors stopped calling." He placed his hands on his hips in aggravation, trying to get through to his wife. "This house... this house that you wanted. No. You needed, so everyone in town could see just how well you made it, to raise our kids in, it isn't going to pay for itself. I work so we can eat. I work so we can have a roof over our heads. I take almost every shift so I don't have to hear you constantly badger me when all I want..." Rick paused trying to find the best words. "When all I'm trying to do is give you the life you wanted."
Lori seethed at Rick's revelation. He was placing the blame, the state of the their marriage solely on her, painting her as nothing more than a Suzy homemaker, Stepford wife, who is all about the image. She held Judith tight to her hip, bouncing her slightly to sooth the tension she was sure the baby felt between her two parents. "You think I want to badger you, Rick? You think I wake up in the morning and say 'how can I make Rick's life miserable today?' What about me, Rick? You don't think I get tired of asking you to just be here?" She stared him straight in the eye, her voice raised three octaves as she spat out her next words without any thought of the ramifications. "You only care about yourself. You don't care about me, or Judith. You don't even give a shit about your own son!"
"I'm ready, Daddy."
A tiny voice came from the staircase. It was Carl. He stood at the last step with his backpack and a brown sheriff's hat on his head. Almost an exact replica of his father's. His face was forlorn at the sight of his parents arguing once again.
Lori's gaze went from Carl to Rick again, who was staring fiery blue daggers straight through her. She had never seen such rage in his eyes before. "Let's go, Carl." He ordered. Rick pulled Judith from Lori's arms and the baby began to a full on cry. Her young mind's perception that something was off, finally taking its toll.
"Shh...Shhh...Shh." Rick gently cooed, bouncing Judith in his arms, trying to calm her down. "It's okay." He picked up the baby bag that was resting on the couch. Giving Lori one final stare, he made his way out the front door with his children, slamming it loudly behind him.
Lori watched as the car pulled out the driveway, then she angrily stomped off to the kitchen to begin her daily chores with Rick and their argument weighing heavily on her mind. Her word choice could not have been any poorer and to make matter worse, Carl heard them. She banged the used dishes in the sink, taking her anger out on her white saucers. The had been a gift from her parents on their wedding day. It was the last thing she wanted, for Carl to ever feel like he was unloved. She regretted the words the moment they left her mouth, but the way Rick acted and the choices he made, for her did not make them seem any less true.
She started to throw the white pieces of porcelain from the sink when unexpectedly, a shooting pain channeled through Lori's lower back causing her to keel over. She moved over to the living room and sat on the couch to let it pass, but then another excruciatingly sharp pain. She stayed for a while hoping the cramping would subside. It felt like a thousand knives were pressed into her at once. Lori made her way to the bathroom, pulling down her pants she sat on the toilet. Her underwear stained a brownish, red color. She was bleeding far more than her monthly cycle. Nervously alarmed, Lori made her way to her purse in her bedroom and grabbed her cell phone, still clutching at the pain in her back that had yet to abate. Scrolling through her contacts she looked for his number and pressed call.
"Hello, Mrs. Grimes."
Dr. Carson walked into the medical room where Lori was lying back on the exam table.
"How are we feeling?" He asked.
"I have a bit of a headache and I feel a little nauseous, but for the most part I am okay now." Upon arrival she was given pain medication to numb the cramping. Lori watched as Dr. Carson pulled a seat next to her at the medical table.
"Mrs. Grimes," He started, pushing up the bridge of his glasses. "Did you know you were pregnant?"
"Pregnant?"
"Yes. About 8 weeks actually."
She did not feel any different. Lori could barely remember the last time she and Rick had sex. With Judith being only two, Carl, a growing boy and all the problems in her marriage, she barely had the time to pay attention to herself, a missed cycle or anything of the sort. "You said 'were' pregnant?"
"You had a miscarriage. I'm sorry." She looked away from her doctor and gazed out into the ceiling above her, silently digesting his words. A part of her was relieved. There was no way she and Rick would be able to handle another child right now, but on the other hand she was heartbroken. She lost her child without even knowing. A part of her. So caught up in trying to keep things afloat with Rick, she neglected herself. Her health, her baby's health. There was no telling who he or she would become, but because she...he had been so selfish, they would never know. Anger was beginning to boil from deep within her. Lori softly placed her hand on her stomach. "Doc?"
"Yes, Mrs. Grimes."
"Don't tell my husband."
Lori walked out of the doctor's office and into the car that was waiting for her at the front entrance.
"Is everything okay?" He asked when she sat down and put on her seat belt.
"I need you to do me a favor." She said.
"Anything."
"Do not tell Rick about this."
"Wha-?"
"Shane!" Lori yelled. Her face hard and her eyes stern.
"Alright." He gripped the steering wheel tight. "I won't tell Rick."
