Abyss

"I'll believe you, Katie. You've never lied to me."

Lifting her eyes to meet mine, I caressed her cheek, smiling as the smile came on her face, the way her eyes closed before opening to look at me again... Even though I was a happily married man, I still had that crush on my sister. But it was what she was to me that meant nothing would ever come of it, but also a reason we were so close, as I knew out of everyone, I believed she loved me the most.

"Can I stay here tonight?"

"Of course. You know you're always welcome here. Bring anything with you?"

"Bag is on the back seat. I drove home, packed what I thought I needed, then drove straight here."

"Little brother to the rescue?"

"I need space and time to think. My marriage is over, but there are a lot of things to sort out. I can only be thankful there are no kids involved."

Grabbing her bag from her car, I placed that in the spare bedroom before I asked if she wanted something to eat. I didn't particularly want to cook so ordered in a couple of pizzas. Belinda hadn't given me a time she'd arrive home so I just shot her a message, letting her know I'd ordered in some pizza, at least turning on the oven so I could keep hers warm.

Katie calmed down as we ate, pouring her another glass of wine, and we focused on good memories and not the elephant in the room. I had plenty of questions about what exactly she'd discovered. I let her know I'd believe her, but she was almost insistent about having evidence. Not that it would affect any divorce, Australia being no-fault, and adultery wouldn't particularly impact a judgement, but more to prove the divorce wasn't her fault.

Katie disappeared to have a shower. That was when Belinda walked in the door. Cleaning up the living room, she greeted me with a kiss on the cheek before I grabbed her pizza from the oven. Sitting at the counter, she heard the shower running.

"Have you been naughty and invited your lover around while I was hard at work, honey?"

Chuckling at the joke, it was also a sign of her trust in me. "Katie was waiting for me when I arrived home."

"What's wrong?"

"Not entirely sure but it seems Richard is being unfaithful."

Belinda gave me a strange look I couldn't interpret, but I was left thinking that what Katie thought was true. Not everyone would believe her until evidence was presented, and although my wife and sister were friendly enough, they had never been close. "Said much about it otherwise?" Belinda asked before taking a bite of a pizza slice.

"Not yet. I know I haven't asked, but I've told her that she can stay here tonight and..."

Belinda smiled at me. "She's your sister and needs her little brother tonight. It's okay if she needs somewhere to stay, Mark."

That earned a soft kiss on her cheek. "Thank you," I said softly.

Katie appeared a few minutes later, looking fresh-faced and having calmed down. Belinda greeted her with a quick hug, assuring Katie that she could stay for as long as she needed. I think Katie was surprised, and I saw a strange look pass over her face. When she glanced in my direction, she managed a sweet smile.

Heading to bed a little later, Belinda cuddled into me, but she showed no interest in wanting to fool around. Considering my sister was only down the hall, I didn't particularly blame her. Living alone meant Belinda could make as much noise as she wanted whenever we did make love.

Katie ended up staying for a few nights. Richard might have been doing her dirty, but he was ringing her straight away when he noticed she wasn't home. Arriving home to find Katie already waiting for me the next evening, she passed me her smartphone to show Richard had been ringing at least once an hour. "When he calls again, please answer it for me. Just tell him I'm taking time for myself, and I will return home soon."

That's exactly what I did, and I reckon Richard had it figured out rather quickly what was likely happening. All he did was ask to speak to her when she was ready. Katie expressed the view that she would return home soon, but they were going to have plenty of conversations going forward. While this was going on, I could see Belinda watching on with interest. She knew how much I cared for Katie, and even though I was the youngest, I would do whatever was necessary to look after her.

Katie stayed with us until the Sunday. Following her to the house she called home with her husband, Richard. He was waiting for her arrival, but when he saw me in my car behind hers, I noticed his face paling slightly. I'd never particularly liked him, always thinking there was something to his character that I could never trust. My suspicions were proven correct, but either Katie was willing to work on their marriage, or she was simply returning home so keeping the house in her name would be easier.

I have no idea what the pair talked about after I left, Katie messaged me the next morning, thanking me for caring, giving her a place to stay, but most importantly, that she loved me and would need my support again in the future.

