Louise was dressed for another man—and she calmly told me I had no choice but to accept it.

Part 1:

The Friday had been a grueling one.

One of the machines at the factory had broken down, and I’d spent most of the day with the engineering team, tackling a slew of hardware and software issues that had drained every last drop of energy from us all.

For the past dozen years, my life had revolved around my printing company.

I started it in the northern suburbs of Sydney, Australia.

That particular Friday evening, I pulled into the garage and parked.

Leaning back in my seat for a moment, I was utterly exhausted, just wanting the day to be over.

Owning a print shop that produced both commercial and one-off products was always demanding.

At home, I was frustrated.

My wife, Louise, who had shared my life for over 15 years, had been strangely distant and unaffe.

I was a tactile person.

Little kisses, touches of the hand, and good love making energized me.

Recently, however, Louise had become withdrawn and moody.

She craved quality time and attention and I tried to give it to her regularly, but it was difficult when my wife pushed me away and I had a company to run.

Allow me to introduce myself.

I’m Cameron Odwire.

I’m 42 years old and Louise and I have two daughters.

Our oldest, Carrie, is an 18-year-old spitting image of her mother in her youth.

She’s intelligent, determined, and knows exactly what she wants.

She’s currently in her third year of university studying engineering and plans to join me in designing new printing presses after graduation.

Yes, I know what you’re thinking. 18 and in her third year of university.

She’s just that bright.

You’ll also notice that I mentioned Louise and I have only been married for 15 years.

Part 2:

This is due to the birth of our second daughter, Sarah.

We were happily married with Carrie, but got married when we discovered we were pregnant with Sarah.

Sarah is, to say the least, our hippie child.

She’s a drifter, unopinionated about most things, and usually takes the path of least resistance.

She’s just as intelligent as her sister, but prefers not to apply herself.

In her 15 years, she’s a social butterfly, spending most of her life with friends or glued to her phone, chatting on Discord.

Both of our girls were away for the weekend.

Sarah was staying with friends, and Carrie was out with her boyfriend, Robbie.

I expected them both to return home sometime on Sunday afternoon, leaving Louise and me alone.

I sat there reflecting on the past week, trying to push work out of my mind.

With the girls out of the house, perhaps Louise and I could work through some of our recent problems.

A couple of drinks and a good talk might help.

I got out of my truck.

A 2-year-old Ford Ranger grabbed my bag and made my way to the kitchen.

Louise wasn’t around, so I poured myself a Kraken and Coke, my favorite drink, and turned on some mellow tunes, settling in.

I stared at the walls, trying to mentally let the day go.

The broken machine seemed to be working again.

But the lost revenue would cost us at least $10,000, and if we couldn’t get it fixed properly next week, it would be even more.

It was a significant chunk of my staff’s paycheck in the Sydney market.

Breaking away from my internal dialogue, I heard movement in the click of heels.

My wife Louise walked into the room and my breath caught.

Louise is about 3 months older than me.

After giving birth to two children and reaching her 40s, she’d put on a little weight, but she went to the gym regularly and ate right, so she’d kept her curves in all the right places.

She was dressed up, ready to face the world.

She set her purse on the table, almost empty, and looked at me.
“You look good, my love,” I said.

She smiled at me.

I sighed, taking a sip of my drink.

Sorry, Lou.

It’s been a rough day, and I just don’t have the energy to go out to dinner tonight.

I apologized, looking her over from head to toe.

She smiled at me again.

But this time, there was no love in her eyes.

Something inside me switched, and I felt my day turned from unpleasant to downright shitty.
“It’s okay, Cam,” she said, her voice was slightly shaky. “I didn’t plan on you coming with me.”
I looked at her.

In all our years, we very rarely went out separately.

Even when she occasionally went out with her girlfriends, she never dressed like it was a date.
“You weren’t questioning it,” I said, taking a big sip of my drink. “Then why are you dressed like we’re going on an unusual date?”
For a moment, Louise looked unsure of herself.
“Cameron,” she lowered her gaze to herself and stopped.
“Are you breaking up with me?” I asked.

Louise was taken aback.
“No, of course not, Cam.”
She tried to reach out her hand, but I pulled away and laughed bitterly.
“Now you’re going to tell me that we had nothing to do with this, that you have to do this on your own.

You’re going to tell me that you deserve this after raising two kids and dedicating yourself to our family.”
I raised an eyebrow, looking at my rapidly deflating wife, judging by your bag, you weren’t planning on coming home tonight.

It’s nice to see after all these years, you’re leaving our marriage so easily, not caring one bit what it does to us.

I threw those words at her, my voice taking on an accusing, argumentative tone.

Cam, she stopped and looked at me.

I didn’t interrupt her this time.

She sighed and said quietly.

We both work so hard and I know you do it for us.

But I’m only going to be seeing Roger for a while.

Roger?

I mean, Roger Fathergill?

I asked.

For a while, my wife answered.

Nothing but the panic in her eyes told me that I knew exactly who her lover was.

This took her by surprise.

She sighed again.
“Yes, Cam.

That Roger.

He’s been so good to me these past few months since you haven’t been here.”
“He I exploded.”
“What?” I said, Louise surprised at my sudden outburst.
“You heard me, Louise,” I said. “Fuck you.

You’re rationalizing your way into an affair.

Sure, we work hard, but saying I wasn’t here is [ __ ] and you know it.

You’re the one who’s distancing yourself.

I’ve been trying to spend time with you for months now, but you’ve been keeping me away.

At least now I know why.

You just can’t. [ __ ]”
I stood up abruptly, my chair scraping across the floor.

Cameron, I’m not bitching at you, she stuttered.

Tonight?

I mean, this weekend.

We were supposed to have our first time, she said, embarrassed.

Right.

So, you’ll be an even bigger [ __ ] if you cheat on me for not just one night, but the whole weekend.

I glared at her, then turned and went into the kitchen for another drink.

I was tired to the extreme after work, but I needed another Kraken.

I was pouring a double when Louise stood in the kitchen doorway.

She was angry and for the first time unashamed of her feelings.

Cameron Odwire, I am not a [ __ ] and never have been.

But unlike you and your first love, Rose, I have never been with another man in my entire life.

Roger tells me that I’m not cheating on you because I’m telling you what’s going on.

It’s only cheating if I’m hiding it.

That’s low.

Dragging Rose into this is a low blow and you know it.

I almost growled at her, but at least she had the decency to look away.

And you are deeply mistaken, dear wife.

It’s cheating if I don’t accept it, and I don’t accept you taking another man to bed.

I assume your new man is having the same conversation with his wife.

She stammered again.
“I I don’t know.”
Now she was looking at her shoes.

I snorted, chugged a double Kraken and Coke, and turned to look at Louise.

Her face was a beautiful mask of emotion.
“He’s probably lying about not being home and being impossible to contact.

Has he kissed you yet?”
“What?” asked Louise.

It’s a simple question.

Has Roger fathered?

Gil?

Yes.

Well, that says it all, doesn’t it?

I tried to contain my anger.

My wife had stopped paying attention to me, rejecting my attempts to get close to her while having more and more physical relations with another man.

So, I guess that’s it.

We’re done.

I said, walked out onto the back terrace and slammed the back door so hard that the house shook.

I sat down in a chair by our table on the back veranda, hyped up after a hard day’s work.

I wanted to come home to be with my wife and now she was telling me she was betraying me.

It must have been about 5 minutes before Louise appeared in the doorway.

Louise came out trying a softer approach.

Cam, I love you, but I need to do this.

I’ve just felt so stuck for the last year.

Roger’s been very understanding about it, so it won’t be long.

You’ll see.

I continued to stare out into the yard without looking at her.

No, Louise, you don’t understand.

It would have helped you if you had turned to me.

I was supposed to be your best friend, your partner, but you gave yourself to another man and robbed me of the opportunity to be there for you.

And now I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to be near you again.

She didn’t move.

Cameron, she said softly, firmly, but with a note of trepidation.

You can’t leave.

Roger tells me that if you do, I’ll take everything from you.

I can take half your business.

I’ll get the house, the kids, and then it’ll be easy for me to turn them against you.

Her voice got stronger, and she walked forward, putting her hand on my shoulder.

I turned and looked at her in disgust, jerking my shoulder away from her touch.
“Would you do that to someone you just professed your love for?

You cheated on me, threatened me, and then believed you could get away with it?” I growled.
“I wouldn’t have wanted that,” my wife answered me.

But Roger told me that in a court of law, I’ll always end up winning.

You don’t have much choice.

I’m sure I’ll work it out and get back to you.

You’ll be fine.

You’re stronger than me.

For the second time that night, I stood up abruptly, but this time with hatred in my eyes.

I looked at the woman I somehow still loved at that moment, but the hatred and anger I was feeling took over.
“You selfish, unfaithful bitch,” I hissed.

She took a step back.

You dare to profess your love for me, thinking that I have any intention of staying married to you.

From now on, you tell me I have no choice.

Well, screw you, Louise.

You’ve shown me that I have no idea who you are.

You’re not the woman I married.

It’s like something alien has taken you over.

The woman I loved would never say she would destroy me by using my children against me.

So, who the hell are you, Cam?

I She stuttered.

I let the anger pass as suddenly as it had appeared, choosing the rational path for a moment to see if I could reason with her.

Louise, if you love me the way you say you do, then stop all of this right now.

I don’t know if we can save our marriage with what you just told me.

You were intimate with another man.

If you call it off now and we go to counseling, I promise you that I will try to understand what you’ve been through.

I’ll try to forgive you for your betrayal.

My betrayal?

She whispered.

Yes, Louise.

Counseling?

She whispered again.

Yes, Louise.

Counseling.

You may not see it now, but our marriage is in its death throws from what you’ve just laid out.

So, call it off and let’s get counseling right away.

I’ll call Rose now, and we can get her here tonight to help.

Louise had already thrown Rose at me.

She was right.

Rose was my first love, but it wasn’t meant to be.

We ended up in different places and fell in love with different people, but Rose and her husband Toby were very close friends to both of us until tonight.

I never thought Louise could have used Rose in my story against me in an argument.

Rose was also a therapist and Toby had become one of my closest friends over the years.

We successfully complimented each other.

Of course, it helped that we looked at the world with similar views on everything.

It also helped that our children grew up together.

Robbie, Rose, and Toby’s son, and Carrie were as friendly as thieves from birth.

They’d been dating as a couple since fifth grade.

Had they been given a few more years, I know their relationship would have continued to grow with proper parenting.

No, Cam, I don’t want Rose at the center of all this, she said defiantly.

She sighed.

Look, Cam, I understand how angry you are.

You may think I don’t get it, but I do.

I tried to correct her, but she held up her hand.

Let me finish.

You may think I don’t love you, but I do.

You’re right in that those threats were wrong.

I shouldn’t have done them.

