I held her in my arms, watching as she fell asleep. Usually, I would leave as soon as my conquest was asleep, but Amanda was no longer just a notch in my belt, she was someone I wanted to keep in my life as long as possible.
I pulled her a little closer, nuzzling into her soft, blonde hair, enjoying its feeling against my face. “You’re so beautiful…” I whispered, even though she couldn’t hear me.
Carefully, I pulled out of her, feeling the mess that had gathered between our legs. She must have been knocked out because even as I moved us to the other side of the bed, she didn’t stir.
I watched her a little while longer before my own exhaustion caught up with me.
***
I wasn’t one to dream very often, and on the rare occasion I did, I usually forgot all about it in the morning. But, this time was different.
She was there.
“Melissa?” I took a step toward her, but the moment I did, I fell into a large body of water. I sunk, deeper and deeper like I was made of lead. I moved my arms, desperate to get back to the surface, to get back to her, but no matter what I did, I kept sinking.
The darkness wrapped around me as I continued my descent. The abyss I was falling into was bottomless.
With the lack of air, my lungs started to burn.
So, this was it. This was how I was going to die…
Suddenly, I felt something firm under my feet. I looked down to see a checkered floor, the same one I used to have in my bathroom – our bathroom. I was in the tub so I pushed aside the curtain. In front of me, Melissa was hugging the toilet bowl, her skin looking pale and sickly.
“Melissa?” I asked in concern, rushing to her side. “What happened?”
“L-Luke…” She whispered with tears in her eyes. “I’m so sorry…”
“What are you talking about?” I ran my fingers through her soft black hair. Taking her face into my hands, I looked into her eyes. “Melissa. Look at me.”
But she refused. It was like she was ashamed of something.
It was only then that I noticed something on the ground. I picked it up, my eyes growing wide.
It was a pregnancy test.
And it was positive.
“Melissa… what… what is this?” I asked, my voice breaking. “We’ve always used protection…” I kept staring at the two lines, my heart tightening.
“Luke… I wanted to tell you… I… I just couldn’t bring myself to do it.”
“What are you talking about?” I pulled her to her feet, my fingers tight around her arms. “Melissa!”
Tears rolled down her cheeks in rivers as she shook her head. “I’m so sorry…”
I dropped her, letting her collapse on the floor in a heap. I started to pace around the room, running my fingers through my hair. “This can’t be happening… we’ve been together five years… and you’ve always told me you didn’t want to start a family yet… you told me you were on the pill, but I still had to use a condom… just to make sure there were no accidents and now, you go behind my back and do this!” My anger rose, my fists shaking.
“I… I didn’t mean for this to happen!”
“No, but you fucking slept with someone else, didn’t you? You cheated on me and got pregnant. Who is this bastard? I’m going to kill him!” I yelled, pulling her back to her feet.
“Luke… you’re hurting me.”
“Tell me who you cheated on me with… now.” My voice was icy and cold.
She shook her head. “I… I don’t know.”
“What do you mean, you don’t know?”
“You were out of town… I was lonely… I’ve been sleeping around… it could be a number of different guys…”
“What…?” I stared at her. This couldn’t be happening. “You cheated on me with… a number of different guys? For how long?”
She whimpered.
“Tell me!”
“Almost a year…”
“Well, I hope you find him because I’ve been faithful to you for five years… I gave you every single piece of my heart, only to have you stomp all over it. I loved you, Melissa. I thought you were the one. I dreamt of us starting a family together… but I guess that’s all down the drain now because you couldn’t keep your legs together.”
My anger got the best of me and I slammed my fist into the mirror. It shattered – just like my life.
***
I woke up with a start.
It was already morning.
I looked around, expecting to find myself in an empty bed, but to my surprise, there was someone in my arms. My heart froze, thinking it was Melissa, but to my relief, I saw Amanda sleeping soundly, an angelic look on her face.
Deep down, I knew she would never hurt me. She knew what it meant to have a broken heart.
I pulled her a little closer, but there was a tiny inkling of doubt inside my heart.
What if the same thing happened again?
I had spiraled after discovering that Melissa was pregnant with someone else’s baby, and I couldn’t afford to fall into that abyss a second time. I would never resurface.
Needing some space, I rolled out of bed and stepped into the bathroom. I doused my face with a bit of cold water. Slowly, I straightened to my full height, looking at my reflection in the mirror.
