Kailyn unlocked the door and stepped inside the house. It felt like the house was holding its breath. It was 3 AM, and she was returning home this late. Something she never did. She knew Roman was still awake. He had texted and called her when she didn't show up for the barbeque. She had texted back saying she wasn't coming, and then she had turned off her phone. She got out of her sandals and froze when the light was turned on. Roman stood there with his arms crossed.
"Where were you?" He asked.
"I was out," she said.
"No shit!" He sneered. "Quit that smart mouth of yours and tell me where the fuck you were."
"I was out having fun," she said.
"I called Carmella and Alexa. You weren't with them," he said.
"I can have fun without them," she said.
She gave him a twisted, sideways smirk and walked past him. It sank in what she was trying to say. At first he felt angry but then he started laughing. She turned around and looked at him. He slowly started clapping.
"You almost had me there," he said.
"I don't know what you mean," she said.
"You're trying to make me jealous," he said.
"Why would you be jealous when you're the one who wants an open marriage?" She asked.
"You're trying but not succeeding," he said.
"Does it matter? It's not like you want us to tell each other anything anyway," she said.
"And that's how you can pretend it's real but it's just a cute story in your head," he said.
He walked over to her, grabbed her chin, and stared her down.
"As if anyone would want to fuck you," he said. "Besides, you know your place. You don't have it in you to spread your legs for anyone else but me."
He leaned down as if he wanted to kiss her. Instead he just smirked, let go of her chin, and continued walking.
"His name is Drew," she said.
He froze for a second, then turned around to look at her again.
"His name is Drew," she repeated. "He's tall, has long, dark hair, and a pair of pretty, blue eyes. He also has the most amazing tongue. You could never do what he did to me this morning."
He bared his teeth in anger. She didn't care. She wanted him to be angry. She wanted him to be hurt. He had done nothing but hurt her for so long. It was her turn to hurt him.
"And I tell you, Roman, I've never been fucked this good before," she held up her hand. "Five times. Damn, that man can go."
He walked towards her fast. She suddenly felt scared. She backed away until her back hit the front door. There was nowhere to go. He was right in front of her, and she had never seen him this angry before. When he spoke, his voice sounded colder than ever before. It was dripping with venom.
"You fucking whore!" He said.
"If I'm a whore, what are you?" She asked.
"Whore!" He growled.
"You're the one who wanted an open marriage," she said. "You never said it would only be okay if you did it."
"Know your god damn place!" He yelled.
"I'm not your fucking trophy to show around!" She yelled back.
He raised his hand but stopped midair. He had never hit her before. She could see his mind fighting a battle whether or not to do it. He was angry and felt betrayed. She had gone against everything he wanted her to do. She was supposed to sit at home like a good, obedient wife while he ran around and had his fun.
"You wanna hit me?" She asked mockingly. "Do it. Show me what kind of a man you truly are. Leave a good bruise for me to show both of our fathers. Maybe they'll finally tell us to divorce. Maybe they'll even take away your future as boss of the company."
A cruel smile slowly crept up on his face. He lowered his hand but she still felt scared.
"I have never hit a woman in my life, and I'm not about to start now," he said.
He spit in her face. She gasped as she felt it hit her cheek and slowly start running down. He kept standing there, smiling cruelly, watching his spit run down her face. She had never felt so humiliated before. It worked in his favor. She couldn't stop the tears that started running from her eyes.
"Whore," he said calmly. "You can sleep in the guest room tonight. I don't wanna fucking see you right now."
He turned around and walked away. She lifted her dress to dry the spit and tears off her face. She had never felt so alone before. Her own husband treated her like his property. Her family allowed it to happen. She only had a couple of friends left who had refused to turn their backs on her with how Roman had acted over the years to try and scare everyone away. She should call them but she didn't dare. She knew what they would say. They would judge her marriage. They would tell her he was a dick and then laugh about it. And they would tell her to be safe when she returned home again. Asking directly for help wasn't something she had ever done before. For some reason that was just too hard to do. She had been forced fed the idea of her and Roman since they were children. It was a hard bond to break. She was alone.
She turned off the light and walked through the dark house. The door to the bedroom was closed but she knew he was in there, listening to her footsteps walking down the hall. She went to the guest bathroom to quickly clean up, and then went to the guest room to sleep.
She wasn't sure if Roman hated her or if there was actually still any love left for her inside him. She never asked. She didn't care to know the answer. She didn't love him, and that was all that mattered. Somehow it would hurt even more if he actually did love her.