All That Is To Come
He went back to the house.
His once warm and cozy home smells of loneliness. He is a little drunk. Emily has changed her number. Today he received divorce papers from a lawyer. Her lawyer. People have seen them together. She. And that bastard. Shameless. Heartless. Cold. So cold. He puts a hand of the back of the couch. One night, a long time ago, he wanted to have sex, during a baseball game, on the couch. She frowned. She said no. She was never into baseball. She's not a Yankees fan. And she didn't want to leave a stain on the couch. She liked the couch. It was, and still is, very comfortable. Her precious couch. Country style. Lovely flower patterns.
He knows where they live. He knows what they must be doing. At this hour. Hot steaming sex. Wild gorilla sex. Balls to the wall. Screaming. Panting. Yes! Yes! Yes! He feels sick and disgusted. He wants to puke. To empty his stomach. To throw his heart out. He should be the one fucking her. Right here. Right now.
He recalls the day Stephanie came here. For the very last time. To say goodbye. To put an end to their off-and-on relationship. And he thought she was kidding. Ranger doesn't do relationship. What's she gonna do? Live in sin till eternity? Till he knocks her up? Till he finds someone else? Who the Hell do you think you are, Cupcake? Angelina Jolie? Robin Scherbatsky? He snorted. She stood up, turned around, stopped to pat Bob, and left. He ignored the lump in his throat. He was choking with disbelief. She didn't say goodbye. She didn't wish him luck. She moved in with Ranger. That very night. Now she still doesn't wear a ring. But everyone says she's happy. So happy. At some point, he'd stopped waiting. She's not coming back. And he doesn't like this new Stephanie. She makes him feel jealous. She makes him want to prove something. She irritates him.
He misses Bob. He wants his old life back. He was the most desirable bachelor. He was a star police detective. He was the happiest groom. He had everything. Stephanie left his universe cracked. Emily deprived his world of light. Ricardo Carlos Manoso. Jake Fransico. Thieves. Liars. Bastards.
He takes a shaky breath. His hands tremble a little. In time his bone will heal. Forever his heart will stay broken. Cupcakes. Fucking Cupcakes. His precious Cupcakes. They are now sleeping with other men and one day they'll carry other men's babies. Yeah, he thought he'd forget all about his low sperm count. No such luck. Pity. He has every right to be angry and frustrated. Isn't he entitled to some justice?
Starting from tomorrow, he will flag down every RangeMan vehicle and and try his best to conduct a search with or without a warrant. He will abuse his power a little. Every day he will carry out his little revenge. He will think of different ways. All roads lead to Rome. He will make their life a living Hell. He will make her come back to him. He will punish her for adultery. She shouldn't have broken her vows. They were united in front of God. She can't just walk away like this. He loved her. He loves her. They were meant to be. They are a perfect match.
"Emily. Emily." He breaks out sobbing. His voice echoes through the emptiness. He cries and cries. He doesn't know why he's so sad. He's a grown up man. He has witnessed almost everything. He's still wearing his wedding ring. One Ring to bind them all. One ring to find forever happiness. A house with white picket fence. A friendly dog. A smiling woman. Sunlight. Plastic swimming pool. Summer breeze. A couple kids.
In the silent darkness Joe Morelli breaks into tiny little pieces.
In the blissful silence Emily Hasting makes love to Jake, Donovan, whatever his name is. A name is but a name. It's love that counts.
Stephanie Plum smiles up at Ranger.