Figured I would give you two another one, see if you are enjoying it. I hope you enjoy it! Don't forget to check out Fated and CEO and Heiress, which was updated, too!

Present Time

"And after that, we were inseparable," Sam said, a smile ghosting his lips; he hadn't thought about her like that in years.

Jane frowned for a moment before she nodded. "You know, a woman who doesn't believe in cheating doesn't just do it on a whim. Was she promiscuous back then?"

Sam shook his head. "No."

Jane raised an eyebrow. "So nothing? You really think that a woman who slept with your best friend hadn't been doing it for years?"

Sam gripped the seat as Jane continued. "You said your best friend was a womanizer, and from your story, he was into her right away, so what makes you think that she didn't sleep with you both?"

"Because she was a virgin and stayed one until our wedding night."

"People lie all the time, Mr. Evans."

"Not my wife," Sam said through gritted teeth.

"Ah, so then she confessed to screwing your best friend?" Jane said, pushing Sam.

"No." He gritted out.

"So then, what did she say?"

Sam frowned. How he handled that situation was one of his biggest regrets. He was drunk out of his mind, and then learning the truth killed him. He wanted to go to Mercedes, but Penny convinced him not to.

"Mr. Evans? Sam?" Jane asked, moving to him again. "What happened that night? The night you found out the truth?"

"I don't…I don't remember much. Mercedes had been gone; she went home to visit her family. We lived here in New York. After graduation, Mercedes received an internship here, and I got into Yale. We found a place about 45 minutes each way so we could start our lives still living together."

He ran his hands through his hair. "She was a rising star, and I was working hard at Yale, but we always made it home; we always made time for each other."

"So you said she went home?" Jane asked.

"Yeah, it was her mom's birthday, and we were both supposed to go, but I had an exam moved to that Friday, so she went without me. That night, I went out with Puck, the rat bastard who slept with my wife, and Penny, my ex. We got wasted, and Penny rode home with us. That night, she told me in her drunken state that Mercedes had cheated. I was a mess, but I remember confronting Puck, and he asked me if I was stupid. But then Penny showed me the DNA. It said I wasn't the father."

Jane stared at him; this story didn't add up. "Okay, so you were drunk with your ex?"

"It wasn't like that, Penny and I were friends first and after she got back to the states she apologized and we got our friendship back." Sam interrupted.

"Still, did Mercedes know?"

Sam shook his head shamefully.

Jane wrote something down, and she would go back to that later. "Okay, before we touch you and Penny, she told you, and you confronted your best friend?"

"Yeah, then kicked him out. I was supposed to pick my wife up from the airport, but after learning the truth, I couldn't. So I waited for her to come home, but when I woke that night… all her stuff was gone."

"That night?" Jane said.

"Yeah, I guess I was more drunk than I thought because I woke up the next night, and there were divorce papers on my table with her signature, and she took a lot of her things and had her brothers pick up the rest."

"So you didn't file for divorce?"

"No!" Sam said. "But the papers named me as the claimant. So someone did for me, but in truth I wasn't too worried about that. Her signing the papers and leaving me was all the proof I needed."

"Just to play devil's advocate here, did you consider that she signed the papers because she thought that's what you wanted?"

Sam stared at her. "What?"

"I know if I came home and found my husband passed out in a bed, his ex, I am assuming she was stiil there." Sam nodded. "Well his ex is there and i see he filed for divorce I'd sign the papters and leave."

Sam sat back. He hadn't thought about that. "Fuck."

Jane wrote something else down. "So, was that the last time you saw her?"

Sam shook his head. "No…we went two years without so much as a word, and then a little over two years ago, my dad called me to tell me her grandmother had passed. Nana Jones had always been great to me, and I had to be there, even if it meant seeing her."

"So tell me what happened?"

May, 5th 2023

Sam had been feeling nervous and uneasy the entire flight to Ohio. The last two years played in his mind. Finding out his wife cheated on him and was pregnant with another man's child…his best friend's child.

After Mercedes moved out, he couldn't stay in the house. Penny offered him her place, but he didn't want to be around anyone. So he rented out his home and a studio near campus to finish his master's.

It wasn't lost upon him that Penny wanted him back; she tried to take up the wife role the moment Mercedes was out of the picture, bringing him dinner, which was nothing compared to what Mercedes made him, she would try to give him back rubs, cuddle with him while they watched movies, but Sam just couldn't see anyone else as his wife. He knew Penny was pissed, but she told him she was patient and would wait for him.

It made him wonder if she was lying about everything, but why did she leave if Mercedes didn't do anything? He heaved a sigh. Even now, Penny wanted to come with him for support, but that wouldn't work for Sam. He didn't need support; he needed to get in and out.