Things went quiet for a couple of months after that. I would visit home at least once a week. Not always for dinner. Sometimes I just wanted a catch-up and a coffee with my mother. I'd long known my father didn't give a shit, and my brothers didn't live at home, but it was always surprising when Natalie wanted to spend time with me. Even bigger surprise when she would want a long hug. Then again, I think she did that because I was a physical specimen compared to her other brothers and father.

Whenever I did meet up with Katie, she seemed happy enough though we never seemed to discuss her marriage or what was happening with her husband. She did show an interest in mine, not that I could tell her much as nothing really changed. As for Mum, she was almost semi-retired already, spending more time focusing on her interests outside of the family business, and was far too bored being a stay-at-home housewife, particularly as all the children were now adults and out of the home. I was surprised they hadn't started thinking about downsizing as they had no need for a four-bedroom house any longer.

It was a Thursday near lunchtime when my life would change. It was a quiet day at work though I was still busy enough that no-one would poke their head through the door and ask if I was busy and if they could help with something. My smartphone was kept on silent to vibrate when in the office though left in a position that I could see if it was ringing. Hearing it vibrating, I always smiled when a photo of Katie appeared.

"Hey, Katie."

"Hello, Mark. I know you're at work but are you busy?"

"Nothing I can't put off. What's going on?"

"Can you meet me right now?"

"Sure. Where?"

"Down the street from home."

'Home' still meant our parents' house. "Sure. I'll look for your car. Can I ask what this is about?"

"Not yet. You'll need to see this for your own eyes. Have your smartphone ready when we approach the house. I've got evidence from my house that I've built up, but... I need you there with me today, Mark."

"Katie... I love you." I don't know why, but it just seemed the right thing to say in the moment.

"I love you too, Mark. I'll see you soon."

A quick word with my boss had me able to take the rest of the afternoon off, quickly packing up my things and heading downstairs to the underground car park. I did wonder what I was going to find as I drove home from the CBD, eventually heading west on the motorway. Pulling off at the usual exit, I made my way through suburban streets before I pulled up behind Katie's car.

Getting out of hers, she greeted me with the usual hug though when she gazed up at me, there was no smile for me this time. "I'm sorry to do this, Mark..."

I felt my heart drop as I had a feeling it wasn't just about Katie this time. Taking my hand, I had to ask, "I'm guessing it's not just your husband?"

"It isn't."

If we were heading home, I could only take a guess at who might be involved. My father? Brothers? Sister? "Mum?" I asked.

"No. She's not at home. I called her to make sure. I think she's as clueless as the rest of us, Mark. This is going to destroy her." She came to a stop to take a couple of deep breaths. "I'm not sure I can do this. I love you too much to..."

"We'll still have each other, Katie."

Squeezing my hand, we walked towards the door of what was once the house we called home. Opening it up, she put a finger to her lips as we entered the living room. There was no sign of anyone, but we could hear the noises coming from the master bedroom, a place I knew my parents would still sleep together.

And I knew enough to know it was the sounds of people having sex. And if I guessed correctly, there were more than just two people.

The door was wide open as we stood side by side, far back enough that we wouldn't be noted. I felt my heart shatter as I took note of who was involved and what was happening. My supposed loving wife was being taken in all three holes by my two brothers and another man I didn't recognise. Natalie was being fucked by our father and Richard, her mouth empty so she was making plenty of noise. My two aunts, my father's sisters, were sitting back, watching with interest, and one of them suggested they were ready to be fucked next.

I could barely raise my phone to start taking photos. Katie was watching it with a blank face, but her phone was up to record video.

To my amazement, we must have been standing there for five minutes and they had no idea we were watching. Katie eventually took my hand and led me back towards the front door. I have no idea how I ended up back at my car. "They've done it at my house," she told me, "I'm not sure Belinda has ever had them at your place. I suspect that when she's doing overtime..."

Leaning against the front of my car, I took a few deep breaths as I wanted to be sick. The other part of me wanted to return to the house with something in my hands and start swinging. "What about Mum?" I asked, and that's what upset me most, "I've always thought Natalie... You know..."