However, that doesn’t make them any less true.

I looked at the woman standing in front of me, wondering if the alien spawn that had afflicted her brain was multiplying.

I’ll make you a deal.

I know I hurt you, but Cameron, I’m going with Roger this weekend.

I’ll go to counseling when Roger and I are done.

It may take a while, but if you feel counseling is so important to you, we’ll go there when Roger and I are tired of each other.

What about the girls?

I asked.

What about them? asked Louise.

How do we tell them we’re breaking up?

I said in an indifferent voice.

Cameron, we don’t.

She stopped talking suddenly, sighing.

We’re not breaking up.

I’ve already told you that sooner or later, Roger and I will go our separate ways.

I’ll be back.

The girls won’t be affected in any way.

I’m talking nonsense again.

I looked at her.

What about me?

While you’re having fun with Roger, what about me?

Where’s the love for me?

What?

What do you mean?

Louise hesitated again.

Louise, I’m an affectionate guy and you’ve pulled away from me.

You haven’t even kissed me in 2 weeks.

I don’t feel any love right now, so what am I supposed to do?

She looked at me as if the thought had never crossed her mind.

It hadn’t occurred to her that I might need something, some attention or care.

I don’t know, she lowered her eyes.

Roger says I should be his for now.

I exploded again, my emotions turning to frustration, rage, and sadness.

To hell with Roger.

Wait, that’s what you’re going to do? spit on your husband, Cameron, that’s not fair enough.

I almost shouted at her, interrupting her.

You’re telling me that denying me your husband because of a piece of [ __ ] cheating on his own wife and denying me your body is goddamn fair?

Louise took another step back.

I picked up my glass, drained the contents, and threw it at the concrete wall.

Our barbecue was leaned against it shattered, and my soul shattered with it.

I slumped back into the chair.

My shoulders slumped and I felt hot tears running down my cheeks.

We didn’t say anything for a few more minutes until a loud car horn sounded from the side of our driveway.

I looked at Louise, seeing the indecision on her face for the first time.

I turned away to look at the table, feeling like an empty husk.
“Just go away,” I whispered.

I don’t know if she heard me or not, but when I turned around, my wife was gone.

I don’t think I moved from my seat for about half an hour.

The confrontation with Louise had devastated me more than I realized, but I was roused by the phone in my pocket.

It was my daughter Carrie calling.

She had forgotten her bag of clothes for the weekend and wanted to let me know she was on her way home with Robbie to pick it up.
“Sorry, Dad.

Mom’s phone went to voicemail twice, so I thought I’d call you,” she happily informed me, blabbering on about Robbie’s boarding house that she was going to go to for the weekend.

I snorted, trying to keep my cool.
“It’s okay, sweetie.

Your mom isn’t home right now, but I’ll make sure your bag is at the door and ready so you and Roger can get on your way.”
She didn’t answer right away.

Daddy?

I sighed.

Yes, honey.

I tried to sound normal.

She wasn’t buying it.

Who’s Roger?

Carrie questioned me with a distinct tinge in her voice.

I’m sorry.

I meant Robbie.

I’m sorry, Carrie.

I meant Robbie.

I couldn’t believe I had made such a mistake, trying to backtrack.

However, Carrie was a bright girl and I was caught.
“What’s going on?”
She paused when I didn’t say anything.
“Normal, Dad.

You’re bothering me,” she said.
“Nothing, Carrie.

I’m just having a bad day.

First, I had problems at work.

Then, your mom and I had a fight, so I’m just emotional,” I replied.

I didn’t want to lie, but I didn’t want to tell my 18-year-old daughter the whole story either.

Dad, stop skirting around the truth.

You’re trying to confuse me.

What did mom do?

Her tone was accusatory.

I tried to brush her off.

It doesn’t matter, honey.

I’ll be fine.

You just caught me off guard.

I’ll get your bag ready for you.

Don’t let our problems ruin your weekend.

Love you, Carrie.

I quickly hung up, feeling like a creep, trying to hide the truth from my daughter.

I went into the house, splashed water on my face, then took Carrie’s bag from her room and set it right in front of the garage door where she knew I would put it so she could grab it and leave.

It wasn’t the first time one of my girls had forgotten something.

I grabbed the broom cone cleaning up the shards of glass when Carrie came screaming out the back door right at me.
“Are you okay, Daddy?” she asked, looking at me through her eyebrows with a look of concern on her face.

Louis had looked at me many times when she was worried about me, but it was a look I hadn’t seen this evening, when she was telling me about her plans to have fun with another man.
“Sure, honey.

I put your bag in its usual place,” I said monochromatically, bending over and starting to sweep the glass into the tray so I could toss it into the trash can while they watched.

When I stood up, Robbie was standing in the doorway, too, frowning.

I hadn’t managed to fool anyone.

I pulled out a chair and lowered myself onto it.

Carrie pulled the chair out and sat across from me, taking both of my hands and squeezing them.

Dad, you’re not okay.

Mom called me back shortly after I talked to you.

I heard she was in the car and it sounded like someone else was with her.

So, what’s going on?

I looked at my daughter.

I think she saw something broken in my eyes.

The sparkle was gone.

That damn [ __ ]
My daughter almost shouted hurriedly handing Robbie back.

What’s the matter, baby? asked Robbie, sensing his girlfriend was upset.

He looked at me.

I still didn’t say anything.

I felt old, depressed.

My mother is cheating on my father.

She said it off-handedly.

No, really.

Both Carrie and Robbie looked at me.

I nodded my head slowly.

She gave me an ultimatum and then left with her lover some time before you called me, I admitted sullenly.

They sat with me for the rest of the evening.

Then at some point, Rose and Toby showed up.

Robbie showed up with Thai takeout food, a fresh bottle of Kraken, and wine.

I slowly told all four of us about Louis’s betrayal, her ultimatum, and everyone was shocked.

Dad, doesn’t mom remember the prenup you both made when Louise and I got married?

I was starting my printing business.

My parents gave me a six-f figureure sum to help with the initial capital.

Their lawyers drew up a prenuptual agreement which had several clauses in it.

Specifically, if one of the spouses cheated, he or she would get only 15% of the marital property, and the house, cars, and children would be left to the offended party.

The business always remained out of Louisa’s sight in any separation or divorce.

I shook my head.

I don’t think your mom thought at all, honey.

Remember, she told me it wasn’t cheating if she told me about it.

Carrie snorted.

Daddy, cheating can’t be excused whether she told you or not.

It sounds like she’s been cheating on you emotionally for months now.

Sarah and I have noticed for weeks that something was wrong between you two.

We just couldn’t figure out what it was.

I nodded and then it hit me.

Oh my god, Sarah, I need to talk to her.

I need to let her know that everything is going to be okay.

Carrie grabbed my hands again.

Dad, please don’t lie.

It’s not going to be okay.

Mom killed something in you today, and I don’t know if I can forgive her.

She’s still your mom, I replied.

There was more whining in my tone than anything else.

Mother or not, there’s no reason for her to do what she did to you.

She said it sharply, and then squeeze my hand again, softening.

Sarah and I are going to be fine.

I’ll talk to her in the morning.

She realized something was wrong, too.

We ate and I found myself eating three servings of delicious Thai food despite my mood.

However, after eating and talking to Carrie, Robbie, Rose, and Toby, I admittedly felt a lot better.

Everyone, do you mind if I talk to Cameron for a bit? asked Rose a little later in the evening when the topics had moved away from Louise.

I felt a little put off.

The other three took that as a signal to head inside.

Rose sat down in the chair across from me that Carrie had left behind.

She seemed to see the look on my face, then looked over her shoulder toward the back door where the other three had gone, then back to me, smiling.

You have an amazing daughter, Cameron, said Rose.

I nodded, looking back at Rose.

Rose was a beautiful red-haired woman.

Like I said, she was my first love.

We dated for a few years in high school until we went to different universities.

Then she fell in love with Toby, and shortly after that, I met Louise and was infinitely in love with my wife until tonight.

Rose and I were close despite or because of our history.

But neither of us would have ever considered betraying our spouse.

The fact that our children were dating strengthened our family unity.

Carrie and Robbie knew a little that Rose and I had dated when we were young.

Neither of us hid it.

We also knew that now that they were both 18, Carrie and Robbie were sleeping together.

But we knew how much they cared for each other and didn’t stand in their way.

Carrie confessed to Louise and me that the first time they slept together was on Robbiey’s 18th birthday.

It was her birthday present to him.

Rose tapped my leg with her foot, bringing me back to the present moment.

How are you, Cam?

Don’t lie to me.

I know you almost better than anyone else.

I shook my head.

I don’t, Rose.

I mean, I knew it was hard for us, but this…
I gestured to the air, then more calmly.

I still love her, Rose, but I hate what she did to me, to us.

I hate it, and I want to scream.

I want to cry.

I want to hurt her and her boyfriend, but right now, I still love her.

I said this with an agonizing scream.

Rose nodded now in psychiatrist mode.

How can you handle it, Cam?

She asked.

I stared at her for a moment.

Rose, cut the crap, I smirked sadly.

It doesn’t work on me.

Besides, I’ve known you too long.

She smiled back, bringing me out of my revery.

But what can I do in response?

Well, at the very least, break up and more likely a divorce.

With all the terms of the prenuptual agreement honored, I begged her to stay.

I told her we could get counseling, but what I got in return were threats that she would take everything from me and then turn my girls against me.

Rose nodded.

Cam, you’re right, and I think you know I can’t be your counselor in this matter.

I’m too close to both of you.

So, tomorrow we’ll try to find you someone to talk to, but both Toby and I will be there for you through all of this.

You know that.

Toby and I think everything of you.

I’m sure Robbie and Toby are trying to talk your daughter out of wanting to destroy her mother right now.

I don’t think we’ve seen Carrie this pissed off since Candy Taylor asked Robbie to the junior high dance.

She laughed.

I laughed back quietly.

You’re right.

Thank you, Rose.

I’m sorry about that.

You don’t deserve to be in the middle of this.

She pulled away from me.

Don’t worry, Cam.

We’re here for you.

Trust me, if you were the one who dumped Louise, we’d be doing the same for her and talking about your destruction.

I leaned back in my chair.

Rose, I would never.

Rose smiled at me.

Relax, Cam.

I know you wouldn’t.

That’s why I wasn’t shy about talking about it.

You and Toby are two of the most loyal people I’ve ever met.

And if if you looked alike, I’d think you were brothers.

And Toby was relatively short, just over 5t tall, but he was stocky, muscular, with blonde hair and blue eyes.

I have a mop of brown hair because of my job.

I’m tall and trim, but not in Toby’s league.

I think that’s why I fell in love with him.

His personality reminded me of you,” she said it wistfully, sinking into memories for a moment.

We both laughed.