When he walked to baggage claim, his baby sister, Stacey, embraced him. She and Stevie, his younger brother, came to pick him up.

"Never thought you would step foot back in Ohio!"

Sam nodded. "Nana Jones was really good to me after…I had to pay my respects."

Stevie eyed him. "Uh-huh, we know the only reason you are here is to glimpse Mercedes. I have to say, she's looking quite sexy these days."

Sam shifted, moving to grab his bags. "Not here for her, I won't be seeing or talking to her."

Stacey eyed Stevie and laughed. "Yeah, it's her grandmother's funeral, and she is giving the Eulogy. She could use your support."

Sam sighed. "Still. I am here to pay my respects, then leave. She has Puck to support her."

"Puck? What does he have to do with anything? He came in for the funeral like everyone else but he won't be staying. I am really confused, though; Dad won't tell us why you were an idiot and dumped her."

Sam gripped his bag, about to speak, when he froze. She was near; he knew it because his body reacted as it always did when she was near. Turning his head, he spotted her standing a few feet away and checking her watch.

Damn, he wasn't prepared to see her right now, looking beautiful in a pair of workout shorts and an oversized Backstreet Boy concert shirt. Sam knew that shirt very well; she wore it when she was sad.

Two years ago, she had gone for a natural look, it was dark brown, almost black, and short. But now she stood there with burgundy reddish hair that fell to the middle of her back and damn if it didn't suit her.

Someone called her name, and he watched as Mercedes hugged Mike, Quinn, and Sebastian. Shaking it off, Sam looked at his siblings.

"Let's go."

"What? don't wanna say hi?" Stevie teased.

"I said,' Let's go,' Sam said, walking towards the exit. He hated that she still held on to him, and all he did was look at her.

The ride to his parent's house was quiet as he thought about seeing her. She was still so beautiful, and in a way, it pissed her off. What right did she have to still be so beautiful when what she did was so ugly?

Once he arrived at his parents, it was a lot more of the same. He never went into detail about what happened to his parents. He was sure they would understand once she showed up pregnant and had to tell them it wasn't their grandchild, but no such luck. They still told him she was the best thing he ever had.

"Sammy!" his mother said, pulling him into a hug. It surprised him that no matter when he saw his mother, she looked as if she never aged.

She had the same long, flowing blonde locks Stacey got from her and the same intense green eyes they all got from her.

"Well, look at you! At least this time, we didn't have to come to you."

Sam nodded. "Well, there are two too many people here."

Mary sighed. "Sam, will this ever pass?"

Sam ran his hand through his hair. "Where is Dad?" He said, not wanting to talk anymore."

"He's in the office, but I wouldn't go there if I were you."

"Why not?"

As if on cue, the door opened, and Dwight Evans walked out with Gregory Jones, Mercedes's father.

"Well, look what the cat drug in? My son, long time no see."

"Hey, Dad," Sam said with a nod. "Mr. Jones, I am sorry for your loss."

Gregory nodded toward Sam. "Thank you. My mother adored you despite everything, so thank you for being here."

"She was another grandmother to me, of course." As they stood wordlessly, Sam sighed. "So, how is the family? I am pretty sure they are taking it hard."

Gregory shook his head. "No. I don't know what happened between you and my daughter, but if you want to know how she is doing, you must ask her yourself."

Sam's jaw dropped, but he closed it with a nod. "Fair enough."

Slapping his hand on Sam's shoulder, he offered a small smile to everyone before walking away and out the door.

"Well, I see your wife is still on your mind."

Sam huffed, shaking his head. "I am here for the funeral, and then I am gone. She has no control over what I do or think."

"That's what he says, but we saw her at the airport, picking up her friends, and Sammy drooled the whole way home. "Stevie laughed.

"Shut up! I am taking my things to my room."

Dwight stopped him. "Stevie, can you help your brother out by taking his things up. Sam, come keep an old man company."

Hesitating for a moment, Sam let go of his bag. "Don't be nosy and go through my stuff."

"I will," Stevie said as he hightailed it up the stairs. Sam huffed as he walked into his father's office.

"What's up, Dad?"

Taking a seat, Dwight smiled at his son. "Have you given any thought to my offer?"

Sam sighed, "I don't know. It's a big ask. Moving here and joining your practice."

"What's in New York, Sam? Penny? Is she why you won't come home?"

Sam laughed. "Penny and I are just friends; she is my only true friend."

"Samuel, that woman cheated on you, then tried to break you and Mercedes up countless times when she came back from Europe and after, isn't that right?"

Sam looked away from his dad, not saying a word.