"I can tell you about some of the videos. Let's go somewhere and get a drink."

We ended up sitting at a pub near my house. Sitting in a booth, she sat next to me, taking my hand and cuddling against me. "How much video?"

"They don't get together like that all the time. But I've been snooping on Richard's phone. They stopped everything for barely a week after I found him fucking Natalie."

"Jesus, our own sister?"

"I've never really trusted her, Mark. And now you know why."

"And Belinda?"

"I'll be brutally honest, Mark. You don't know her anywhere near as well as you think you do. I have her on tape admitting to an extensive sexual history of which I have no doubt you're not aware. She's pretty much admitted on tape that she was a slut but doesn't want you to know about it. She genuinely loves you, wants your respect, and she knew if you knew her past, you would have never dated let alone married her. Thing is, when she's being fucked like that, she won't tolerate them being rude about you. She wants to be treated like a slut by them, but she loves that you treat her with love and respect."

"I'm guessing George and James..."

"Oh, that's just pure spite on their behalf. But it's Dad... He pretty much hates you, Mark. He doesn't think you're his son, and he wanted Mum to have an abortion. He's basically said it would have been better if you didn't exist. The only plus side was the fact he gets to fuck your wife behind your back. Again, it comes back to the overtime she does. She's usually hooking up with one or two of them."

"And Richard?"

"He wants to leave me for Natalie. She just laughed at him, stating all she wanted was to be fucked. As for our father fucking her and your wife, it's obvious that he doesn't have a sex life with Mum any longer. From what I gathered, she's pretty much cut him off as she knows he's cheating on her, she just lacks any concrete evidence."

"Who else is he doing it with?"

"Pretty much any young woman who works for the business is required to service him or our brothers."

I sat silently for a few minutes before I leaned back, Katie resting a hand on my chest before turning my chin, leaving a soft kiss on my lips. "I love you, Mark," she whispered, "And I'm going to need you from now on as much as you're going to need me. But what I don't know is how to break this to Mum."

"I'm guessing George's wife..."

"I'm going to give Cathy everything so she can divorce his arse. Divorces might be no-fault, but the judge still has wiggle room to ensure the jilted spouse comes out better. Not all the time, but there are judges who will ensure the cheating spouse isn't rewarded."

We stayed at the pub long enough to eat dinner, and my phone started to ring halfway through as Belinda was messaging, wondering where I was. I ignored all the messages until Katie led me back to my car. I really didn't want to go home and face Belinda as I knew I couldn't act well enough. But when I thought about it, I knew she didn't have sex with me the days she would have been fooling around with others.

"I'm thinking my wife never gave me sloppy seconds, at least," I muttered, "I'm sure you don't want to hear about it, but Friday and Saturday were our regular nights, maybe a night during the week. Never on a Sunday..."

"When you went out for a round of golf with your friends, I would guess your wife found a few hours to be a slut," Katie suggested.

When we hugged, it was only then that I felt on the verge of tears. I'd never suspected Belinda could ever do something like that. I knew when I finally confronted her, I'd hear all the usual excuses and cliches. The thing is, if it was a drunken mistake one-time mistake, I could probably find it in my heart to forgive her. But if our entire relationship was a lie, that was strike one. But to be fucking my father and brothers? That's strike one, two and three right there.

Her claims to love me didn't really make sense to me, but I guess in the mind of the cheating spouse, they were able to separate everything, justifying their infidelity in their minds so they felt better about themselves. The problem is that I was not a bad husband, nor did I believe I was a bad lover. I was an equal-opportunity husband. We split everything in the house evenly. I always cared for my wife in the bedroom. I was not a 'Yes dear' husband. I had a backbone and wouldn't let her walk all over me, but she generally made me as happy as I made her... Or that's what I'd thought.

Katie drove home, unsure what she was going to do. She asked me not to do anything drastic. Pulling up in the driveway, I walked inside to be greeted by my wife's smiling but concerned face. Kissing my cheek, there was a faint whiff of mouthwash or toothpaste. "Where have you been, honey?"

"Bitch of a day. Everything just seemed to go wrong."