It was an old conversation that had long since ceased to be awkward, proving that today, Rose and I shared a deep friendship.

For the next hour, we discussed my feelings, mostly sadness and betrayal mixed with rage and a sense of numbness that I couldn’t explain.

But Rose understood.

Later, we walked into the house and found Robbie and Carrie snuggled up on the couch.

Toby was sitting in one of the other lounge chairs watching a movie.
“Hi, everyone,” I greeted.

Carrie was immediately beside me and gave me a hug.
“Are you okay, Daddy?” she asked worriedly.

I looked at Rose and she smiled.
“No, honey.

I’m not okay, but I’m so glad you’re all here.

It would be so much worse if you weren’t,” I replied.

She gave me a hug.

Dad, Robbie and I are going to stay here tonight.

We don’t want you to be alone.

But Carrie, what about your weekend?

I asked.

Robbie brushed off my concerns.

Cameron, he said, I can tell you right now that there’s no place Carrie and I would rather be right now.

We can do the weekend anytime.

I already got the credit for the B&B while you were talking to your mom, so we can reschedule it soon.

But Carrie was right.

In light of what happened, I think you need us here.

I didn’t argue, and we parted ways that evening.

Rose and Toby said goodbye, promising to bring breakfast in the morning.

I said good night to Carrie and Robbie, then showered and read in bed for a while to take my mind off things.

We’ll bring you coffee in the morning, Daddy.

I know I won’t get a good night’s sleep tonight, so I can only guess how you’re going to do, she told me.

I smiled sadly, thanked her, gave her another hug, and kissed her forehead, then retired to my room.

I took a shower, finally changed into my workclo, went back to my bedroom.

Inside, there were reminders of Louis everywhere in the room.

Even on the bed were things she hadn’t put away going into the weekend without me.

I threw them on the floor or in the closet, intending to stuff them into boxes with the rest of her things tomorrow.

I was lying in bed on my iPad reading one of the latest books in the Spellmonger series, a fantasy series I’d enjoyed following over the years when my phone rang.

For a moment, I thought it was Louise, but it was Toby letting me know they were home and thinking of me.

I thanked him by putting the thumbs up emoji.

He replied that they would see us tomorrow around 9hunk.

I was about to put my phone down when a sudden thought hit me.

I opened the Find My Phone app and sent a ping to Louise’s phone.

It sent a request for a location a couple of hours away in the Blue Mountains and I sighed.

I took a screenshot to prove that she was running after me.

And that got me thinking about our security system.

We had one of those swan security systems that recorded audio and video with cameras placed throughout the house leading to a hard drive in a closet.

We had eight cameras dotted around the house.

The one in the backyard was set up to email Louise and me if they detected movement.

However, all of the cameras kept a constant recording until the hard drive filled up, at which point the cameras began overriding the previous content.

The discs stored up to a week’s worth of content for all eight cameras.

So, I logged in and reviewed the footage from the back patio camera from tonight.

Sure enough, the camera had captured footage of Louise and I discussing her infidelity.

When I went outside, I also checked the front camera and saw a large guy get out of a brand new BMD, greet Lou with a kiss, and then they jumped in the car and drove off.

I now had an ironclad confession and a video of her leaving me to sleep with Roger Fathergill, as well as a ping from her phone proving she wasn’t in my location.

I pulled out my laptop, logged into Swan Security, exported the videos into an email along with instructions on how to start the divorce process.

While I was agonizing over the wording for the lawyer, and just attaching the videos to the email, the phone rang.

It was Louise.

She must have still been awake with her lover, having heard the find my phone signal.

I switched the handset to voicemail.

A moment later, I received a voicemail notification.

I listened to it.

Cameron, Roger, and I heard my phone beep.

We’re telling you now.

Don’t do anything stupid.

Sooner or later, we’ll be done.

We’ll talk and then you can do things my way.

If you do otherwise than I tell you, Roger will destroy you and I will take everything from you.

I heard Louise’s words.

Roger giggling could be heard in the background.

Yes, you little toad.

Trust me, it’s not forever.

But if you ever blab to anyone, I will take a personal interest in taking you apart piece by piece until you lose everything. your wife, your kids, your business, and let’s not forget any respect you ever thought you’d have.

When Louise and I are done, she’ll come back to you.

Just play ball and everything will be fine.

As they hung up the voicemail, I heard them both laugh.

For a moment, I was stunned.

I’d heard a lot of rudeness over the years, but this guy’s disrespect and outright arrogance shifted the focus in me, and I decided it was time to destroy them, not myself.

I reddrafted the letter indicating that not only did I want to serve Louise at her work with divorce papers as soon as possible, but I also wanted to file a lawsuit against Roger Fathergill.

To do something, I wanted them to hurt.

I also wanted Louise and Roger to be sued for loss of income within my own business for either encouraging the affair or being unaware of the wrongdoing that was causing me mental anguish, causing my own business to suffer.

I knew that these claims were unlikely to be pursued.

However, simply suing all parties in addition to divorce and enforcement of the prenuptual agreement would be a huge blow to the couple’s arrogance.

So, as I hit the submit button, I realized that I didn’t have Roger’s wife’s information yet, but if I did, I would contact her and let her know what a cheating bastard her husband was.

I’d like to say that after sending the letter, I slept soundly, knowing I was taking action against the cheaters, but that would be a lie.

I tossed and turned until the wee hours of the morning and even heard Carrie and Robbie get up before I closed my eyes.

I listened.

It sounded like Robbie was heading to his car to get the promised coffee.

I put on my pants and shirt and headed for the kitchen.

When I entered the room, Carrie saw me and hugged me tightly, asking if I had slept.

I haven’t, I shook my head.

Me neither, she replied.

I tried, but I just couldn’t.

I just don’t understand how mom could do that to you, she complained.

I mean to us, not just you.

We talked about her university studies for a while longer, long enough to avoid broaching the subject until Robbie returned with three very welcome large cups of coffee.

I sipped the glorious drink.

I’ve always loved cappuccinos.

The chocolate on top only enhanced the flavor of the coffee dancing on my taste buds.

Simultaneously, Carrie and I sighed.

Robbie laughed.

You both exactly the same.

He turned serious.

So, you haven’t been sleeping either, have you?

No, I was actually very busy texting with the company lawyer when I got a voicemail from Louise after I made a find my phone request.

I spent the next 10 minutes explaining how I had put together a packet of documents to start divorce proceedings with Roger and their place of work.

After playing the voicemail Louise and Roger had left me, I could see Carrie trying to hold back tears as she listened to the message.

That woman is not my mother,” she said quietly, wiping her eyes with a coffee napkin. “My mother would never be cold enough to insult my father or allow another man to humiliate her husband like that.”
Robbie and I were in complete agreement.

It was about 10:00 in the morning when we started wondering where Rose and Toby were.

They told us they would bring breakfast around , so we started to worry.

An hour later, Robbie tried calling first his mom, then his dad.

When he couldn’t get through, I tried that, too.

I called Mom’s house, the cafe where we always went for breakfast.

And the owner, Josie, an elderly lady in her 60s whom we all knew by now, confirmed that Rose and Toby had picked up breakfast around on their way to my place.

As I hung up the phone, I was overcome with intense anxiety.

I was packing my keys to go looking for them when Robbiey’s phone rang.

He picked it up and within a minute, he was lying on the floor with a pale face.

Hello, this is Cameron Odwire.

I’m the father of Robbiey’s girlfriend.

Who am I speaking to? said I.

Mr.

Odoire, this is police constable Colin Sharp.

I want to tell Robert the sad news.

His parents have been involved in a major accident.

I inhald sharply, looking at Robbie, lying on the ground, almost comeomaos.

Carrie wrapped her arms around him, looking at me desperately.

May I ask a question?

Are Rose and Toby all right, Constable?

There was a pause.

Miss Odoire, I take it that Robert can’t talk right now.

I replied that he was.

Mr.

Odoire, can you get Robert to give me verbal consent to speak to you on this matter?

I managed to get Robbie to say yes.

The officer paused, catching his breath.

Around this morning, the Getting car collided with an outofcrol B semi-tra that had failed its brakes.

As a result of the accident, their car was practically destroyed.

I’m very sorry to hear that.

Mrs.

Gettings is currently in surgery.

Unfortunately, Mr.

Gettings did not survive.

I think I turned just as pale as Robbie, so I sank to the ground.

Toby was dead and Rose was in surgery.

I cleared my throat.
“Which hospital?” I asked horarssely.

Carrie started talking about the hospital in a panic.

I could see she was on the verge of tears, too, realizing something serious had happened.

I swallowed hard.
“Now is not the time to lose my temper.

They are both in the Northern Shore Hospital.

May I assume that you and Robert will be there soon?” she asked.

A note of sadness could be heard in her voice.

She acted professional, but I could sense that the stranger was having a hard time.
“Yes,” I mumbled, getting detailed information on where to go and what to say.

When we arrived 5 minutes later, the three of us were out the door.

Within half an hour, we were already outside the trauma unit of the hospital.

The nurses were doing their best to reassure us.

Questions about how Rose was doing, where Toby’s body was, whether Rose would survive, what was wrong with the other driver were asked constantly.

Constable Sharp came in and introduced herself.

We talked for the next 20 minutes.

Robbie again allowed me to act as his representative, and she told me the whole story.

As Rose and Toby were driving, an out of control, fully loaded truck had crashed into their car, leaving it in shreds.

Toby took most of the impact on the driver’s side, his side of the car almost merging with the passenger side.

He died on the way to the hospital from multiple injuries, including a fractured skull and multiple puncture wounds to his torso and upper body.

There were other injuries, but I won’t recount them here as they are too graphic.

Accidents like this are horrific.

Rose was also in critical condition.

She also had a small skull fracture, multiple lacerations, and two broken legs.

However, the most serious problem for Rose was the loss of her left arm, as well as part of her left forearm.

The surgical team worked diligently to stitch up the wound, as well as repair several other puncture wounds.

Rose also suffered severe blood loss due to the inability to stop the blood flow.

But fortunately, if there is such a thing in accidents like this, her mangled arm was above her head when she was pulled out by emergency crews.

So, thankfully, she didn’t bleed out.

The rest of the day passed in conversations and phone calls.

I have to hand it to Robbie.

After the initial attack of shock, he sat with me all day while we waited for news about Rose and started calling people.

First, we called his grandparents.

Then, Toby’s brother in Brisbane, Bika.

Then, we called Rose’s brother.

When the moose people arrived, Carrie and I had to help Robbie with the paperwork for his father’s death.

Carrie called Sarah, and within an hour, she was at the hospital hugging Robbie and crying with Carrie.

After a while, she looked up at us.
“Where’s mom?” she asked innocently.

Carrie and I looked at each other.
“She’s not coming,” Carrie said bitterly.
“Sarah, are you telling me you know something about your mom and Roger?” I asked quietly.