"Sam, what happened between you and Mercedes?"

Running his hands through his hair, he sighed. "You've seen her. I am sure you can put two and two together."

"What does that mean?" Dwight asked, confused.

"Come on, if she came back in that condition and I wasn't with her, but that rat bastard was, what do you think happened?"

"Okay, son. I'm going to need you to break this down for me because nothing you are saying makes a lick of sense. I thought you two were happy?"

Sam closed his eyes, shaking his head. "I thought we were happy too til that weekend she came here. Then my life blew up."

"How so?"

"Well, I went out drinking with Penny and Puck, and Penny dropped a huge bomb on me. She told me that Mercedes and Puck had been having an affair, and she was pregnant with his child. She showed me the DNA. Said Mercedes begged her to be quiet but she couldn't."

Dwight stared at him. "And Mercedes and Puck, did they admit this to you?"

Sam shook his head. "Of course, they didn't. Well, I didn't talk to Mercedes, but Puck denied it. Said Penny was crazy, and I didn't deserve Mercedes if I thought she would cheat."

Dwight shook his head. "I still don't understand. If Mercedes cheated, why would they lie when caught?"

"I don't know. All I know is when I found out, I was pissed. I got drunk and woke up to Mercedes's clothes being gone and her signing divorce papers that I apparently drew up."

"WHAT? Son, I love you, but you are dumb as hell for that. How can you sit here and tell me this story with a straight face? You are saying that your wife, who adored you, who loved you so fiercely she accepted all of your flaws, cheated on you with your best friend, and you only found out because your ex-girlfriend told you?"

Sam stood quiet and Dwight continued. "Then you woke up to divorce papers that you said you didn't draw but had your name? Son I know you are dyslexic but come on."

"If she was so innocent, why did she leave? Why didn't she stay?"

"I dunno, that is something you need to ask her, but from what it sounds like to me, she left to see her mom, came back to find your ex and divorce papers, son; no woman would stay after that."

Sam sat back in his chair, reeling from all the scenarios and thoughts that ran through his head. Not once did he think of it from Mercedes's point of view because the truth was, he might have forgiven her; he loved her that much.

But she was gone, and all this time, he thought it was guilt that made her leave, but maybe it wasn't; maybe it was her reaction to what he did.

"Son, you will never get the answers you want if you don't at least talk to her. The funeral is tomorrow, then the will reading is after, since Virginia had all her affairs in order months ago; talk to her."

"I'll think about it. I need to go relax."

Dwight shook his head as Sam walked out of the office.

Walking to his childhood bedroom, his mind returned to the first time he brought her home. Everyone loved her like he knew they would, and they made some of his fantasies come true, which he quite enjoyed.

He always enjoyed spending time with her; it really didn't matter what they did or where they were.

Sighing, Sam looked at his numerous trophies and the photos of him and his friends in high school; a few were still up of him and Penny.

Penny. Was his dad right? Could this all have been a ploy to win him back? She had done some crazy things in the past, but he couldn't see her destroying a marriage.

But at the same time, something in him still didn't believe that Mercedes would hurt him by cheating, and with his best friend? The moment Sam told Puck how he felt about Mercedes, the male stopped flirting with her and looked at her as if she were a sister.

Shaking off the thoughts of his past, he sat on his bed. All he wanted was to get through the next few days. As he started to unpack, his phone rang, revealing a number he didn't think he would ever see again. After a few moments, he answered.

"H-hello?"

"Sam…" Came a frail wail. He could tell she was not only crying but had been crying for a long while.

His heart broke for her because he knew that she had been putting on a brave face, making sure everyone else was fine before she took care of herself.

"Merce?"

He heard her an inhale and then a sniff.

"Oh, Baby, it's okay." He said, going right into the mode he had been accustomed to; he had been glad to do it from the moment he met her. "Have you eaten? What am I saying? We both know you haven't."

"She's gone." Came out in barely a whisper.

"I know, baby, but she wouldn't want you to cry over her; she always said she wanted her funeral to be a party. She wanted us to celebrate her. And I am sure that is what you will do. It hurts, but she is still with you."

"I wish you were here." It came out so quietly that Sam almost missed it.

"Merce…" He hesitated for a moment. "Merce, I can come to you now if that's what you want."

"Sam I…"

"Just tell me what you need, Merce…" Sam said, practically holding his breath.

Everything in him screamed for him to stop but also for her to say yes, to say that she needed him. He willed her to say anything but was met with silence as she hung up.

Staring at his phone, he was tempted to call her back to see why, after all these years, she had called him. But he didn't. Instead, he lay back on his bed, wishing she would call back and scolding himself for being too chicken to call her.