Shane stepped on the gas and drove her back home.
It was 10pm that night when Rick returned home. The mood in the house as he walked through the front door was placid. The only sound to be heard was the subdued hum of the television coming from the living room. Rick stepped into the space to find Lori lying under a heavy blanket on the couch, surfing through the channels. He was still piqued about earlier in the morning, with what she said in front of their son, but as the hours went by, he realized he wasn't at his best either.
"Hey Lori, I'm-" he began, but she quickly cut him off. It surprised him a bit because he did not realize she was aware that he was even there.
"Did you eat?" She queried. Her eyes still trained on the television in front of her.
"Not since lunch, hours ago." He replied.
"There is a plate of food wrapped on the stove for you. You can warm it up in the microwave." She pressed the power button to turn off the TV and moved the blanket off of her, she slowly eased off of the couch, wincing a bit as she did. She walked past Rick without another word, and made her way up the stairs to their bedroom where she closed the door behind her.
Lori sat up against the headboard on the side of her bed, and pulled out her laptop from her nightstand. She was not tired, too much going on in her mind, but there was one thing she knew for sure. That she did not want to be around Rick. Not now. She powered on her computer and opened the internet browser. She checked her emails, nothing but the regular promotions. She checked the weather and the top news. After a while and without too much thought, she found herself on the site Karen told her about those days ago.
A Few Weeks Later:
"We're leaving now." Rick said as he grabbed his fishing pole at the door. "Are you sure you don't want to come?"
"No. You and Carl should have some male bonding time, me and Judith will find some fun for us this weekend. Isn't that right, Judy?" The baby babbled unintelligible words, laughing in her mother's arms as if she understood.
Rick gave her a small smile. "Alright then. Carl, say goodbye to your mother and sister."
"Bye Mom!" He said excitedly, giving her a rushed hug, ready to hit the road to the lake with his father.
Rick moved in close to give Judith a kiss on her head, then motioned to kiss Lori on her lips, but she flinched, causing him to back away. "I'll see you Sunday." She offered.
Rick nodded and closed the door behind them. "Just me and you, baby." Lori said when they were gone.
Her phone pinged indicating she had a new email. After getting Judith settled in her pen with her toys, Lori took her phone out of her pocket to check the email. Her body coursed with excitement when she saw it was from Mike, a man she had struck up quite the relationship with online. They had yet to meet up mainly because she was keeping almost everything about her real life anonymous. She fabricated this online persona and it was doing well in filling the void of companionship, but the more they talked the more she wanted to meet him. She was able to tell Mike her feelings and he would listen. He would share his life with her, as they discussed everything under the sun. It also helped that he was extremely attractive. She never had it in her mind to cheat on Rick. It was only meant to be a distraction, but Mike was offering her everything that Rick wasn't. She and Rick had not had sex since she found out about her miscarriage. Primarily because the thought of being touched by her own husband left a distasteful sentiment in her heart, but when she spoke to Mike, she found herself turned on. She was treading risky waters with their innocent flirting through emails and while her mind was telling her to stop, still she quickly grabbed her laptop to email him back.
Lori rose from the bed with a heaviness on her heart caused by the words he used during their romp. Each time she slept with him she felt more and more guilty. Not for Rick, not for her marriage, but for what she had done to Mike. She was stringing him along because she was having the best sex of her life, because she loved the feeling of being wanted and needed. Now she was dangerously close to something she did not plan on from the start of this whole thing. Lori slipped out of the bed and reached for her dress that was lying on the nearby living chair. It was 2:30 in the morning now, she had come over to his house for an evening in. Dinner and a movie, and of course the sex, but now it was time to leave and she preferred to do so under the mask of night. It was still a small town and she could not afford the gossip. Not when she had a son who attended the elementary school, a husband who was the law. She felt enough shame as it was already. She had her fun, but it was time to put an end to this. She picked up her heels that lie on the floor and held them in her hand. She would put them on when she reached outside.
Her head snapped behind her quickly when she heard the springs squeak from the bed.
"Not again." He spoke hoarsely, stretching his arms out and sitting up in the bed scrutinizing her.
Lori gave him an apologetic smile. "I did not want to wake you." She supplied.
"No, you just wanted to creep out of here like a thief in the night." He reached beside him to click on the bedside lamp. "You don't have to leave Jenny."
"I do. I hav-"
"You have to what?" Mike looked at her incredulously. "I probably should not have said it. Not this early. I probably should not have told you I love you, but it does not make it any less true."
Lori sighed. "Its not."
"It is!" He yelled at her, catching her off guard. She backed up closer to the door.
Mike got up from the bed to meet her where she stood. The mistrust on her face easily discernible to him. "What about everything we said? What we talked about? Our future."
