One Storm Leads to Another

"That's it, I'm done, speak your peace if you so choose."

Mel was trying not to cry but she wasn't having too much luck. She was a strong and proud woman, but this man, whom she claimed to love, whom she'd betrayed so deeply had just undone her simply by speaking the truth. He put his finger on the depth of her terrible actions and the outcomes. She wanted to hate him, to blame him. She was desperate to escape being so obviously wrong, but there was no escaping the truth of who she was.

"Have you told my parents?"

"No, I'll leave that to you. I've spoken to mine, my boss and a couple of buddies with whom I served. Outside of my lawyer and our company attorney Michael I've spoken to no one. But let me be clear, if you try to shade the truth or whitewash your actions, I'll give them everything, including what's on the thumb drive."

"I can't possibly tell my parents everything. It would kill them to hear all of this! You can't hate me that much Henry!"

"Mel, you didn't care one whit about my feelings or how your choices killed my heart. You've acted hatefully to me for at least six months and that's assuming there haven't been any other lovers prior to the dick. Don't pretend to be a victim here. I'll give you one week to share with them and then I'm calling. They better have a firm grasp on what's happened, or they get a copy of everything."

"Henry, I swear there haven't been any others. David was the first and only."

"Sure Mel, and you and Sue were at the concert together last Friday. You and the dick didn't fuck in our marriage bed all weekend while you told me how much you loved me. I assume every time you open your mouth you're lying. I doubt you even know how to tell the truth at this point."

"Henry, I didn't mean for it to happen. I didn't go looking for it. I got caught up in the moment when we won the Dutton case. Once we started, I meant to stop it, but I just didn't, I don't know why."

"Really Mel, you don't know why?" Henry shuffled through the file until he found the page he wanted. "I'm sorry, I should have realized from your conversations how much you wanted to be faithful to me. Like this quote from two months ago while you were both lying in our marriage bed after fucking.

"David, I just can't get enough of you! We must be so careful. If Diane or Henry ever find out, we'll have to call it quits and I don't want to ever stop making love with you!"

"Yep Mel, sounds like you're so conflicted about your behavior. Not fucking but lying in the arms of another man in our bed calling your actions 'making love' admitting you never want to stop. You're completely delusional Mel."

Henry's words were beginning to sink in. Mel slumped in her chair for a moment or two without saying anything. Finally, she spoke.

"I have no excuse, Henry. I am a grown woman, and I made my choices. I thought I could hide it from you. I thought I could play this game and if you didn't find out it would be harmless. I knew David was a fling. I knew we'd never love each other even though I used those words. I never had feelings for him like I have for you. But I callously betrayed you and your love for me."

Mel paused for a moment to blow her nose and dab her eyes. She looked across the table at Henry and noticed two things immediately. His wedding ring was sitting on the table and the look in his eyes told her he was lost to her beyond any hope of redemption. He held her in the same contempt with which she treated him. Her safe little world of a loving husband was gone.

"Henry, I don't know what to do or where to go. I can't leave the house before the divorce, that would be admitting it's over and financial suicide. I'm guessing you won't leave either. Can we agree to stay here for now? I need time to think and determine next steps. I can't promise I won't fight the divorce. Right now, all I want to do is be with you forever. I can't imagine life without you. I'll stay in one of the spare rooms and avoid contact beyond only what is necessary between roommates. I'll respect your space."

"Mel, I can't tell you what to do, what to think or where to go. Erica my attorney told me not to leave the house before the divorce is official and she told me you'd feel the same. You stay in the master bedroom tonight. I refuse to sleep on the mattress you and the dick fucked on. Tomorrow, I'm giving it away to the Salvation Army and a new one is being delivered. That will be my bed, one you'll never sleep in."

"Thank you for understanding Henry. I'd fight to stay if I had to, it is my only choice legally, but I appreciate you meeting me halfway on this. I'll start moving my things tomorrow while you're at work."

Mel got up and moved to hug Henry. He moved away from her quickly. "Fuck you, Mel! Don't ever try to touch me again. It is all I can do to be in the same room with you and remain calm. You destroyed my heart, you destroyed us, you don't get my comfort now or ever for doing such a loathsome thing. You made your choices alone; you live them alone. I'll never be able to completely move past your slutting around on me Mel, but I'm going to work as hard as I can to put you as far out of my life as possible and that journey has already begun."

Mel collapsed back into her chair, put her head on the table and sobbed.

Epilogue:

Mel fought the divorce tooth and nail. Silently, she hoped Henry would relent and stay. She also had to fight if she wanted to keep any shred of self-respect. So many friends broke off their relationships with her when they heard what she'd done to Henry. Mel asked the court to order counseling, showing she was already in therapy, proving she had nothing whatsoever to do with David Miller, etc. However, representing yourself is never a good idea, but Mel was worried about attorney fees, so she gave it a go. She stalled things for a while, but never derailed the process.

Even Mel's parents begged her to let Henry go. They were aghast at her actions and sided with Henry even while trying to maintain a marginal relationship with their daughter. It took seven months, but the divorce was granted. The house and savings were split 50/50 but David didn't have to pay alimony. Miracles do happen!

Melanie left Conner, Simms & Miller and moved to work for a small firm in San Antonio. The day she departed she was walking out the front door and turned to say goodbye to Henry. He closed the door in her face before she could speak. Now she rarely dates but usually goes home with a random guy on Friday nights just to fuck. Perhaps the human contact soothes her soul. Perhaps it reminds her she was a slut who threw away a good man and marriage.

It turned out Conner and Simms did have souls even if they were lawyers. They forced Miller out and he ended up moving to Houston within a few months, taking a position in a small law firm run by his cousin. Diane fleeced him in the divorce and his kids don't speak to him. The lawsuit Henry and Diane brought was settled out of court for $250,000.00 for each of the plaintiffs. Erica was very pleased with the outcomes.

David Miller took to spending his evenings at a seedy bar in the wrong part of town named Oilers. One night as he was leaving, a man approached him in the parking lot. He looked up into the eyes of Henry Canne. There were no security cameras in this neighborhood. Henry said, "Hello dick," and then dropped him with devastating fist to his face. His nose and jaw were broken. Henry leaned over him as he spat blood and a couple of teeth out of his mouth.

"I wanted you to know who did this to you David. I wanted you to look me in the eyes and see it coming. Now, if you report this there are twelve retired marines sitting at a bar in downtown Austin right now, most are decorated combat vests who will swear I was with them all evening. If by some chance I'm arrested and charged with assaulting you, one or two of them will come back and finish what I started you piece of shit!"

No charges have ever filed.

About a year after the divorce Henry was walking out of a coffee shop in downtown Austin when he looked up and saw a beautiful woman about his age walking in. He held the door open for her as she entered. "Thank you, kind sir," she said, "nice to see some cowboys still have manners."

"You're welcome mam," Henry replied and headed to his car. He was about to get in when he thought to himself, "what the hell," and turned, going back inside.

She was sitting with her face to the door and looked up immediately when he returned. He walked straight to her table, held out his hand and said, "I'm sorry but I just wanted to introduce myself, I'm Henry."

She took his hand in greeting. "Nice to meet you Henry, I'm Lori. Why don't you pull up a chair?" (Yep, that Lori)