A/N: I'm SO glad you guys are getting into this story. You have no idea what it does for motivation. Thanks so much for the reviews, keep them coming!

Chapter 4
She wasn't eating. That was the one thing that Chris noticed about Stacy while they sat in a local diner. If it were any other woman, he'd think nothing of it. But this was Stacy. On their monthly breakfast together, she almost always out-ate him. For a regular woman, it would be normal. But for Stacy to leave a plate of food untouched, something had to be wrong. She could try and disguise it with smiles and laughter, but the lonely eggs on her plate proved otherwise.

He watched her push her food back and forth. The sound of her fork scratching across the plate screeched directly into his brain.

"You realize if you don't stop doing that I'm gonna have to smash that plate in your face," he said suddenly.

Stacy glanced up from her plate, raising an eyebrow.

"Violent," she quipped with a laugh. "What am I doing?"

Chris sent her a look. He reached across the table and pulled the utensil from her hand, tossing it down on her napkin.

"That," he motioned to her wrist. "Pushing the food from one side to the other won't make it disappear."

At that point, Stacy knew that Chris was catching on to her. She knew she couldn't sneak a damn thing by him. She sighed, picking her fork up again and resuming her activity. She just couldn't bring herself to eat. As hungry as she was when she left Shane's that morning, she lost her appetite when a young, married couple was seated at the table next to them.

"Sorry," she shrugged, shooting her glance over to the other table. They looked so happy.

"Stacy… why aren't you eating?" he asked. Since she wasn't taking his subtle hints, he decided to just be direct. He knew something was wrong. It was just a matter of getting her to talk.

"I'm just not hungry. I'm not really feeling well, Chris," she said flatly, taking a small sip of her iced tea. "Maybe I'm coming down with one of those bugs that make you lose your appetite."

Chris snorted at her. No illness in the world could thwart that appetite. This was a woman who made him drive to a McDonald's at one in the morning for a Big Mac and fries while she had the flu. The fact that she was lying almost offended him. She knew him better than that.

"You've been 'coming down with something' for weeks now. That's your excuse for everything. If somethin's goin' on, just tell me. That's the point of doing this every month," he encouraged. "You'll feel better if you do."

Stacy's stomach dropped, and she was surprised she didn't scream. She wanted to tell Chris about Shane. She had wanted to for four years. He was the only one whose opinion truly mattered to her, but that fact alone was why she hesitated. How would he react? She couldn't handle seeing the disappointment in his eyes. It was too late to tell him… to tell anyone.

"It's the truth, Chris," she said, her eyes casting downward. "I've just felt exhausted and crappy lately. Maybe I got mono."

Chris laughed, "How high school of you. Besides, who exactly have you been kissing?"

Stacy's jaw dropped in mock offense at what she knew was a pot shot at her. If you only knew, Jericho. She shook her head, forcing her smile to come back.

"Watch what you're saying, Mr. I'm-Having-A-Dry-Spell," she quipped, pointing a finger at him. "It's not like you've been gettin' any action, either."

"Touché," Chris replied, with a shameful grin. "Well, I keep askin' ya out, Keibs, and ya keep turnin' me down."

Stacy giggled, shaking her head.

"That's because you cut your hair, and you need to be punished," she said, wrinkling her nose in distaste. She had made it no secret that she was not a fan of his shorter hair.

Stacy unconsciously stuffed a piece of food in her mouth, and it did not go unnoticed by Chris. When she was happy, she ate. When she was unhappy, she shoved her food around with a fork. He wouldn't pressure her anymore about it at breakfast, but he was determined to get to the bottom of what was bothering her.

She was tired of being the other woman. She had denied the title for years, even after Shane told her about Marissa. But it was the truth. All she was to him was the secret girlfriend, the one nobody could ever know about. And despite how much he claimed to love her, Stacy was beginning to doubt he'd ever leave his wife, or even come clean about the affair to her.

Being second in his life when she put him first was painful. But Stacy knew she couldn't leave him. He made her happy, happier than any man she ever met had. Every doubt she had about his intentions disappeared when they were locked away in a hotel suite. There was nothing but love in his eyes when he looked at her.

Maybe that was why she was so torn. Shane didn't treat her or their relationship like an extramarital affair. He treated her like she was the wife. She just couldn't figure out why he wouldn't come clean. He had to be tired of living a double life… she knew doing so sucked the energy right out of her.

"So, I was thinking," Stacy said, plopping down on the couch beside him. Shane tossed his arm around her shoulder, eyeing her curiously. "Why don't you come to Baltimore with me this weekend?"

She flashed him a bright smile, but it faded when he gaze fell. His eyes cast down; Shane stared at the floor, tracing the pattern on the carpet.

"I… I don't know, Stace…" he said, a nervous stutter in his voice.

Stacy raised an eyebrow, "I'm not asking you to come meet my parents or anything." She giggled. "Just figured it'd be nice to spend the weekend at my place. You've been so busy lately, don't you think you need a break?"

Without tearing his eyes from the floor, Shane replied, "I can't, Stacy. I just can't make it."

"Do you have to work?" she asked him curiously. Shane shook his head, leaving her puzzled. Then she giggled, "Oh, I get it. You're spending the weekend when your other girlfriend, huh?"

Her laughter faded when the color drained from his face. He shifted off the couch, kneeling in front of her. He placed his hands on her thighs, and her gaze fell. This couldn't be good.

"There's something about I need to tell you," he said, gripping her legs tightly. "Somethin' I should've told you from the beginning."

Stacy closed her eyes, exhaling slowly. A sinking feeling filled the pit of her stomach.

"…There's someone else, isn't there?" she asked fearfully.

Shane sighed, lifting his head to look at her. It was time he told her the truth, no matter how much it would hurt both of them.

"Yeah…" he began, swallowing hard. "My wife."