"Does my hubby need some snuggles tonight?"

The idea of having sex with her ever again was enough to ensure I wouldn't get an erection, at least. She was looking at me so innocently, I couldn't believe she was the same woman I watched being plugged entirely by people who were supposed to love me too. "I'm just going to have a shower then vegetate for an hour."

Lying in bed together that night, she cuddled into me, feeling her leave a soft kiss on my cheek, whispering how much she loved me. The problem is that I did believe that she loved me, but there was a side to her character I would never accept, so she'd kept it hidden from me. Part of me still loved her, the larger part wanted to throttle her.

As for my father and brothers, I'd never forgive them. I was most disappointed in Natalie. I would have never believed she'd do that to her older sister and younger brother. I wouldn't bother confronting the males. Well, I would if they wanted to get physical. Natalie would require a conversation.

The next few days, particularly the weekend as that's when Belinda would want to really focus on me. I managed to beg off, claiming I wasn't feeling well. She turned into a proper loving wife, ensuring I was fed and watered, and would snuggle with me on the couch the entire time. Lots of kisses and cuddles, and I was just left confused as to how this woman could be like that with me but then she'd happily fuck other people.

A week after we discovered them, Katie called and asked me to meet her after work. Driving to her place as I left work earlier than usual, I wasn't surprised to see Mum's car parked on the road. Parking up behind her, I found Katie and our mother in the living room, both of them getting to their feet to kiss and hug me.

Handing me the standard bottle of beer, Katie smirked as she said it was a beer both Richard and I liked. We sat to either side of our mother as Katie started to explain everything we saw. To her credit, Mum didn't fall apart in floods of tears. No, we were greeted by righteous anger and threats to start lopping off certain body parts.

"Before you even need to ask, I will be leaving Belinda," I said.

"Not as fast as I'm leaving Richard," Katie added.

"We confront them all together," Mum insisted immediately, "Family dinner. This Saturday. Does Cathy know?" Cathy was George's wife. Katie shook her head. "Give her a heads up at least, Katie. I don't want her being blindsided completely by this."

"How are you being so calm, Mum?" I had to ask.

"I'm not calm, Mark. I'm beyond furious, but me sitting here breaking down into tears won't help right now. I've had my suspicions about that bastard for a number of years." Glancing at me, she smiled. "You are his son, by the way. I made sure a DNA test was done when he started to voice his opinions about you."

"Yet the hate he has..."

"The only reason he hasn't left me is that I keep the house clean, cook his meals, wash his clothes, but otherwise don't interfere too much. I don't make too many demands, and he gives me enough money each week, so I don't complain. As for you, he's never really lied. He didn't want you. I did."

"Thanks, Mum."

"You're my baby. Always have been. Always will be. Much as Katie is my firstborn and will always be special. I've always suspected George and James of certain things. Natalie is just a disappointment. I thought she was better than that."

We talked out things for another hour or so before Richard called Katie, telling her he wouldn't be home. "I have a feeling they gather at the office," Katie told us once she hung up, "Belinda works nearby so getting there, having her fun, then going home makes sense."

"So we drop the hammer Saturday night?" I asked. Mum met my eyes and nodded. I could see the fury bubbling underneath. Katie glanced at me and managed a smile. "Okay, I'll just fake being the loving husband until then. Getting out of sex on Friday night might be difficult after begging off last weekend."

Considering we'd gone over a week without sex, I knew trying to get out of our usual Friday night date and time together would provoke too many questions, even though I'd be pulling the pin the next day. So I figured I'd just treat it like a normal night and I managed to pull off the entire act. Dinner and drinks, and she even wanted to enjoy a little dance. Arriving home, we made love, surprised that she was eager to go down on me.

"I missed our fun last weekend and I've been thinking about this all week," she told me.

When we were finished, she fell asleep rather quickly. I could only lie back and feel sadness at what I was about to lose. Maybe I'd been completely blinkered, but I'd simply never seen a single sign. No showers when getting home. I did the laundry occasionally and never noticed anything untoward with her clothing. No secret phone calls. She never locked her phone. I'm guessing they had other ways to communicate and made sure I was never suspicious.