Chapter 11
"I know it's been rough lately, but that's exactly why we need to get away," she shouted.
"Lauren this is no time for a vacation."
He listened as she turned off the shower and stepped out. A few moments later she was wearing a robe and standing in their bedroom.
"What was that last thing you said?" She questioned as she brushed out her wet hair.
"With everything that's going on, I think a vacation would be a little inappropriate."
Sitting on the edge of their bed she shook her head, "Michael our marriage is more important that all this."
He sat still for a moment. It was now or never.
"Do you know what happened to Sydney?"
"Of course I do. She was poisoned," she said as she pulled her hair up into a towel.
"Yeah she was, but that's not it."
"Oh what else then?"
He stood up and crossed his arms across his chest, "She had a miscarriage."
Lauren's face went pale and she curiously questioned him, "Does the father know?"
"Lauren I need to explain this to you."
"Oh my god."
"Wait, please let me explain."
"How could you do this to me?"
He went down on his knees and grabbed her hands, "please let me explain."
Vaughn took her silence as a go-ahead.
"When Sydney first came back I was in.shock. Completely. I had all these sudden feelings come back, yet I also had my love for you. It was. a difficult place to be in."
"So you slept with her."
"It wasn't like that. We went on a mission. You were in L.A. She and I were posing as a married couple. We were alone after the mission and suddenly it was like we were back before she went missing.
Then once we were back, I had to tell her if couldn't happen again. No matter what I felt for her, you were my wife."
"And you regret it." She was near tears.
"No that was the worst part. I thought I did regret it, but I don't. I do love you. And getting married to you saved my life. And it brought me happiness when I didn't think it was possible."
She still couldn't look at him.
"But no matter how much I love you. Me suppressing my feelings for Sydney was destroying our marriage."
"And you think getting it out in the open is going to help it!?"
"Lauren I couldn't lie to you anymore."
"So you just decided it was best that I knew you and your ex-girlfriend had an affair, and conceived a child."
"You needed to know."
"Damnit Michael. I wish I didn't need to know. I wish there was nothing for me to know."
"I'm so sorry for hurting you. It's the last thing I've ever wanted."
"How do you expect us to get past this? We'll be seeing her everyday. A constant reminder of the fact that you've betrayed me." She still seemed stunned.
He was silent once again and stood up, "I'm sorry for what I did to you. I'm even more sorry to say that I don't want to try and get past this."
"What?" She cried.
"You deserve better. You deserve better than a husband who doesn't want to be with you."
He grabbed his coat and hurried off to the door.
"Where are you going."
He gave her a sad smile and turned back to the door, "To where I should have been all along."
"I know it's been rough lately, but that's exactly why we need to get away," she shouted.
"Lauren this is no time for a vacation."
He listened as she turned off the shower and stepped out. A few moments later she was wearing a robe and standing in their bedroom.
"What was that last thing you said?" She questioned as she brushed out her wet hair.
"With everything that's going on, I think a vacation would be a little inappropriate."
Sitting on the edge of their bed she shook her head, "Michael our marriage is more important that all this."
He sat still for a moment. It was now or never.
"Do you know what happened to Sydney?"
"Of course I do. She was poisoned," she said as she pulled her hair up into a towel.
"Yeah she was, but that's not it."
"Oh what else then?"
He stood up and crossed his arms across his chest, "She had a miscarriage."
Lauren's face went pale and she curiously questioned him, "Does the father know?"
"Lauren I need to explain this to you."
"Oh my god."
"Wait, please let me explain."
"How could you do this to me?"
He went down on his knees and grabbed her hands, "please let me explain."
Vaughn took her silence as a go-ahead.
"When Sydney first came back I was in.shock. Completely. I had all these sudden feelings come back, yet I also had my love for you. It was. a difficult place to be in."
"So you slept with her."
"It wasn't like that. We went on a mission. You were in L.A. She and I were posing as a married couple. We were alone after the mission and suddenly it was like we were back before she went missing.
Then once we were back, I had to tell her if couldn't happen again. No matter what I felt for her, you were my wife."
"And you regret it." She was near tears.
"No that was the worst part. I thought I did regret it, but I don't. I do love you. And getting married to you saved my life. And it brought me happiness when I didn't think it was possible."
She still couldn't look at him.
"But no matter how much I love you. Me suppressing my feelings for Sydney was destroying our marriage."
"And you think getting it out in the open is going to help it!?"
"Lauren I couldn't lie to you anymore."
"So you just decided it was best that I knew you and your ex-girlfriend had an affair, and conceived a child."
"You needed to know."
"Damnit Michael. I wish I didn't need to know. I wish there was nothing for me to know."
"I'm so sorry for hurting you. It's the last thing I've ever wanted."
"How do you expect us to get past this? We'll be seeing her everyday. A constant reminder of the fact that you've betrayed me." She still seemed stunned.
He was silent once again and stood up, "I'm sorry for what I did to you. I'm even more sorry to say that I don't want to try and get past this."
"What?" She cried.
"You deserve better. You deserve better than a husband who doesn't want to be with you."
He grabbed his coat and hurried off to the door.
"Where are you going."
He gave her a sad smile and turned back to the door, "To where I should have been all along."