Chapter 4
I didn’t want to come just so I could be told I’m the worst, but I show up to the police station anyway.
“You’re the wife?” one of the officers asks, and I nod.
I’m surprised Vivian hasn’t claimed that yet.
I head inside, and the wreckage of what happened is still obvious. There are three other guys at the side of the station as well as the maitre d, facing Derek, who’s sitting with his elbows on his knees. He looks up at me, and the first thing I see is a cut on his cheek.
Purchase completed his feet and trying to He immediately covers i take me into his arms. “Georgina. I promise, it’s not what it looks like.”
To my surprise, Vivian emerges. It’s really not like that, Georgina. We lost a bet and it was a dare. That’s why everyone. was cheering. That maitre d only filmed it because she got it all wrong. I mean, she thought I’m the real wife.”
She sound so apologetic and embarrassed, but her eyes tell me that she’s gaining some satisfaction from being mistaken as his wife.
When I say nothing, she puts a hand on my shoulder. “We grew up together, you know.”
“I heard,” I say coldly. “I would be rich if I had a dollar every time anyone thought they should remind me that.”
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“Well, maybe because you have to remember,” she says. “We’re very close and we always have been. That doesn’t mean something else is going on between us. Derek and I are just. one.”
Before I can react, the maitre d.gets up and spits at Vivian. “You bitch! And here I thought you were the wife. You were sure acting like it!”
Vivian blanches. She turns to Derek with teary eyes, and of course he gets mad on her behalf.
Acting like the real victim, she faces me. “Please believe me. Believe us. Derek and I have nothing to hide from you.”
“If you say so,” I say in a quiet voice.
“Let’s all put this behind us, okay?” Vivian says, smiling at me. “I know you won’t get in the way of our friendship.”
Sensing the tension, Derek comes to me and never leaves my side as we get into his car. Vivian is still behind us.
I open the door to the passenger seat, and to my surprise, a kid is sitting there.
He sticks out his tongue at me. “Ew! It’s the ugly bitch!”
I step back in surprise. That kid has to be no more than four. The fact that he knows that word is astounding to me. Someone must have taught him.
“Chris!” Vivian says, but she doesn’t sound at all surprised. “How can you say that to the nice lady?”
“That’s not good,” Derek says sternly, and the boy shrinks back.
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“I have no idea where he learned that word,” Vivian tells me. “Please don’t be offended. I think he just likes Derek so much. Anyone who tries to come close to him is automatically a bad person. He was there when he was sick. Derek will be a great father.”
I thought this would be my breaking point, but I just nod. “I think you’re right.”
Derek’s face darkens. He seems to feel strange that I’m not
reacting as violently as he thought or hoped. He thinks for al while, then he says, “Why don’t you drive, Georgina? I can stay in the backseat with Chris.”
He wants to get a reaction out of me, that much is obvious.
But when I just get into the driver’s seat and see the three of them laughing together, I feel nothing.
That’s when it occurs to me that Derek no longer affects me.
Chris doesn’t mind. He just gets in the backseat happily. I think. he might be trying to help her mom win back Derek, the one he literally calls dad.
The three of them sit in the back, with Chris in between. They look like a family and I look like a chauffeur.
Derek is the only one who looks bothered, though.
To lighten up the atmosphere as drive, Vivian says, “Georgina, I heard from Victor that you have jealous tendencies. But I don’t see that.”
I don’t say anything, and yet Vivian seems encouraged.
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“Derek is a wonderful man, and he’s so caring with me and
Chris,” she says. “Chris grew up without a dad. He doesn’t say it, but I know he wants a dad. Maybe sometime Derek can spend the weekend with Chris.”
“That would be wonderful,” I say. I’m sure Derek will have a good time.”
“With Chris around, Derek and I won’t do anything that crosses your boundaries,” she says.
I turn to face her. “You don’t have to ask my permission, Vivian. I’m sure Derek already said yes.”
“What? Georgina!” Derek suddenly says.
We stop, and he opens the door for Vivian and Chris. Before he walks them back to the apartment, he gets in the car and switches seats with me.
But instead of taking the passenger seat, I go to the back.
He turns to face me. “Why won’t you sit next to me? Are you angry?”
“No, I’m just tired.”
Without Vivian and Chris, the place is falling silent. It’s suffocating.
But Derek breaks the silence after a while. “Georgina, I know what this looks like. But this is the last time, I promise. When it’s all done, I will give Vivian a stern talk about this. Even Chris. Just trust me. It’s all I need.”
I just nod, and he seems to be satisfied with that. He seems to
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think that he’s lucky enough to get away with it one more time.
But he doesn’t know that in my heart, there’s no more love for him. It’s all dead, all ashes. It’s all gone.
I don’t have to care anymore. Next Sunday, I would be out of here and I don’t have to look back.
***
The following week is strange. Derek starts to treat me well, and that is to say, he’s starting to give me the bare minimum.
He even made breakfast for me today. “So, what do you think?”
He’s not a good cook. But instead of saying that, I just take one bite and smile at him. Only to throw it in the garbage when he’s
gone.
He prepares lunch for me now, but I literally can’t eat any of it because he can’t make anything edible. I just throw them in the trash when I’m at work.
He starts to text me more often. He gives me updates about where he is and who he’s with and what he’s doing. It was almost like when we were first getting together.
I never asked him to do that before. He just did it. He would let me know everything. But just when I was getting used to it, he got tired and stopped it altogether.
The week leading up to my departure, he’s been perfect. But the days are passing quickly, until he needs to go to the park with Vivian and Chris. He gets dressed early and lingers at home, pretending like he doesn’t want to go.
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And yet he’s wearing the watch I gave him, the one that took six months‘ worth of salary to buy.
“I have to go now,” he tells me. “I have to be there early so I can come home early to you. Then we can watch a movie or something. Anything you want to do.”
“Of course,” I say, knowing full well he’s not going to make it home in time to do any of that.
He leaves the house with the watch on his wrist. The one he promised me he would only wear on our 50th anniversary.
Something that was supposed to be special. Now just hanging on his wrist for his playdate with Vivian and Chris.