Part 30

Surprised. "Fitz is that you?" Mellie calls from upstairs, upon hearing him enter. Fitz had not been home early in months, therefore something must be up… Had Big Jerry finally followed through with his word, and put an end to this ridiculous affair? She hopes so. Checking out her appearance in the mirror, as immaculate as ever; she leaves the kids with Rosa, instructing that they stay in their rooms, until she says otherwise, as she heads downstairs in search of Fitz.

She finds him in the dining room, nursing a scotch… and when she gets a little closer she notices that his hand is shaking…

"Oh my god, are you alright?" She's never seen him like this before, and it alarms her… "What's going on?"

"What's going on…?" He laughs, almost hysterically… "If only you knew!" He takes another swig of the amber liquid.

"Is it work?" She feigns innocence, knowing it has nothing to do with work, and more than likely everything to do with the woman he has been sleeping with.

"No Mellie, it's not about work…" He takes another swig, this time almost downing the entire glass… "Today something happened that put my whole life into perspective… It also showed me that life is too short and far too fickle, and at any one moment it can be taken from you… Just like that!"

She has no idea where he's going with this, but whatever direction it was going, it wasn't sounding good… He ponders, "I've been thinking back to the day we got married… Such a beautiful ceremony, in all its fine riches and splendour… Father didn't spare a penny when it came to detail, he only wanted the best! Although I suppose he did that to overcompensate for the fact that he knew his only son was signing himself away to a loveless marriage…"

Feeling put out, Mellie rises from her seat… "I refuse to listen to this!" But Fitz stops her, pulling her back down again… "You will stay and you will listen…" She can tell he means business, so she chooses to remain seated as he gets up and procures a second tumbler, pouring her a large glass of scotch…

Obstinately. "I don't want it…" she tells him.

"Trust me you'll need it!" He insists, whilst pouring himself another, knocking it back and quickly pouring again. Eventually, he sits back down beside her, sighing as he does so. "I really tried to love you Mellie, I did… And when Little Jerry and Karen came along, I thought that maybe this was it, maybe I was in love and I just didn't know it… But I was mistaken…"

"Fitz…" She tries to interrupt, but he doesn't let her… "No, let me finish."

"I don't want to hear this!"

"I'm sorry, but you must… You see, there's no easy way to tell you this, but I have met someone else… And she is amazing; and I love her, and I intend to be with her…"

"No, stop talking, because what you're proposing is ludicrous!" she retorts, but Fitz pays her little mind… "I'm leaving you Mellie, I'm leaving you for her… and I'm so sorry, because I never intended for this to happen- but I would be lying if I said that I regret her coming into my life, because I don't! She makes me happy, she loves me and she's willing to sacrifice everything to be with me."

Enraged. "She has made sacrifices! Well what about the sacrifices I have made for you, huh? All the things that I have given up, my own career, my body… I bore you two kids, when I don't even have a maternal bone in my body… And yet you choose to leave now, before you can deliver the promises you made to me… What about you running for State Governor? Are you saying that you've given up on that too?"

"I don't care about running for Governor… I never did, that was always yours and Big Jerry's dream, never mine!"

"How can you do this to me? How can you just walk away, and treat me with so little regard!"

"All I can do is apologise Mellie…"

"Well I'm sorry too, because if you think I will simply roll over and agree to this divorce, you are sorely mistaken- because it's never going to happen- I will fight you all the way on this!"

"This divorce will happen, whether you agree to it or not Mellie!"

Frustrated, angered and annoyed that Big Jerry has even allowed it to get this far; this time she's the one knocking back the scotch... Although his words of wisdom from previous conversations, begin to play over in her mind renewing her with confidence… The kids, when in doubt use the kids Mellie! YES... She slams her empty tumbler down onto the table. "Fine Fitz, you want a divorce, then so be it… But know this, divorcing me also means divorcing your kids too!"

"You will not be able to keep my kids away from me!"

Ruthlessly, she says… "You just watch me! Go ahead and leave, and you'll see what will happen- you won't see little Jer or Karen for dust, I promise you that for nothing!" She threatens him. "So if I were you, I would start re-evaluating your options… Ask yourself this, is this woman seriously worth losing your kids over, your family even? Because, we both know your father will NEVER stand for it! So you decide Fitz, and get back to me when you realise what is more important, your lover or us!"

And on that crippling note she storms out, leaving Fitz to stew over what she has said…

She doesn't reaches half way up the stairs, before she hears the sound of his crystal tumbler, smash and shatter, as it collides with the wall.

"Bitch!"

He was at breaking point. First Eli, now Mellie- He needed to see Liv, because some how all was well when he was in her arms.