I loved him. I love him. How could he do this? How? How? How? How could he throw 20 years down the drain? Have I been blind all along? Has he been fucking around on me this entire time? Has it all been a lie? Or is he just tired of me now and this is a new thing? My husband! My own husband. The man I trusted more than life itself had that naked cunt give him a blowjob in his office! Even after swearing his undying devotion to me this morning. Oh God, please help me. How could he betray me like that? Who is this person? Who's taken over his body? And what do I do now? Leave? Take the girls? Divorce? Oh God, I can't breathe. Another woman had her lips on my husband's…
Ana couldn't even finish the thought before hurling the entire contents of her stomach into the toilet. Sweaty, she collapsed back onto the floor, her cheeks pressed against the cool tiles, dry heaves replacing the tears she was no longer capable of shedding.
She had no idea how long she had been laying on the floor — minutes, hours? — until she faintly heard the voice of John Flynn on the other side of the door.
"Ana," he said gingerly. "Are you alright"
She snorted. Did Christian bring John in so we could get a jumpstart on couple's therapy? Is that how he thinks this works?
"I'm just honky-dory John. But I'm not exactly in the mood for a psychoanalysis session at the moment."
"Ana, I know you're upset and I realize that's a gross understatement of your pain," he said. "I won't force you to come out. I am, however, going to slip an i-Video player that Christian wanted you to see under the door. It shows everything that transpired with his meeting today, from start to finish."
"I don't exactly need a replay to confirm what happened doc," Ana lashed out. "My imagination has given me all the visuals I can handle."
"I know Ana," John said, calm and unruffled. "But when you're ready, I urge you to watch it. You need to know the truth before you jump to conclusions. Then, whenever you're ready, if you want to come out and talk, I'm here. I will keep Christian away if that's what you need."
Ana heard a loud protest but ignored it. She curled up into a ball, covering her ears. She didn't want to hear anything any more. She wanted to live in a cocoon where she still had a happy marriage and her life wasn't in tattered in shreds. She had stopped crying and welcomed the numbness that took over. She felt like an outsider floating outside her body. Everything that happened since she went to bring Elliott and Christian some beer seemed so surreal, like a scene unfolding in a soap opera or a reality show.
Finally, after 15 minutes of checking out mentally, Ana lifted her head and tentatively reached for the device by the door. She could never figure out how to work the latest wonder gadget from Apple, but it was already set to play, so she hit the button and braced herself.