“You didn’t see me as a wife."

Continuation of previous snippet, "Why do you think I was unfaithful?" 

“Stop deflecting. Why do you think I was unfaithful?”

Her wavering control splintered, causing her to slam her hands against his chest. “No one had to tell me! I saw it with my own eyes!”

“Saw what?”

“That we never had a real marriage! We lived in different countries and rarely saw each other. I wouldn’t even have this address if I hadn’t forced you to give it to me for a birthday present! You lived your life on your terms without any input from me. When I showed up here, you couldn’t make it more obvious that I didn’t belong in the place you made your home. You even had flowers on the table as if…”

Adrenaline pumped through her system, making her want to bite, claw, and kick.

“You didn’t see me as a wife, so why would you act like a husband?” She took a deep breath, grappling for control. “Your vasectomy confirmed my suspicions.”

”How so?”

His tone wasn’t defensive, merely curious, as if they were discussing the weather. Fiery worms funneled through her heart like a rotted apple.

“There’s only one reason a man gets a vasectomy. He doesn’t want to take on any unexpected responsibilities.” She turned her face away, striving to keep her features smooth and not reveal the searing betrayal making her insides rock and riot. “You visited me a handful of times a year, and I was on birth control, so you wouldn’t have to worry on that front. It stands to reason that you did it for someone else. Or multiple someone's… You could screw around to your heart’s content without any repercussions.”

The air around them crackled like they were on the Las Vegas Strip

“Is that it?”

His dispassionate tone snapped her tenuous control on her temper.

“Fuck you!”

She wrenched at her arm, enraged that he could elicit such strong emotions from her. Why couldn’t she be a stone-cold bitch during these confrontations? Why couldn’t she laugh off their past as if it meant nothing? Why did she care about something that happened five years ago? She felt like a train careening down a mountainside with no brakes. There was a curve up ahead and if she didn’t get herself under control, she was going to derail.

“The question isn’t why I think you would be unfaithful. The real question is why I ever imagined you would be! What man sees his wife six times a year and stays abstinent when he doesn’t even have to hide anything since his stupid, oblivious wife lives in another country! The concierge downstairs didn’t even know you were married. They thought I was some cheap hooker bothering a client!”

They tussled—her yanking back with all her might and him holding on, adjusting his grip, so she didn’t dislocate or break something. She was too caught up in her feelings to give a shit. She didn’t want him touching her, but no matter what she did, she couldn’t get away, which just added to her raging despair.

“You wanted your naive wife tucked far away from whatever the hell you were doing in business and your personal life. You wanted to be my one and only. Well, I made sure I drowned myself in enough men to wipe your taste from—"

He gripped her jaw, stopping her from saying another word. She returned his molten gaze with pure loathing.

**This is a raw draft of Bitter Confessions. Please do not share or distribute.