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“Thank god,” she mutters, a look of profound relief on her face as she falls back in her chair with a light chuckle.
My jaw drops. Of all her reactions, this was the last one I expected. “I tell you I think my husband’s having an affair, and that makes you happy?” I almost shriek the last word.
“I am happy. I thought you had cancer or some serious shit and were too scared to tell me you were busy dying.”
I’m at a loss for words. “You know when I said the other day you should have been a lawyer? I was lying. You should have been an actor. That’s the most ridiculous thing you’ve ever said to me, and you’ve said some doozies in your time.”
“Who even uses the word ‘doozies?’” she scoffs.
“I do,” I hiss, tapping my finger on the table, “When you make me so mad I can’t even think straight.”
“Look,” she says, sitting up straight. “I don’t know where this is coming from, but Lucas would never, not in a million years, cheat on you. He’s not Dad. That man is more in love with you now than he was when you got married. If you weren’t my sister and I didn’t love you, I’d be so freaking jealous of you. Okay, maybe I am a bit jealous, but in a good way. I promise.”
“I’m serious,” I whisper, my shoulders dropping. I don’t know what she sees on my face, but her smile dries up and she turns all serious.
“Come on, Alexis, you know Lucas would never cheat on you. That’s just crazy.” She reaches out again and grabs my hand.
“I also thought so,” I whisper, taking a shaky breath. “Now I’m not so sure.” I’m desperately trying to keep the tears at bay, blinking quickly.
“Okay, so talk to me. Tell me why you think so. We can figure this out together.”
It’s hard, but I tell her about what happened on the weekend. How he lied to me about when he got back. How I waited up most of the night, worrying about him, and how stupid I felt when he got home Saturday afternoon waltzing in as if nothing was wrong. And it’s not just that. What’s harder for me to admit is the lack of intimacy between us. We have always had a healthy sex life. When he was home, hardly a day went by where we weren’t intimate with each other. Now it’s been over a week since he’s touched me. We had the fight, then he left for his business trip, and since he’s been back, there’s been nothing.
“He lied to me, Lill.” Despite my herculean effort, the tears escape, and I drop my head into my hands. “Lucas has never lied to me before. Not only that, he’s pulled away physically, and I’m not stupid. That’s a huge red flag.” She makes a sound of agreement, scooting her chair around the table, and sits next to me, curling her arm around my shoulders. “At least, I’ve never thought he’s lied before, and now I’m questioning everything.”
“There must be some kind of explanation. Lucas loves you so much. I’m seriously struggling to even imagine any kind of scenario where he would do that to you.”
“Then how would you explain it? Believe me, I spent most of the weekend and this week trying to find any kind of explanation, and I just can’t. I would give anything for it to not be true.” I wipe the tears from my face.
“Have you thought to maybe just ask him?” Her voice is tentative, but I immediately shake my head.
“No, I’m not going to confront him unless I have proof. If it’s not true—god I hope it’s not true—it would break his heart if I accused him of something like that.”
“What was he like? The rest of the weekend, I mean. Did anything feel different?”
I mostly avoided him, claiming that I had a lot to get done before our weekend away. I waited for him to ask where we were going, or say that he changed his mind and he decided to join us after all. Every time he stayed silent, my resentment grew, and I couldn’t even try to ignore that something was seriously wrong.
“Not really. I spent most of the time in my office while he spent time with Lizzy.” Lizzy and how all of this could potentially affect her was something I was not willing to think about just yet.
“Okay, so we’ll have to brainstorm a few ideas on how to get the proof you want without him finding out.”
“We?”
“Of course ‘we.’ Do you really think I’m going to let you do this on your own?”
My smile is shaky while I’m wiping the tears from my cheeks. She reaches into her bag and hands me a few tissues.
“I don’t know. I’m not sure what to do.”
“Maybe start with his phone. Do you have access to his email? Check his bank accounts.” The reality of what she’s saying rockets through me, breaking through the fog in my head, and I drop my head into my hands.
“When did my life turn into such a damn cliché?”
“Pfft. You’re not a cliché. If anyone’s cornered the market on cliché, it’s me. I mean, look at me. I’m thirty-one and single with some serious Daddy issues. You’re the brave one that took the plunge despite having the same issues I have. What you are is a strong, independent woman who deserves to know the truth,” she says fiercely. I fucking love my sister so damn much and the bone-crushing hug I give her lets her know that without a doubt.
“Are you still going away this weekend?”
“Yes, but it will probably only be Lizzy and me. Lucas says he’s too busy. Maybe I should cancel?”