After leaving Melissa, I changed. I was no longer a naïve young man. I was damaged, maybe irreparably so. I had my faults and they would follow me to the grave. But, despite all these faults, Amanda had believed in me, so much so, that she bailed me out of jail. I would be damned if I ever hurt her again.
Just then, I heard someone pulling into the driveway. Not wanting whoever it was to wake up Amanda, I headed for the door. I opened it to see a black Camaro in the driveway.
As I suspected, Amanda’s ex stepped out of it. He had a black eye and a large plaster on his forehead. “What are you doing here?” I asked, standing in the doorway, wearing nothing but my pants. Hopefully, it would send him the message that he wasn’t wanted around here.
“I should be asking the same of you. How’d you get out of jail?”
“Amanda was kind enough to post my bail.”
“You’re a real piece of work, you know that? First, you assault me and then you fool my ex-wife into thinking you’re worth her time.”
“Hey, I wasn’t the one insulting her.” I straightened my posture, approaching him on the driveway. “You’re a damned fool for leaving a girl like that.”
He scoffed. “You’re kidding, right? That bitch is worthless.”
Before I could stop myself, I pushed him against the side of his car. “You take that back, right now!” My grip tightened around the collar of his shirt.
“Get off me you lunatic.” He wrapped his arms around my waist, pushing me forward until we were barreling into Amanda’s car. The window shattered at the impact.
I gasped, my back burning with pain, but adrenaline was already surging through my veins. This guy had a death wish.
He aimed a punch at my face, but I ducked, clipping his legs from under him until we were both on the asphalt. He grabbed hold of my neck, digging his fingers into my skin, trying to suffocate me.
I reached for his eyes, ready to gouge them.
“You know, maybe you and Amanda will make a better couple once your face is bashed in.” The slime ball tried to threaten me.
I finally managed to get his hands off my throat, but he grabbed my hair. I had no doubt he would slam my face into the hard asphalt the first chance he got.
I rammed my elbow into his chest, winding him. Blinded by fury, I pounced on him, about to finish him when someone grabbed my arm.
I looked up to find Amanda standing there. “Luke…”
A sense of shame washed over me. I wanted to be a better man for her and yet, I was resorting to my old, violent habits.
“He’s not worth it.”
It took a moment for my muscles to relax enough for me to drop my hand. With a sense of disgust, I got up, wrapping my arm around Amanda’s waist.
“Now, do you want to explain why you’re on my property, starting a fight with my guest?” Amanda’s voice was ice-cold as she addressed her ex-husband. “Or do I have to call the police?”
“He was the crazy one who lunged at me.”
“I wonder what you said to provoke him.” She snapped. “Now, either tell me what the hell you want or I swear, I’ll call the cops.”
David wiped the dust from his shoulders, narrowing his eyes. “I came to make a deal before he attacked me. Now I’m thinking of reconsidering.”
“Don’t give me that crap.”
“Fine. Can I at least come in?”
“No. Whatever you want to say, you can say it here.”
David sighed. “You were always so difficult. I don’t even know why I married you. Wasted the best years of my life. The sex wasn’t even good.” He made the comment under his breath, thinking I wouldn’t hear him.
I growled, feigning a punch.
He flinched and I chuckled. I knew, in that instant, that David was nothing more than a coward.
“Keep that guy on a leash, will you?”
“Keep your tongue in check and I won’t have to. Don’t think I didn’t hear you.” She crossed her arms over her chest. “I’m getting sick and tired of your stalling.”
“Fine. I’ve come around to say that I’ll drop the assault charges if you stop pestering me for alimony. If you don’t agree, then I swear, I’ll find a way to put this guy back in jail and keep him there.”
Amanda narrowed her eyes. “I want Roxie back.”
“Fat chance.”
“Well then, I guess I’ll just keep pestering you for alimony.”
“You won’t do it for your little boy toy? Wow, that’s messed up Amanda, even for a girl like you.”
“Well, I know some pretty killer lawyers who could prove, without a shadow of a doubt, that Luke was acting on my behalf – or have you never heard of affirmative defense?”
“What are you talking about?”
“He attacked you because he was concerned for my safety.”
“You know damn well that I wasn’t going to hit you. You’re full of crap.” He snarled.
“Like I said, you can take this to court, but you aren’t going to win.”
I was surprised by Amanda’s confidence against her ex-husband. Back at the restaurant, she had been so submissive – meek even – but now, it was like she was a totally different person. She was standing up for herself and I loved it. There was nothing sexier than a woman who could hold her own.
“Forget it.” With that, David got in his car and drove away, his tires screeching against the asphalt.