Before I can think about what I’m doing, I’m standing in front of Sylvia. She looks up, her perfect, flawless face, streaked with her makeup.
“You realize you’re crying over a married man who you were having an affair with, right?” I say, my voice flat, devoid of all emotion. I hear several gasps, but I don’t look anywhere but at Sylvia.
She wipes the snot from her nose and takes several deep breaths before she finally speaks. “You might’ve trapped him in a loveless marriage, but Rick loved me. He was trying to find a way to divorce you because he didn’t love you. He didn’t want you,” she says, her voice getting louder with each word she speaks.
“Is that what he told you?” I ask, stifling the manic laugh I feel bubbling up inside of me. “That’s a lie. He could’ve divorced me at any time he wanted. Nothing was keeping us together.”
“He was afraid you would take all his money,” she hisses. “He worked so hard and he knew you would try to take it all…because you’re trash!”
“We have a prenup,” I inform her, and her eyes go wide in shock. Yep, looks like he’s been lying to you, too. “Did he mention he was sleeping with several other women besides you?”
Sylvia glares and stands. “You’re lying. You are a lying, fat, needy bitch,” she spits.
“Hey!” Jax booms, ready to defend his littler sister’s honor, but I hold my hand up to stop him. I should be mad at this woman, but I’m not. Every time a man cheats on a woman, the mistress gets blamed. She’s called a home-wrecker, told she’s destroyed their marriage. But the thing is, if a marriage is solid, there’s no wrecking a home. There’s no destroying a marriage. This woman was lied to, just like I was. Just like all the other women I’m sure were lied to. Sure, she knew Rick was married, but he’s the one who made the vows, not her. And I can see it in her eyes, she loves my husband.
The only thing I feel is pity towards her.
Pulling out my phone, I select the screenshots I saved and send them to her. “Rick Thompson was a lying, cheating, selfish bastard,” I tell her. “I’ve sent you the proof he was sleeping with at least three other women aside from us that I know of. I wish you the best.”
As I turn to walk away, Sylvia says, “Aside from us? That’s how I know you’re lying. Your husband wasn’t sleeping with you. He could barely stand to look at you, let along fuck you.” I consider pointing out that I’m pregnant just to spite her, but decide against it. It’s none of her business.
“That’s enough!” Jax roars. “Let’s go, Quinn.” Wrapping his arm around my shoulders, he walks me out of the hospital. When I ask him to please take me home, he refuses and brings me back to the townhouse in Cobble Hill, the one I was living in with him and Jase before I fell for Rick’s charm and agreed to move in with him. Since then, Jase and Skyla have moved out and in with Celeste, and Willow, my brother’s girlfriend, has moved in. When we get back to his place, Willow makes me a hot cup of tea, while Jax holds me until I fall asleep. I have no idea what I would do without my family.
Three
Quinn
I considered going to the funeral, if for no other reason than to gain some closure. Jax insisted he and Willow would go with me so I wouldn’t be forced to face Rick’s parents on my own. The morning of, he came out of his room dressed in a suit, with his hair gelled neatly, and Willow came out looking gorgeous in a tight yet modest black dress. Jax drove over to the condo, and I picked out a black dress and heels, then showered and got dressed. But on the way, I told them I couldn’t do it. I couldn’t walk into that church and put on a fake front, playing the part of the heartbroken, mourning widow.
Especially after calling Rick’s parents to tell them what happened, only to learn Sylvia was over and had already told them. Jacquelyn, Rick’s mom, went on to say she and Sylvia would handle the funeral. That she knows what her son would want, and Sylvia, the amazing secretary she is, would help organize everything. While I should’ve been offended my husband’s mistress was helping to plan his funeral, instead, I felt relief.
Kenneth, Rick’s father, called me to let me know when and where the funeral would be held, and also to let me know the following day would be the reading of the will. While the thought of taking a single penny from my cheating husband made me sick, I now have a baby on the way, and I’ll be damned if he, or she, will go without because of my stubbornness.