Sarah nodded her head solemnly, fresh tears beginning to roll down her face.

A couple weeks ago, I saw mom bring in some new underwear, and I asked her if she bought it for you, Dad.

I watched her shoulder slump.

I had to pester her for a few days, but at one point, when she didn’t tell me the underwear was for you, she took offense at me and then blabbed that it was for a date with some guy named Roger, saying you didn’t have a chance to see him.

Sarah, why didn’t you say anything?

There was an accusatory note in Carrie’s tone.

I don’t know, she looked at Carrie.

We were talking about mom and dad living apart lately.

I didn’t know what to do, and I stayed as far away from home as possible.

Once I found out what I didn’t want to know, I didn’t want to run into mom.

She looked at me.

Or with you.

Sorry, Dad.

I hugged her.

It’s okay, baby girl.

I wish there was something I wanted you to say.

I didn’t know until last night, but it’s okay.

She started to cry.

I’m so sorry, Daddy.

If I had said something, maybe Aunt Rose and Uncle Toby would have…
She never finished the thought.

Instead, she broke down.

That night, we left only to shower and change.

I brought Carrie and Sarah home.

We cleaned up.

Then, Carrie drove her car back to the hospital with Sarah and I followed them.

I think it was about on Sunday morning when Rose was brought in from surgery.

She was all bruised and battered in critical condition, but alive.

She will be in the ICU for at least a few days.

They wanted her to recover and make sure there was no brain damage before taking any further steps.

Even despite his grief, Robbie was gracious to the doctors and asked to meet the team of surgeons who labored for hours to save his mother’s life.

I have never been so proud of my daughter’s boyfriend and sincerely hoped that one day I could call him my son-in-law.

We spent the rest of the day at the hospital.

I took home my laptop and phone chargers.

After receiving confirmation that the paperwork had been drawn up and was ready for delivery to Louise, Roger, and their place of employment on Monday morning, I was relieved to note that I had a damn good lawyer.

Better than Roger, I was willing to bet.

I also contacted my duty managers at work to take over the workload for the week as we had a family tragedy and I needed time.

I didn’t bother telling them I had more than one emergency, but they knew their business and kept me on my toes.

One piece of good news was that one of my support team members was able to fix the remaining problems on the car that broke down on Friday.

Throughout Saturday afternoon, we started working with Robbie on planning Toby’s funeral.

Robbie left a message with their family lawyer for instruction.

As long as Rose was doing well, he wouldn’t be needed, but Robbie wanted to be prepared.

We talked about the funeral for a few hours and after lunch we were joined by Edwina, Rose’s mom, an older woman in her 70s, but still as witty as ever.

She hugged her grandson and then gave me a big hug.

Edwina had always treated me like a son.

She loved Toby, but always spoke of me in joking tones as the one who left her daughter.

She informed us that Camille, Toby’s mom, would be coming to visit us at the end of the week as soon as she found someone to drive her from the retirement village since she couldn’t drive.

After lunch, we talked easily.

Edwina sat with us in the hospital waiting room as we had planned.

I wondered if we would be moved on.

However, when I asked the nurse if we needed to move, she shook her head no.

That unfortunately happens more often than you expect, but as long as it’s not too crowded, you can stay.

We know the grief you’re all going through right now, and I understand that you need to be near Mrs.

Gettings while you wait for her to wake up.

I smiled, thanking her for her answer.

Time flew by as we all talked and reminisced.

Louise was only mentioned in passing, and as soon as Carrie brought Edwina up to speed about Louise, anytime no one was watching her, a grim frown would appear on her face.

It was about on Sunday evening when I answered the call on my cell phone without looking.

All of our phones had been ringing off the hook all day as news of Toby’s death and Rose’s injuries spread.
“Hey, this is Cameron Odwire speaking,” I said as I watched Robbie hug Carrie and look into each other’s eyes with a smile.

I watched as they exchanged the words, “I love you,” followed by a kiss.

As they mourned each other, they fell even more in love.
“That’s no way to call your wife,” I heard Louise scolding me on the phone. “I told you not to make waves or you’ll regret it.

Roger is fierce and will take you out if you say anything to anyone.

Where the hell are you, Cameron?

You’re supposed to be home when I get there.”
I don’t know what had happened to Louise over the weekend, but if there was anything left in her, of the insecurity or regret I’d seen on Friday night, they’d been taken away by the stopy woman who was now on the phone with me.
“Louise,” I uttered.

The contempt so evident in that single word.

All the talking around stopped.

Everyone looked at me at the same time.
“It’s me, you great grouch.

Where are you and where are the girls?

If you tell them anything, I told you I’ll turn them against you.

So, you better go home or I’ll make you sorry.”
I hung up the phone halfway through.

I wasn’t interested in threats.

Tomorrow, Louise would find out that her neatly constructed narrative was falling apart.
“The [ __ ] just got home,” I shrugged.
“Heard her father,” Sarah said quietly. “I don’t know why you even picked up the phone.”
I spent several hours today talking one-on-one with my youngest daughter.

She apologized over and over again for not saying anything.

But after hearing the extent of her mother’s deception, she was almost as angry at her as Carrie was.
“Daddy, in the divorce, I’m going to live with you, okay?” said Sarah out of the blue as we talked earlier.
“Of course, baby.

Of course,” I said as I hugged her.

Coming back to the present, I looked at a smiling Sarah.

By instinct, I answered the phone without thinking.

It just took me a moment to get my bearings.

The next moment, my phone rang again.

Louise’s, of course.

Over the next 10 minutes, she tried calling a dozen times.

Then she tried calling the girls.

After half an hour, Carrie had had enough of it.
“What?” she shouted into the receiver, picking it up.

Louise reprimanded our oldest daughter for her tone.
“Mom, stop it.

I have absolutely no interest in talking to such a lying, cheating [ __ ] right now.

I’m here with my family, including my sister and father.

We’re in mourning right now, and we don’t need you interfering with our grief.”
I could hear Louise shouting a string of curses and swear words into the receiver that I didn’t think she could ever put together, let alone say them to her daughter.

The bottom line was that she thought Carrie was talking to her about the breakdown of the relationship between Louise and me, not about Toby’s death and Rose’s life hanging in the balance.

I realized that Louise had no idea what had happened.

Louise continued for another minute before Carrie interrupted her.

Mom, I have no intention of putting up with your yelling anymore.

And before you start, yes, dad told us everyday everything, too.

So, you should know I have no interest in living in the same house with you.

You’re a [ __ ] Mom.

You had a man who loved you and children who adored you as a role model.

Now, you’ve traded your father for a mate who’s likely to drop you like a hot potato, and you’ve lost the respect of both of your daughters.

She paused.

Obviously, her mother had spoken.
“Yes, and Sarah and I.

Yes, Sarah told us what she knew.

My dad is good for forgiving her, and she hates you as much as Dad and I do.

So, pack your suitcase, Mom, because none of us want you around when we get home.”
She paused again, listening.

No, Mom.

I won’t tell you where we are or when we get home.

Why don’t you call Roger and go to him?

She paused falsely for half a second.

What’s that?

You can’t?

Because he’s gone home to his wife, who has no idea he’s a low-life, cheating bastard who’s helped you destroy any respect for you and the family.

Sorry, Mom.

Lou started to reply.
“Sorry, Mom.

I think they announced our flight.

I’ll talk to you later,” and hung up.

She looked at all of us staring at her, then pointed to her phone in her hand.
“Wrong number,” Carrie said simply.

Despite everything that was going on and the seriousness of the situation, everyone giggled, even the nurses at the nurses station across from us.

Edwina went home for the night, promising she’d be back early in the morning.

Meanwhile, Sarah and I were getting ready to leave for a few hours.

Carrie and Robbie would stay longer and Sarah and I would return around midnight and switch places, letting them go to sleep.

Sarah and I were putting things in our bags when the trauma nurse came up to us.
“She’s awake,” she said excitedly.

We all smiled and everyone burst out laughing very nervously.

We then asked about Rose’s condition.
“She is being seen by a doctor right now.

She is really out of it, but since she is conscious, you will all be able to see her for a little while.”
For the next hour, we took turns examining Rose.

Well, that is what we could see.

Almost every part of her was sheathed in something medical.

There were wires coming out of almost every part of her.

Her head was wrapped in bandages, but what was most disturbing was the sheathed stump of her left forearm.
“Hi, Pedal,” I said, using my nickname for Rose.

When we first met, I called her my Rose.

If anyone but me called her that, she always got an earful.

You gave us quite a scare, but I’m glad to see her on the mend.

She couldn’t speak yet because of the breathing tube in her throat.

Of course, as she was still under the influence of the potent medication, but there was a question lingering in her eyes that I didn’t want to answer.

I shook my head and she understood.

A single tear rolled out of her left eye and quickly soaked into the bandage.

I couldn’t touch her and so on for the rest of my visit.

I sat with her and talked quietly about how proud I was of her, that she was my family and we would all get better together.

When I left the room, the nurse handed me a tissue.

I had been crying, but I didn’t even know it.

I thanked her and went back down the hall.

A half hour later, Sarah and I hugged Carrie and Robbie and headed home.

Sarah and I were tired to the bone.

We managed to sleep for about 3 hours before we headed back to the hospital to give Carrie and Robbie a break.

Although, now that Rose was awake, we were all somewhat relieved.

We smiled as we drove, talking about the dream and how glad we were that Rose was awake.

But then we both frowned as we pulled into our driveway.

There was a strange BMW X5 parked in our driveway.
“Fuck,” we muttered at the same time.

I saw that the front lights were on and drove past, making a U-turn and pulling over to the curb in front of our house.

We saw the curtains move, but the door didn’t open.
“Should we go in or just leave?” asked Sarah.

I shrugged inside.
“We should go in.

Sorry, sweetie, but I don’t think it would be safe for me to drive too long today without a break or caffeine.

So, I suggest we go in.

You’ll go to your room, close the door, and try to ignore what I’m sure will be an unpleasant conversation.”
Are you sure, Dad, that I can stay with you?

I smiled.

Sarah hated confrontation.

That was one of the reasons she hadn’t said anything to me, but the fact that she was willing to confront her mother with me spoke volumes about how much my 15-year-old daughter was upset with her mother.

I pulled out my phone and pressed record.

Sarah looked at me doing the same thing with her phone.

We both got out of the car and walked down the walkway to the front door.

It was unlocked and we walked right in.

A lovely guy named Roger Fathergill.

There he is, the little cockle.

Back to apologize.

And you’re going to play ball before I ruin your damn life, he said coldly with the arrogance of a man who got what he wanted despite no objections.

Sarah walked into the room causing Roger to flinch.

Louise hesitated for a moment.

Her lover handing us a suit for verbal discrimination with a minor in the room.

If you don’t mind, Daddy, I’m too tired for this.

