“So the neighbors must’ve heard the arguing and fighting going on inside Zac’s house.”
“They have, and they’ve also heard and witnessed it happening outside his house. Avery likes playing the victim in front of everyone, but we all know better. Even the police do.”
“What I’m about to ask you may seem like it’s coming out of left field, but there’s a reason behind my asking it.”
“Go ahead.”
“Considering how horrible Zac’s marriage is and how long it’s been that way, do you think he’s ever stepped outside of it and had an affair?”
“No, Zac has been true to Avery. I would understand, though, if he chose not to be.”
I paused for several seconds while thinking about his heartbreaking situation and then started telling Brooke more details about the infidelity in my marriage.
“When I found out about my ex-husband’s affair, I was so hurt. The sense of betrayal that I initially felt was devastating, but after my anger subsided, I took a hard look at my marriage. I examined the way that Graham—that’s my ex’s name—and I had been living for some time, and finally accepted my role in pushing him into someone else’s arms since I’d pretty much pushed him completely away from me. I’m not excusing him for his affair, but what I am saying is that it’s understandable. And like you, I would also understand if Zac had an affair. He’s gotta be lonely.”
“He is lonely, but he’s not open to having an affair because he feels like it’d cost him everything if Avery found out about it. Hebelieves she’d file for divorce and also split custody of Malcolm. Becoming a part-time father is Zac’s worst nightmare.”
“Brooke, you know as well as I do that the courts have changed their view of marriage, affairs, divorce, and parental rights. To me, Zac already has plenty of ammunition to legally go up against Avery and quite possibly get full custody of Malcolm. The well-being and safety of children are the main concerns of the court system. Not a good man turning to someone outside his marriage for companionship because his wife is a damn psycho.”
“I’ve told Zac the very same thing but he just isn’t willing to roll the dice. He will not gamble on his son.”
I sighed and shook my head. “It’s such a sad, sad deal.”
“I know. And here’s one more sad thing about it: Zac and Avery have been sleeping in separate bedrooms for over four years now. That happened months before Malcolm was born, and it was Avery who made the decision to sleep apart from Zac.”
“Why did she wanna do that?”
“Two reasons. She decided she wasn’t attracted to him anymore and she also blamed him for getting her pregnant, as if she wasn’t a willing participant in the occasional sex that they were still having at the time.”
“Okay, I do not understand how her attraction to Zac just suddenly died and I have to laugh about her blaming him for her pregnancy. Good grief.”
“I know, it’s ridiculous.”
“To me, it sounds like she was looking for an excuse to pull away from him.”
“She looks for any excuse to mess with his head and his heart. It’s all about control for her. Tear a person down, weaken them and then you’ve got them right where you want them.”
“A true narcissist’s M.O.”
Brooke nodded in agreement. “You’ve got that right.”
“So did Averynotwant to have children? Because that’s the impression that I’m getting.”
“No, she didn’t.”
“Like ever?”
“No, but she didn’t tell Zac that until after they were married. The whole time they dated and also after they became engaged, she really talked up wanting to have a family one day, but she didn’t mean it. She just wanted Zac and what he could financially provide for her. He really wanted to have children, though.”
“Why do you think he stayed married to Avery after finding out everything was a ruse? He could’ve so easily left the marriage, and with little complication, since there were no children at the time.”
“The number one reason is Zac fell in love with the Avery that he initially met. He told me that she was wonderful and so loving at that time. After she revealed her true colors, Zac kept hoping theoldAvery would return. That’s who he so desperately wanted to believe she was at heart, but she wasn’t. The second reason he stays in the marriage is because of the vows that he took. He meant them for better and for worse.”
“I simply cannot fathom someone putting on such an act and playing such a cruel emotional game like Avery has done and must still be doing with Zac.”
“Oh, she’s still doing it for sure. I’ll tell you what tops the long list of cruel things that she’s done.”
“What?”