"That was all.." Lori's words, caught up in the anonymity of internet dating all coming back to haunt her now.
"Don't you care about me, Jenny?" Mike rubbed his hand up and down her bare arms. He stopped then gripped at the flesh right before her elbows. His whole fist easily wrapping around her skinny arms. "I don't want to let you go. We can start that family you wanted. So what if you can't have children. That does not matter to me. You don't have to leave."
There was nothing more that Lori wanted to do in that moment but leave. "Okay." She said instead, dropping her shoes.
"Thank you." His grip loosened on her arms and she stepped away from him and took off her dress again. Leaning into Mike she kissed him once more as his hands roamed over her small frame. She would stay tonight.
Lori walked into her home early the next morning and immediately noticed how clean it was. None of Carl's toys were lying around, all of the surfaces were wiped clean, not a spec of dust in sight. The slight hint of lemon wood polish still wafted in the air. She continued further into the house to see that there were candles set up on almost every free surface of the living room. Her eyes fell to the couch where a sleeping Rick lay oblivious of her presence. He had his deep blue dress shirt on, it was her favorite, and a pair of khaki pants. She dropped her purse and shoes on the living chair and ambled her way to the kitchen and dining area where she saw two place settings of their finest dinnerware set up with a bouquet of white roses and candles in between. A bottle of chardonnay lay in a bucket of water, ice long since melted.
There was a strange feeling that came over her as she stared at the two vacant seats of the date that didn't happen. It was not one of pity or sadness, but heightened indignation. All of this just seemed to little and two damn late.
Lori returned to the living room, walking over to the couch to nudge Rick awake.
With and annoyed grunt, he strains his eyes open and looks up at his wife standing before him. "What time is it?" He asked, moving to sit up.
"6:30"
"And you're just getting back?"
"Yeah."
Rick suppressed the anger he felt rising within him. "Did you have fun with Karen? I'm guessing you did since you just got in."
"I thought you were working late?" She asked motioning around the room.
"I got off early. Since the kids are with your parents, I wanted to surprise you with a little something. I did not expect you to be out all night."
Lori turned away from him. Moving her purse to the side on the chair she sat down. Lori gazed at Rick. Her mind had never been more clear about their marriage than it was in this moment and if she did not come out and say what she needed to say, she probably never would. She was about to start when Rick spoke first.
"I know I have not been the best husband. Or the best father," Lori shifted in her seat, listening to him speak. "I wanted to let you know I'm sorry. I truly am. I'm going to make the time." His hands moved up his face, fingers raking through his hair, he sighed. "All those shifts I picked up, I caught up. The mortgage, the bills, we are good for now. I can make the time, Lori. For this kids and for you."
She heard him. Every last word he said, but they were just that, words. Words she had been waiting five years to hear. Words that meant nothing to her now. It was hollow, just like their marriage. Instead of love all she felt was indifference. Then she thought of Mike.
Rick stood from his seat and walked over to his wife, kneeling in front of her. His his hands rested on both of her knees. "Lori, I'm here. I'm ready."
Standing, his hands slid off of her, and she looked down to view him. His eyes imploring, hers full of apathy. "I can't do this anymore." She stated, walking out of the room, leaving him alone just like he had done to her all those times before.
Present Day:
Shane leaned back on the headboard, idly running his fingers through her hair as she nestled against him. He knew that at this moment, he would not get anything out of her about what was troubling her, so he changed tactics and went back to discussing the future. Something that she seemed hopeful for. He wrapped his arm around her body and cuddled her closer to him.
"So what are you going to do over there on the west coast? How are you going to support yourself?"
Lori furrowed her brows. "I have...some money."
Past: 2 Weeks Before The Accident
Lori stood at the job board outside of Carl's school. She was picking him up to take her to her parents home which she was staying at until she found her own place. She knew she did not want to stay in King County forever. California sounds nice, she thought to herself. The cell phone in her pocket began to ring once again. She took it out and put it on mute.
Mike again.
He had been calling her incessantly and she hoped he would take a hint. No matter how many times she told him that she did not want what he wanted anymore, he still felt the need to try to change her mind. When talking clearly was not getting through to him, she just resorted to ignoring him.
Her focus went back to the ads hanging up. If she was going to get this divorce, that Rick was painfully taking his time with signing off on, she would need a job. Money to support herself and her children. Getting married and having children so young had been her plan, but plans do not always work out. She needed a new plan.
"Excuse me?"
An unfamiliar voice came from behind her. "May I help you?" She queried.
"Mrs. Grimes, is it?"
Lori contemplated the tall, brown haired man before her, confused as to how he knew her name. "Yes?"
"Hi. Pleasure to meet your acquaintance." He extended his hand out to her, and she cautiously took it. "My name is Phillip Blake and I have a proposition for you."