I’m going to go to bed and make sure you’re up by 11:30 so we can get back.

She walked past a stunned Roger and Louise, uttering only [ __ ] and horror to them and saying nothing else.

As soon as the door closed behind Sarah, they pounced on me again.

Louise, I told you not to say anything to your daughter, you bastard,” said Roger, lunging at me with steam.

I picked up the phone, informing you that I’m recording this conversation.
“It has been recorded since we walked through the door and will be recorded until you leave,” I said, looking at the two cheaters.

Louise looked at me and turned pale.

Roger turned a little pale, too.

Looked at the phone in my hand and then shrugged.
“Whatever, cuckoo!” he smiled.

Roger was an imposing man.

He was taller than me and broader in the shoulders than I was.

However, most of his body was fat, not muscle.

In addition, he was balding and jowls appeared on his chin.

I’d say he was in his late 40s, probably early 50s.

Honestly, I couldn’t understand why Louise would want to date a man like him.

I ignored Roger for a moment, looking directly at my wife.

Louise, I asked you not to show up here when I get home tonight and you insult me even more by bringing your lover here.
“Cameron,” she began, but she was interrupted by Roger.

He took two steps forward, standing in front of me.
“Listen up, you bastard.

We both told you how it was going to be and asked you not to say anything.

Now, I’m going to make your life a living hell.”
You speak loudly, Mr.

Fathergill, aren’t you?

I said calmly to his face.
“You are not welcome here.

I’m going to have to ask you to watch your expressions as my young daughter is in the other room.”
So, he yelled.

She won’t tell anyone.

Neither will you.

With those words, he snatched the phone out of my hands and threw it to the floor, stomping on it before we could do anything.

Then he smiled eerily and started yelling at me.

You’re just some ventriloquist printer whose wife is so sick of him.

He smiled menacingly at me as I looked at my broken phone on the floor.

Louise decided to join him.

I had no idea what he had done to her, but she was no longer my wife.

As she went on to say, Cameron, it’s true.

Roger’s 10 times better than you.

But now that you’ve told the girls, it’s going to be really hard on you.

You better not say anything because now Roger and I are going to have to destroy you.

Louise, what are you?

I didn’t get a chance to finish.

For a while, I was looking at Louise.

Good old Roger swung the center at me.

I fell to the ground, moving with the blow as much as I could, but it still hurt.
“What the hell?

You hit me in my house,” I said loudly, rubbing the spot where he hit me.
“So what?

Louise will support whatever I do to you.

I could destroy you right now and she’d tell the cops that you jumped me saying I had to defend myself.

Don’t you get it, Cuckoo?

I’m a goddamn lawyer.

I do what’s right.

You may think you’re cool in the print world, but my people make the goddamn greens that make this world go round.”
He started to laugh.

I take what I want from who I want, when I want, and there’s nothing anyone can do about it.

I looked at Louise from the ground.

Louise, is that true?

You’re going to back that [ __ ]?

I said, getting to my feet.

Roger took a defensive stance, ready to try and fight me.

But I looked at Louise and he relaxed a little.

She tensed up a little, but looked defiant.

I’m sorry, Cameron, but yes, I will support Roger in anything, even if he destroys you.

You’re just not a man like him.

I looked at her again as if a blunt rocket hit her.

Seriously, what had happened to her to be so brainwashed by the scum of humanity?

I shrugged, sighing.

Well then, dear wife, I have nothing more to say, but you both need to leave or I’m going to return the feelings you just gave me and unleash such hell on both of you that neither of you will ever be able to look at anyone you know again without them ridiculing you both.

Roger roared, encouraged by his previous blow.

He had made the mistake of thinking he could take me.

As I said, Roger was a big guy, but he was all fat, not muscle.

I wasn’t as big as he was, but working all day at the typewriters, I had developed a strong physique.

Plus, I had been in a few fights over the years and had even done some amateur boxing, so I knew how to fight when I needed to.

Roger lunged at me, and I quickly dodged him, saying that he was being stupid by attacking me in my own home.

I tripped him and he fell, smashing the coffee table, but immediately got to his feet.

Roger tried to distract himself so he could pounce on me again, still feeling that his mass was enough to take me down.

For a moment, he was stunned, his mouth moving like a fish in water, and then he collapsed to the ground.

He looked up at me, not quite realizing what had happened.

I grabbed Roger’s ear and began to speak softly into his clamped ear, looking at Louise, my eyes burning with hatred.
“Listen, you bastard.

You stole my wife and came into my house thinking I was going to be something I’m not.

And now you’re lying on the floor in pain.

You’re about to be arrested.

You have no idea what you’ve done and how I’m going to ruin your pathetic life.

You think you’re a big man and I just made you a unic.”
I let him fall to the ground, letting go of his ear.

What did you do? yelled Louise as Roger fell.

Then she ran around me to him.

Cameron, what the hell did you do to Roger?

I shrugged, looking at the woman I would have given my life for a few months ago, and today I wouldn’t have peed on her.

Never mind, Louise.

Today, you and that unic didn’t even inquire about me before you both pounced on me.

You didn’t ask Sarah how she was feeling or where we all were.

You just went along with that [ __ ] in his agenda.

She stared at me intently, leaning over her fallen lover.

After a few moments of silence, I filled the dead air.

You don’t want to ask?

Then let me tell you because you ran off for the weekend with the fat bastard.

Our daughter and her boyfriend came to spend time with me because she’s not stupid and realized something was wrong even when I tried to deny it.

Soon Rose and Toby were here too.

Oh, Cameron, you didn’t, she whed.

No, I didn’t.

Carrie and Robbie did it.

They’re smart, savvy, and can read between the lines, I replied.

Anyway, they came to their senses to be near me, unlike you, and then went home, promising to bring breakfast Saturday morning while we figure out what to do with you and lover boy.

I glanced at the groaning Roger on the floor.
“Anyways,” I said, stretching the word, knowing the hard part was about to begin.

My voice trailed off.

Rose and Toby were on their way here with breakfast from their mom when they were hit by an outofcrol car.

Toby died and Rose is fighting for her life in the hospital.

It was all over the news.

So, if you and not had bothered to watch the news or even ask, you would have found out that because of you, one of our friends is dead and another may not live.

I let that sink in.

But after a moment, Louise had the nerve to growl at me.

It’s not my fault, Cameron.

We told you not to say anything.

If you’d kept your mouth shut, they’d be alive.
“It’s your fault they’re dead, not mine.”
“No, it’s not, Mom.

It’s your fault,” our daughter said, standing in the doorway.

She looked at me.

The police and ambulance are on their way.

She looked at her mother again.

I have no idea who you are, but you’re not my mother.

And it’s your fault Uncle Toby is dead, not Daddy’s.

If you hadn’t cheated on Daddy, this never would have happened.

She lowered her gaze to her hands.

And it’s my fault, too.

Maybe if I’d said something to Daddy, he could have stopped it.

Sarah, I started to say.
“No, Daddy.

I know I should have said something, but the blame is on her feet,” she said, pointing at her mother.

She retreated to her room again and Louise and I just stared at each other.

We could already hear the emergency sirens, but no one said anything.

When two police cars appeared and chaos suddenly rained, Louise tried to explain that I had attacked Roger and he was moaning on the ground.

When asked if it was her husband, she stammered, explaining that it was, but that I had beaten Roger.

Anyway, I told my side of the story.

An ambulance arrived and a very sick Roger was carried out on a stretcher.

The ambulance left and I think the police were close to arresting me because I was the guy who attacked someone.

My wife was swearing again that it was all my fault.

When Sarah came back into the room, “I’m sorry, Mr.

Officer,” she said to the guy who was questioning us. “But I have a recording that confirms everything my dad said, including that this man said he would kill my dad and that my mom would lie to protect him from my dad.”
She held out a USB drive to the officer.
“What?

Like Roger smashed your phone?” asked Louise, not realizing that the police officers were still in the room listening.

Mom, Dad had a premonition that something might happen.

So, when I went to my room, I put my phone at the base of the door to record everything.

She looked at the officer.

I’m sorry, but after after everything I’ve heard, I have to say that I don’t feel safe around my mom.

Could you please not make me stay with her?

But she said she would support this man no matter what he did to daddy.

I heard him hit my dad at least once, so I’m scared.

Sarah moved over to me and hugged me while looking at her mother.

After that, things didn’t matter.

Sarah, as a minor, had evidence, and she testified against Louise, so my wife was arrested and taken to the gate house for the night.

When Louise was taken out, she looked at me but didn’t say anything.

After all that had happened, we had no time to sleep.

So, as tired as I was, we showered and changed clothes.

Then, I had some coffee and drove back to the hospital.

When we entered Rose’s room, Carrie and Robbie were sitting in some chairs, leaning on each other.

When Carrie saw my face, she gasped.
“What happened, Daddy?”
As she saw a bruise start to form on my face where I had been hit, we spent the next few minutes explaining her mother and Roger’s visit.

I then explained that I had punched him in the balls to make him realize I wasn’t a cuckold.

We heard a muffled grunt from Rose and found her waking eyes looking at me sadly.
“Rose,” I said, stammering. “I’m sorry, Petal. if I had known you were awake.”
I blanched, realizing that I had participated in Toby’s death before her eyes.

Of course, she knew when I admitted it earlier, but I still should have been a little more delicate.

I saw that her right hand was moving slightly.

Like most of her body, it was covered in bandages.

At least one of her fingers was broken, but she tried to lift her hand, and I was instantly by her side, trying to grab it without hurting her further.
“Are you okay, Rose?

Can I get you anything?

Do you need a nurse?” I asked and then added.

Blink once to answer yes and twice to answer no.

She blinked twice, then three times slowly but twisting her unbending fingers on my arm.

I didn’t move for the rest of the night.

The next few weeks passed very quickly.

Louisa’s parents released her from jail on bail the next day and then started calling me all kinds of names until Carrie brought them out into the open.

When Louise went to work a few days later, she was just in time to receive the divorce papers from the baoiff and then see the same baoiff handing the papers to the owner of the company.

As a result, Louise found herself on unpaid leave, suspended from work until the case was heard and by the end of the day living in her parents’ spare room.

She returned to the house while Carrie and Robbie rested and they watched her like hawks as she packed up her things and then proceeded to her parents’ car in shame.

Carrie hugged her grandparents but made it clear that her mother would never be in the house again.

In Car’s opinion, after the fight with Roger and I, not only did she think her mother was a shameless [ __ ] but she had blood on her hands from the accident.

It took most of the first week before they decided to take Rose’s breathing tube out, even though she was conscious.

But when they did, her first words were directed to me.
“Cameron, are you okay?”
I recoiled.
“Rose, how can you ask that?”
She smiled sadly.

I’m fine, sweetheart.

I knew about Toby before you told me.

