A/N: Chapter two! Thanks for the feedback, y'all. Reviews are great!
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Chapter Two – Lindsey Lister
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"It's wrong, but you're doing it anyway.
So just do it."
Lucas, by Kevin Brooks
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Lindsey flipped on the oven light and peered at the roast beef through the door. So far, so good. She was sure that this time, it was going to work.
Checking them off as she went, she followed the butcher's instructions. She reread everything at least three times before performing the action. Lindsey sighed and took a seat at the table, waiting. Dean should be home soon.
These last few months had been tough. But didn't everyone say that the first few years of marriage were hardest? Maybe things would get easier.
She certainly hoped so.
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The roast beef was symbolic. It had to be. She'd been trying and trying and it just hadn't worked. But now, finally, she did it right.
Lindsey was positive that it was a sign.
Through the summer, things were getting better, it seemed. Dean still worked three jobs, but they talked more. They were growing closer; she could feel it.
She finally felt like a wife, as crazy as it seemed. It was so old-fashioned, but she loved it. He worked, and she stayed home, cooking and cleaning.
The perfect all-American couple.
Until the day she found it.
Dean had tossed his jacket on the floor again. Lindsey went to pick it up, shaking her head. Men. Did they ever listen?
It was completely innocent. She wasn't snooping or anything. As she picked up the jacket, the paper fell to the floor.
Lindsey hung up the jacket before picking up the note. She took a deep breath. Had he been hiding it?
She took a seat on the couch. After a moment of hesitation, she read the letter.
Her eyes scanned the page and the words entered her brain, but she refused to believe them. No. It couldn't be true.
Lindsey read the letter again.
And again.
And again.
She hoped that somehow, if she went over it enough, the words would change. That time would turn back and Dean would make a different choice.
The 'right' choice.
Neatly, Lindsey folded the paper and set it on the coffee table. She bit her lip, trying to be strong. There was no way she would cry.
Soon enough, though, she gave up. She put her face in her hands and let the tears flow.
At least no one would see.
Once she regained her composure, Lindsey retreated to the bathroom. She washed her face and reapplied her make-up.
She couldn't let Dean see her weakness.
After she looked good as new, she returned to the living room, sat on the couch, and waited. When Dean came home, he was getting a piece of her mind.
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She'd tried to keep it together. She'd tried to stay calm. But the second she saw his face, all of her anger and frustration came flooding back.
Throwing his stuff out the window wasn't part of the plan. Publicly humiliating him wasn't part of the plan, either. She was supposed to sit him down, discuss the issue, and come to a conclusion.
The yelling came first. And the 'I'm sorry's from him just infuriated her more. Was that all he could say? Wasn't he going to try to explain himself? Try to fix their marriage?
Lindsey had just gotten fed up. She'd tossed his stuff out the window, wanting every last bit of him out of their – the word stung – house. There was no way she could look at any reminder of him anymore. It just hurt too much.
She knew it was wrong, but she did it anyway.
Because at the time, it had seemed like the only option.
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To Be Continued…
(I'm betting that all you guys can guess who's next!)