I had high hopes, but in the moments after the accident, we were stunned, but came to our senses.

We professed our love for each other, but somehow he knew he wouldn’t make it, and I did.

Now she was crying.

After I woke up the first time, I was so out of it, but I remember your eyes confirming that he was gone.

I sat down on the chair next to the bed and took her right hand in my hands, still damaged but intact, unlike her missing left.

She whispered to me in a conspiratorial tone, even though it was just the two of us in the room at the moment.

I had a dream last night.

But in the dream, Toby came to me and he was beautiful.

He wasn’t hurt and he looked fine.

She smiled.

He told me he was fine.

It was his time.

The accident was no one’s fault, not even Louis’s.

I looked at her and her smile faltered a little.

I know exactly.

Just like Toby.

No one to blame.

Anyway, he told me he loved me, but now it’s my job to take care of you, Cameron.

He really did love you like a brother, and he was so upset about what happened to you.

I looked at her.

Rose, you’re the one who needs to be taken care of.

Seriously, haven’t you noticed that you don’t have an arm?

She laughed, lifting her stump slightly.

I’m completely armless now, aren’t I?

I could help myself, I snorted.

I guess it’s my job now to help you when you need it, I replied.

She groaned, then laughed good-naturedly.

I’m serious, Cam.

I miss Toby a lot, but I feel peaceful in that dream, and he made me promise to take care of you.

I held up my hands, and she giggled.

I smiled back.

Okay, you win.

You can look after me.

Rose looked smug, but only after you leave here.

Until then, I have to look after you.

Unlike those first two weeks, the next few months passed slowly.

If I wasn’t at work, I was in the hospital with Rose.

If I wasn’t at the hospital, I was packing up at home.

The girls and I decided we would sell the house and move.

There was a place in North Sydney near Crow’s Nest that I was able to buy at a reasonable price and also got a decent deal on our current place.

The new house was smaller but was close to transportation in the medical center.

It had three bedrooms plus an office and if you looked out of the master bedroom window while standing on tiptoe, you could see Sydney Harbor in the distance.

My divorce from Louise was in full swing.

The girls refused to have anything to do with her, and the few conversations they had with their mother did not end well for Louise.

Sarah, our malleable daughter, had become tough as nails and scowlled at any mention of her mother.

Carrie had practically moved in with Robbie in the last month, which I didn’t object to.

Even though Louise had called me a brainless cockal and a pathetic lover dozens of times, it wasn’t easy for her to live in her parents’ house in a spare bedroom.

They called me a couple of times to see if I could reconcile.

But after I showed them the audio of that night with Roger and Louise from Sarah’s phone, they apologized and stopped trying to work out our problems.

If Louise’s life was spiraling downward, Roger’s life dropped like a stone to the bottom of a pond.

He had to have one of his testicles removed.

And although he named me in a lawsuit and the police told him he could sue me, it would end badly for him because he was at fault.

I could easily make an argument in defense of my home and family.

After a week of review, his place of employment quickly fired him for embarrassing their firm like that.

They did this to get me to drop the lawsuit against them.

However, my attorney smelled blood in the water and negotiated a settlement with them.

Roger’s wife also somehow got a copy of the tape.

I swear it wasn’t me, but I caught Sarah’s sly glances at me a few times.

I had no idea how she’d found it, but one evening I got a call from one Miranda Fathergill and for an hour we exchanged stories.

She had suspected several times before that Roger was cheating on her, but this was the first time she had hard evidence.

It turned out that most of the Fathergill money had gone into a trust from Miranda’s grandparents.

Thanks to that trust, Roger had graduated from law school years ago, and since he wasn’t in the family trust, Miranda said he wouldn’t get anything.

They also had children, one of whom dreamed of becoming a lawyer, but Miranda suspected that wouldn’t happen when he found out about his father’s adventures.

Roger was now living in a cheap hotel where he slept on a credit card that was nearing its expiration date.

He had been unable to find a new job, and I sincerely hope that would continue to be the case.

Rose was getting a little better every day, and a month after the accident, she was able to leave the hospital with a nurse for a few hours so we could all officially say goodbye to Toby.

It was strange.

We were all sad or all, but Rose, more than anyone else, smiled a lot, laughed with people at the stories they told.

And when she cried, she always ended up making the other person feel better.

As for injuries, Rose’s legs were still in a cast.

She was still wrapped in several bandages, including her head, and her left forearm was tightly bandaged.

Above her left eyebrow, on her forehead, across the bridge of her nose, and right cheek, stretched a scar that was still red.

The doctor said it could be corrected with plastic surgery in the future if it didn’t heal and disappear as they suggested.

At the funeral, I made sure I was the one pushing Rose’s wheelchair while she greeted people.

Her caregiver smiled at me, never moving more than a couple of steps away, but she would defer to me to help Rose.

A month after the funeral, I was sitting in Rose’s hospital room doing bills and paperwork when I felt her eyes on me.

Putting aside the bill I was working on, I felt the hair on the back of my neck stand up.
“What’s the matter, Petal?

Do you need something?” I asked, turning to face her.

When I turned and looked at her, I was surprised.

Rose was looking at me, tears streaming down her face.
“Cam,” she tried to say.

Instantly, I was at her side, wrapping my arms around her.

I held her while she cried and looked at the monitors.

Aside from a slightly elevated heartbeat, she was fine.

But it was emotional.

The psychiatrist at the hospital said it could happen.

From the moment she woke up, she was worried about others, not herself.
“Sh, Rose, it’s going to be okay.

I’m here.

I’ve got you.

You’ll never have to walk alone.

You know that,” I said, comforting her.

She cried even more and nodded, holding on to me with her good arm, now free of bandages.
“I know, Cameron.

I just miss him.

You know,” she looked at me pleadingly.

I miss him, Rose.

Believe me, I miss him.

Toby was my best friend.

I miss him.

When Louise did what she did, if it wasn’t for you and Toby…
She hugged me tighter.

Will it get better?

She asked in a moment of pain and weakness.

I don’t know, I answered quietly.

I want to believe it will.

Toby’s gone, but you’re still here, and we have kids.

That has to mean something.

She was silent for a moment, then I felt her relax.

Thank you, Cam.

I don’t know if I could have made it through without you.

You get wiser in your old age, you know that?

She giggled softly and nervously.

I stroked her hair, running my hands through her thick, curly mane of red hair, and then leaned over and kissed the top of her head.
“You’re welcome, Rose.”
Without Toby and Louise in my life, I found that I need a best friend.
“Are you interested in this job?” I asked, still clasping me to her.

Rose did what I least expected.

She reached up and kissed me.

I kissed her back, feeling my heart race with something I never thought I’d feel for Rose again.

Romantic love.

Then I realized what I was doing and pulled away.

Rose, I’m sorry.

You’re my best friend more than that.

My oldest friend, and I love you so much, but I don’t know.

Hell, we’re still mourning Toby.

She sighed, snuggling up to me, and I hugged her without hesitation as we sat in her hospital bed.

I know, Cam.

I know what you’re saying, but I feel something. and never left high school,” she said.

That night, I fell into a restless sleep.

I must have tossed and turned for hours until I finally slipped into what I immediately somehow realized was a dream.

It was a dream of a bar I’d never seen before.

It was a large bar, and it seemed to me that if I tried to walk it from end to end, I would be walking for a very long time.

There were tables everywhere, lots of people sitting around, drinking, playing darts or pool.

The problem was that everyone was out of focus.

I knew they were there.

I even said hello to a few people I walked past.

I even got a greeting from the fuzzy outlines of people.

I realized they were smiling at me, but no matter how I looked, they were still out of focus.

It was a pleasant dream.

I was about to head to the bar when I noticed someone fuzzy.

He was sitting alone at a table.

When I approached, he turned and stood up to greet me.
“Toby,” I exclaimed and rushed over to hug him.

But a moment before I did, I slid toward him and stopped.

He laughed.

It’s okay, Cam.

It’s okay.

You can hug me.

We hugged.

Then I pulled him against me, looking at him.

He looked as good as he did the night before the accident.

He caught me looking him over and laughed again.

You look great, buddy, I said somehow.

I know it’s a dream, but it’s so good to see you.

He smiled.

Then we sat down at the table.

I had a Kraken and Coke in front of me.

Toby had a pint of Guinness, and we sipped our drinks for a while.

Ah, good stuff, he sighed.

He looked at me.

So, how are you, Cam? he asked.

I deflated a little, the dream becoming reality.

Not great, buddy, I replied to my best friend’s dream.

Divorcing Louise is a pain.

The girls are angry all the time.

I’m trying to support Rose in her recovery, but it’s hard, and I feel like I’m just drowning in it all.

Toby nodded.
“What about you and Rose?” he asked, raising an eyebrow.

I leaned back in my chair and thought for a minute about what Toby was like in the dream.

He smiled at me, continuing to raise his eyebrow.
“What about us?” I asked.
“Come on, Cam.

We’ve been friends for more years than I can imagine.

You’re my closest friend.

I know things about you and Rose that would make anyone blush.

I know you love each other.”
I snorted.
“Of course, Toby.

She’s as close to me as you and Louise.

Without the two of you in my life, she’s my closest friend.

Now, I want her to get better.”
He sighed.

I understand, Cam, but what about the kiss this afternoon that bothered you so much before you fell asleep and came here?

You can’t say it didn’t mean anything, can you?

Of course, an image would arise in my subconscious of my best friend throwing it at me to make me feel guilty for kissing his wife.

I looked at my friend.

I know it was more than nothing.

Toby, I love her.

Always have.

He smiled at me.

I panicked.

Buddy, Rose was married to you.

I was married to me.

Sure, we dated and even took our first steps with each other, but Toby, this is your wife we’re talking about.

How can I cheat on you with her?

Cameron, he said seriously, I’m dead.

His tone was sad, but definitive.

You both can’t cheat on me.

Rose, like you, has so many years ahead of her.

She needs someone to love and protect her as much as I do.

Look, Cameron, you said yourself that Louise is already out of your life, or will be soon, and you do love Rose.

He looked at me for a moment and I felt like the real Toby was weighing something important, not a figment of my imagination.

Rose loves you too, Cameron.

Of course, she’s hurt by my death.

But she desperately hopes you won’t leave her.

In her heart, she holds the same love for you that she holds for me.

She probably loves you more than she loves me since you’ve known her so much longer.

I mean it.

I didn’t know what to answer.

You know, he leaned toward me as if he was about to reveal a secret.

If Rose and I hadn’t met when you were apart, she was going to hunt you down and force you to marry her.

What? said I, nearly choking on my rum.

How the hell do you know that?

She told me, he smiled.

I snapped.

How could she tell you?

You’re just my best friend’s dream that for some reason my dormant mind uses to help me figure things out.

Rose never said anything to me about it.

So, how could you know?

Toby laughed.

Cam, look around you at the walls at this pub.

This isn’t just a dream and I’m not just a figment of your tortured mind, he said.
[ __ ] I replied.

Cam, it’s true.

I’ll prove it to you.

He told me how, replied I skeptically.

He held up three fingers.

Three ways, he said with a note of humor in his voice.

The first, he raised his index finger.

When you get to the hospital tomorrow, ask Rose what my last words to her were.

I snorted.

I already know that you were in the car and you told each other you loved each other.

Toby smiled, shaking his head.

Well, that’s partly true, but after that, when we both realized I wasn’t going to make it, I became calm.

Somehow, I knew Rose would see me the next day, and my last words were, “Love, Cameron all your days.”
I started to reply, but Toby raised his hand, extending two fingers this time.

Secondly, Louise is going to show up at the hospital tomorrow.

It’s not going to be pretty.

Toby, this is not the way.

Third, he said, interrupting me this time, raising three fingers.

My mom will bring Rose and you each an awesome chicken salad sandwich from the Asian sandwich shop in North Harbor, so you know she was thinking of you both while she was driving.

She’ll be wearing yellow sandals.

I looked at my friend.

He laughed at me again.

Toby, how can you know?

It’s a dream and you’re dead, I said to my friend.

He touched his nose like it was a secret.

Honestly, I’m not at liberty to say it.

He told me, “It’s a miracle I was allowed to meet Rose and you at all, but I was asked to meet you, and I did.

I’m happy to be able to spend some more time with you.”
I didn’t believe him, but I had to admit that I was happy to see him, too.
“So, if that’s what happens, what am I supposed to do?

Marry her?” I asked.

Toby laughed again.
“That’s up to you, friend.

But if you marry Rose, you have my blessing.”
He raised his glass and dragged me from the booth to the dartboard.

Now, that’s something I couldn’t say while I was alive, but love her fiercely, Cam.

And I’ll be proud to be your best friend, no matter what you choose.

For the next hour, Toby and I played darts, drank, and at one point seemed to be singing bar songs.

We were even joined by other customers, though I still can’t remember them offhand.

Well, except for one other guy.

It was like he was looking out for the establishment or was an important figure in the business.

But as we drank and danced, the pub disappeared from sight.

My last memory was Toby leaning over me, hugging me and thanking me for being his friend.

As we said goodbye to each other, I woke up to hot tears running down my face.

I was sad, but also happy.

I even managed to say goodbye this time.

By the time I shaved and dressed, I had almost forgotten about the dream.

I stopped by the office, checked in with my managers.

Everyone knew I was spending a lot of time working on Rose’s hospital room, as well as preparing to move in the next few weeks.

My assistant prepared all my paperwork for the day, took the ones I had worked on yesterday, and then escorted me to the conference room where I worked with the managers on my floor for an hour before heading to the hospital.

It was around lunchtime when I arrived, and Rose smiled as I entered the room.

The doctors reported that although she still had a long way to go, she would be able to go home in a few weeks.

She had been complaining for days that she was tired of her hospital bed.

And although she had managed to get a bed with a window, she wanted to get out of the four walls.

I was happy for her.

The fact that she was settling in at home would help her a lot.

We were talking about her sleeping in her own bed when Toby’s mom, Camille, walked in.

I didn’t know Camille as well as Rose’s mom, Edwina, but we were casual friends, and she smiled as she entered the room.
“Rose,” she said in a warm, friendly tone, “you look so much better today, and Cameron is so dressed up and handsome.

You’re so good to take such good care of Rose.

I know Toby would be proud of you,” she said, leaning over to kiss Rose.

At that moment, I noticed the yellow sandals on her feet and froze.
“Rose, what’s wrong?”
Both Rose and her mother-in-law looked in the direction from where I was looking at Camille’s feet.
“Is something wrong with my shoes, Cam?” asked Camille, frowning.

No, I’m sorry, Camille,” I replied. “Sorry, it was a dream last night.

Your shoes just reminded me, that’s all,” I said, trying to brush the thought away.

Rose looked at me for another minute while Camille fussed.
“Oh, before I forget, I picked up your lunches from an awesome Asian sandwich store in North Harbor.

They have the most amazing chicken sandwiches,” she said, excited and eager to tell me how they make them with everything they can fit in two hands for only $6.

When Camille said the words chicken sandwiches, I sitting down at the table mumbled them along with her.
“Cam, are you okay?” asked Rose, concerned.

I looked at Rose, then at Camille, at the sandwiches in her hand that she was unwrapping for us.

And finally at her yellow sandals.

It was a dream, I told myself.

Just a silly dream.

I tried to convince myself that it was a coincidence.

I tried to justify myself by telling both ladies that I was just tired.

Camille didn’t know me well enough to object, but Rose threw me a look that said we’d talk about it later.

So, we ate our sandwiches, and Camille was right.

They were amazing.

Imagine layer upon layer of chicken, lettuce, tomato, cheese, beets, pineapple, salt, pepper, and fantastic fruit relish placed between two pieces of very soft but crusty bread, and you have a lunch that will make your taste buds dance.

After lunch, we sat and chatted about nothing, mostly about the weather and how we would get Rose home.

I had already started to relax, stopped worrying, and was sinking into the afternoon lull when Louise walked into the room.

Louise was dressed in jeans and a blouse.

Her hair was pulled back into a bun.

She didn’t look bad, to be honest.

Maybe a little thinner than the last time I saw her, but still not bad.

She had a bouquet of flowers and a wrapped gift in her hands, but she waltzed along as if it was meant to be.

She walked as if the last few months had never happened.
“Oh, Rose, it’s so good to see you.

You look good no matter what,” said Louise.

She looked around the room, then noticed me.

And suddenly, her demeanor changed.
“Cameron,” she growled. “What are you doing here?

It’s your fault Rose is here, and Toby is dead.

You have no right to be here.

As soon as I divorce you, I’ll make sure Rose is looked after and she’ll never have to see your ugly face again.”
I Rose to my feet.

Storm clouds were gathering.

Get out, said a thin voice.

Everyone turned toward the bed where Rose was crying, turning away from everyone toward the window.

Rose, “It’s okay.

I’ll get Cameron out of here,” Louise said.
“No, he’s staying and you’re leaving,” she said, tears slowly streaming down her face.

I took a step towards Louise.
“Louise, you need to leave,” I said sternly.

But for for once, listen to me.

You have to leave.

Louise jumped up from her seat.

She threw the gift on the floor and a distinctive crack sound was heard.

The flowers were thrown into the wall.

I took two steps, standing between Louise and Rose, lying on the bed with Camille standing stunned in the background.

Louise broke into a tirade.

What the hell, Cameron?

What the hell did you say to her?

She knows it was your fault that Toby died, doesn’t she?

Why on earth would she think I had anything to do with her accident or you?

You’re the one who needs to go.

I’ll look after Rose.

Stay with her to make sure she’s okay since she lost her husband.

Then she looked at Rose’s stump where her left arm used to be.

And if she loses her arm, I’ll be happy to take care of her.

I growled.

What the hell do you think you can come here after 2 months of silence and think you have any right to talk to Rose?

Cam, I gestured to the bed behind me.

Rose lost her husband.

I lost my best friend.

The kids and I have been here every day since the accident.

Where have you been?

I started rambling.
“Cameron,” the voice repeated.

I continued.
“I know why you’re here.

You lost your job.

Your parents got tired of your bloody ass in their spare bedroom, and you decided to manipulate Rose by trying to live off her until she got tired of your shit.”
“Cameron,” insisted Rose’s voice for the third time.

I whirled around to face Rose, angry at being interrupted at the adoring face of my best friend, and immediately my anger melted away.

“I’m sorry,” I mumbled.
“It’s okay,” Rose replied.

She turned her head and looked straight at Louise.
“Louise, you need to leave.

With the way you’ve been treating Cameron, not to mention that little tantrum you just threw.

It shows you’re not my friend.

And don’t you dare use Toby’s death as a crutch to blame Cameron.

You’ve turned into a bet disgusting creature.

I’m ashamed I ever called you my friend, let alone trusted you.”
For years, Louise started to object, but Rose raised her stump.

Leave it, Louise.

You can’t stay with me.

I’m no longer your friend.

You are not welcome here.

Should I call security to escort you out? asked Rose.

To my ex-wife, Rose pleaded.

This isn’t fair.

No, Louise, Rose interrupted, anger rising in her voice.

What’s not fair is that my husband is dead and I’m crippled for life because you chose to shag your husband, who is one of my closest friends.

The room grew quiet, the only sounds coming from the hallway.

No one said anything.

And then there was the frown on her face that I used to associate with Louise’s denial of everyone around her in life in general.

She shifted her gaze from Rose to me, back to Rose, back to me again, and finally back to Rose for the last time.

Each time her gaze changed, a gamut of emotions ran across her face, but the frown remained.

When she looked at Rose one last time, the venom came out.
“Well, screw you, Rose.

I can see how it goes, you hypocritical bitch,” she growled.

Well, you can shove whatever help I was going to give you up your ass.

And she didn’t have time to finish before I grabbed Louise under the arm, and dragged her from the room.

I turned down the hallway to the nearest exit outside, slammed the fire door shut again, and dragged Louise after me.

Thankfully, they weren’t panic doors.

Louise hit, kissed, and swore the whole way, still yelling in the direction of Rose’s hospital room.

I knew it wouldn’t take long for the guards to show up.

I turned to my weward wife.

Louise, I don’t know what the hell is happening to you.

I don’t know what switched you from a loving wife and caring friend to a hellish [ __ ] but it stops now, I told her forcefully.

Louise, thank God.

Shut up.

Recoiling backwards.

Cameron, she said.
“No, Louise, you’re done.

You’ve destroyed every relationship around you, from your daughters to your friends to me.

No one, and I mean no one, wants you within 100 meters of us.

You’ve turned into a narcissistic [ __ ] who doesn’t seem to care about anyone around you.”
The doors opened and two burly security guards stepped out.

They spotted Louise and me.
“Are you all right, Mr.

Odoire?” asked Peter, the larger of the two guards.

I waved him off.
“Fine, Peter.

Louise was just a bit agitated and upset to see Rose in the hospital bed.

She was on her way out, wasn’t she?”
“Louise?”
I cast a glance at her.

The guard wasn’t fooled by my words.

Ready to massacre Louise.

Instead, she looked at me, then at the guards, shrugging her shoulders.
“Sure, I’ll see you later, Cameron,” she said.

I shook my head.
“I hope not.”
The three of us watched Louise leave it.

They then escorted me back to Rose’s room where Camille and Rose were whispering.

After making sure Rose was okay, the guards left.

The cleaners came in to clean up the mess in the room.

And 20 minutes later, Camille came out as well, hugging me tightly.
“Thanks, Cameron.

Now you look after her.

She needs you,” Camille whispered as she hugged me and left to catch her elevator home.
“Are you okay?” I asked Rose, sitting down on her bed.
“It was just the two of us now.”
I took her right hand and squeezed it.

She snorted.
“Isn’t that what I should have asked you?”
I shrugged.

It’s been a weird day, but now with Louise, I felt, I don’t know, calm down.

But no, I think it all started with that dream last night.

Rose raised her head and looked at me.

The dream?

I nodded.

Yeah, I couldn’t sleep last night when I got home.

I blushed.

I think she realized that our kiss was partly to blame.

Anyway, I couldn’t sleep.

I tossed and turned, and when I did, I dreamt about Toby in the pub.

Rose nodded, almost understanding.

It was weird.

I knew it was a dream and it was a big pub and there were other people there, but it was like they were out of focus.

Rose finished for me.

Her eyes searched mine and I think my surprise was noticeable.

Yeah, they were out of focus.

Well, except for Toby and some other guy.

I can’t remember the other guy, but Toby was crystal clear.

We were talking.

He told me what had to happen to today for me to realize this wasn’t just a dream.

Camille’s shoes, the sandwiches, Louis’s appearance.

Toby said it would all happen.

I looked at Rose again, her eyes telling me she believed me.
“There was another one, wasn’t there?” she asked timidly.

I nodded.
“What?

How did she know?”
I looked at her.

A tear leaked out of her eyes, and she squeezed my hand.

I didn’t want to ask the question, simultaneously, afraid and hoping it meant love.
“Cameron, all your days,” Rose said quietly, but intently looking into my eyes.

My breath caught.
“Rose?” I asked.

She nodded and another tear joined the first, slowly trickling down her cheek.

Those were the last words Toby said to me before we both passed out in the car accident.

They were the last words he ever said to me in this life.

My tears joined her tears.

How did you know?

Whispered I quietly, almost a whisper.

Toby in the pub when you told me.

I knew he met me there, too.

Told me how brave I was, but that I needed to let you go and love you like I always have.

He told me that you wouldn’t be able to ask the question when the time came, but that I had to tell you our last words.

With those words, we fell into each other’s arms.

I wrapped my arms around Rose in the fading light of noon, and we cried.

As we cried, we spoke quietly of the man we knew, friend, lover, husband, and father.

We mourned our common loss together, growing even closer in our shared grief.

Evening came.

The noise of the hospital continued.

Rose made room for me in the small hospital bed, and we continued to hold each other as best we could.

Both of us suddenly tired.

Finally, as we fell asleep, I kissed the top of her head and whispered, “I love you, Pedal.”
Rose snorted slightly in response and replied, “I love you, too, Cam.”
After that day, we got progressively better.

The kids, Sarah, Carrie, and Robbie, found us the next day huddled together on the bed under a hospital blanket that the nurse must have thrown over us during the night.

Sarah clapped her hands when we woke up and they all stood looking at us in our sleep.

I kissed Rose gently on the lips, getting up and stretching.

Carrie smiled and kissed Robbie.

In the morning, we explained most of yesterday to Louise, omitting the part about sleeping with Toby.

Later that week, we all agreed that Rose wouldn’t be moving home after she was discharged, but would move in with Sarah and me.

Our new apartment was closer to the hospital, so we decided that Carrie and Robbie would stay in Rose’s apartment, and they would rent out the other two rooms to other university students with May and Rose’s consent.

Of course, by the time Rose was discharged, she was no longer wearing formal casts, but was using rigid cloth ones that could be removed as needed so she could continue to heal.

We all got a good look at the stump of her left forearm with healthy skin growing around it.

And although Rose was sad, she had mostly accepted her disability.

In addition, the skull fracture Rose had suffered was healed.

Thankfully, there were no effects other than a mild concussion, which was dealt with at the hospital.

Her homecoming was one of her happiest days in years.

But after seeing our relationship blossom and hearing our story, the doctors told Rose that she could resume a fulfilling relationship once she got home, albeit with caution for the first few months.

The kids had already moved a lot of Rose’s clothes and personal belongings into the new house and had even presumptuously placed them in the master bedroom with mine rather than in the spare room as we had agreed.

But to be honest, I didn’t mind such insolence.

When we got home, we spent a few hours with the kids talking.

But after dinner, Carrie and Robbie went to Rose’s old place, and Sarah excused herself to go to her friend’s house for a few hours, leaving Rose and I alone for the first time all day.

A few weeks later, Louise and I’s divorce became final.

Our assets were officially divided.

Thanks to the prenuptual agreement, Louise got very little.

She didn’t touch my business, which was worth quite a lot.

The sale of our original house was left to me.

And although I wasn’t supposed to do it, I gave her a check for $440,000, which was a little less than half of our total savings.

Why did I do this when the prenuptual agreement would have required me to give her only half that amount, you ask?

Well, it was for two reasons.

Firstly, Louise had killed any relationship with us by her actions.

I wanted to give her enough money so that she could leave her parents’ home and start a life elsewhere.

I heard that she had been offered a job in Wulingong, which meant that we wouldn’t have to see her anymore.

By giving her this money, I hoped it would encourage her to move.

Besides, it added zero to the amount I gave her, so I wasn’t short of money.

Speaking of Roger, it looked like he was in trouble.

When he couldn’t find a job, he started selling drugs to a dealer.

And in the first week, he sold them to an undercover cop.

So now he’s serving two years for dealing drugs.

To me, it couldn’t have happened to a nicer guy.
6 months later, Rose and I got married.

She was beautiful in her wedding dress with a bouquet on her belly.

She was self-conscious about the way she looked and went through a few bouts of depression.

But with the kids and me always by her side, it never lasted long.

Rose also changed jobs, but after getting a degree in psychology, she began counseling those who had lost limbs like herself.

Two years after we were married, the government honored her on Australia Day for her contribution to helping those with disabilities in need.

In her speech, she thanked her family and friends and then called me on stage, citing me as the main reason for her success, because I supported her as she got back on her feet after her accident.

It was a stressful time.

Rose and I did several media interviews.

We even appeared on a couple of morning shows talking about the physical and mental challenges of people with physical disabilities.

My wife was wonderful despite her handicap, never letting anyone see her worry or cry.

Yet, in those moments when she was down, she knew I was there to help her get up again.

Rose and I’s love grew every day.

And although we had our disagreements, we always forgave each other and never went to bed angry with each other.

After the award, we didn’t see Louise for about 3 years.

It was Carrie and Robbiey’s wedding.

They had graduated with honors in their chosen fields, had good jobs, but wanted to start a family while they were young.

Carrie didn’t want to invite her mother.

In 3 years, they’d spoken twice, and both times they’d been a little wordy and unfriendly.

But I persuaded her to invite Louise for the simple reason that she had given birth to Carrie and should be able to celebrate the fact.

In the end, Carrie agreed, but asked that Louise be seated at one of the tables with the regular guests, not the relatives.

I shrugged.

I didn’t care where my ex-wife sat as long as it wasn’t next to me and Rose.

I just wanted Carrie not to look back in later years, wishing her mother had at least attended her wedding.

In the end, a compromise was reached.

Louise ended up with her elderly parents, who happily sat a couple of tables away to keep the peace with their granddaughter and her new husband.

As is always the case with ex-wives at weddings, I ended up at the bar and got myself a Kraken and Coke.

It wasn’t on the bill, but since I was paying, I could take what I wanted.

When Louise came up to me, leaning on the bar next to me, she ordered a glass of white wine, then turned and looked at me.
“I’ve never asked for forgiveness, have I?” she asked bluntly.
“But it was more of a statement than a question.”
“No,” I replied, turning around and looking at the crowd.

Rose, Sarah, and Carrie were standing at the other end of the room laughing about something.

I smiled, but then again, I never thought you would be, I told her, finishing the sentence.

Louise sighed.

Right.

I wasn’t myself then.

A complete and utter mess.

I made a fool of myself, she said.

Uh-huh, I said, emphasizing the last syllable and taking a sip of my drink.

Rose looked at me, smiled, and then frowned when she saw Louise next to me.

I shook my head slightly, and she nodded, realizing that it was no big deal.

I saw you both at the Australia Day Awards and have been following what you’ve accomplished since then, Louise said sadly.

She watched my wife, her former friend, laughing with our daughters and knew she could never enjoy that kind of relationship with either of her girls again.

She hates me.

They all do, don’t they?

Said Louise, looking at them, then at me, then into her wine glass.

Hate is a strong word, Louise.

Then upon reflection, I grinned.

No, it’s actually the right word for what they think of you.

But as time goes on, the fire subsides and in a dozen years, who knows?

Maybe the girls will call you.

I felt rather than saw Louise’s shoulder slump.

Then she turned to me.

What about you, Cameron?

Do you hate me?

My ex-wife asked.

I shrugged my shoulders.

Hate, loathe, despise, take your pick.

I heard the band start tuning their instruments in the background.

I smiled to myself.

Soon I would be able to dance with my daughter.

But you convinced Carrie to ask me out tonight.

So, if you hate me so much, why?

She moaned.

I turned to look at Louise, and for for the first time all evening, I looked at her.

Compared to the one I knew before, she was kind of hollow.

She had a hunted look in her eyes, and her hair didn’t just look like it had grayed or been covered in failed dye.

It looked like it had receded a bit from her hairline.

All in all, I realized that this woman I had once loved was broken.

I studied her for another minute before answering.

Louise, no mother should miss her daughter’s wedding, even if she was a disgraced [ __ ] but I didn’t invite you here to make you feel better.

I invited you here to make sure our daughter would marry with a clear conscience.

I paused, then tipped my glass toward a couple passing by.

That’s all.

And if I never have to see you again, I’ll consider myself a happy man.

With those words, I walked away, joining my family for the wedding dance.

I heard sobs.

I’m sorry.

Unfortunately for her, her behavior did not elicit any sympathy.

For the rest of the evening, we danced and ate, joked, and laughed, and I never saw Louise again.

We learned from her parents that Louise died a few years later.

It was right after Sarah had just gotten engaged to the doctor.

Yes, unexpected.

I didn’t see that coming.

But at Sarah’s engagement party, we found out that Louise turned out to have an ovarian cyst that became inflamed, and she passed away in a hospital bed with only her parents by her side.

She didn’t want anyone to tell us anything. and she was very sad.

As for Rose and I, we kept each other a secret.

When we had grandchildren, we raised them together.

We traveled the world, saw sights and wonders.

We have been all over the world spoiling our grandchildren and even possibly our great-grandchildren.

They knew that Rose and I loved each other and that love has not dimmed one bit over the years.

When I looked at my rose, I saw the girl I fell in love with at 18, the woman I married at 40, the mischievous smile of a grandmother who was approaching 82, and I knew that today I would be lucky.

I knew that in my heart I would be loved until the day I died.

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