Author’s Note: A bit more of Fi’s story, all leading up to “A Visitor with Good and Bad Timing.”

“Honey. Wow. I—”

“I just came for my things, Richard. I thought the lawyer said that you wouldn’t be here when I did. That was what we arranged, what we agreed on,” Fi said, rolling her eyes. She should have known that he’d do this to her. He was manipulating her. Again. Bastard.

“I’m sorry. The baby doesn’t run on our schedule, just her own.”

Fi winced. He had no idea how much that hurt. She’d always pictured a little girl when she thought about them having one of their own, and he just had to go get that daughter with someone else. She wanted to kill him. “Just tell me when to come back so that you’re not here.”

“We can be civil for a few minutes. I’ve got to change her diaper, so we’ll be well out of your way.”

“No, I don’t want to do this with you here. I don’t want to watch your little show. Maybe you’re a perfect father, but you were a lousy husband, and I cannot forgive you for that.”

“We talked about adoption—”

“That is different. That is a child who needs a parent, a child who doesn’t have a choice or a chance. You went out and made a child with someone else. You not only betrayed me, you ruined an innocent life as well. Did you honestly think that—”

“You’d be a good mother and—”

“Shut up. I’d be a damn fine mother, but you had to go and twist that around, too.”

She heard a wail, and Richard cursed, turning away. He ran over to the couch and picked up the child, and she shook her head. He had to be kidding. He couldn’t carry the baby to the door and answer it? He’d rather leave it unattended? What was wrong with him?

“Here,” she snapped, going over and taking the baby from him, rocking her in her arms. He’d always been so standoffish with her brother’s kids, but if he hadn’t been, maybe he’d be better at this now. Not that he had any business having kids at all. He was too immature for that. She didn’t even know why he wanted children, not anymore.

“You look so natural with her.”

“I hate you, Richard.”

He grimaced, and she thought he’d try and explain again, to apologize and make her see “reason,” but she didn’t want him to start. Their life together was over. She couldn’t go back. She couldn’t trust him. She didn’t know how, not anymore.

She didn’t even want to know.

Richard’s phone rang, and he dragged it out of his pocket, answering it. “Chloe? What? No, I… What do you mean, you have an emergency? The baby’s with me, and you—Fine. I’m on my way. What? No, I don’t have anyone to ask to leave the baby with right now and—you have to be kidding.”

He cursed and hung up. “Um, I know you heard that, so… Here, let me change her so that I can go, and I’ll just—Unless…”

“Unless?”

“Would you stay for a few minutes and watch her? She should be about ready for a nap, and so if you put her down in her crib, you can keep the intercom with you and pack what you want to pack. I wouldn’t ask except Chloe is not… stable, to say the least.”

“And yet you had an affair with her and got her pregnant.”

“I did. I made a mistake.”

Fi rolled her eyes. She couldn’t believe she was tempted to agree with him. She didn’t want anything to do with him, and she sure as hell didn’t owe him any favors. “If I do this, you just sign the papers. No more fighting me, no more tricks to try and get me to see things your way. You’re just… done. We’re done.”

“I still love you.”

“I don’t trust you.”

Richard nodded. “Okay, fine. Just stay for now, and we’ll work out the little details when we get back. Deal?”

“Deal.”

Author’s Note: Since I posted a later part of this story for Three Word Wednesday yesterday, I decided to include this for clarity. It explains part of how Fi got to where she was in “A Visitor with Good and Bad Timing.”

Or… Just consider this the beginning of her story.

She stopped dead in the doorway, her stomach twisting. She would have turned and run if she could have, but she was rooted to the spot, unable to avoid the words. At first, she’d thought that her husband was talking to her—he was, in a sense—but no, he was rehearsing a speech. We need to talk. I had an affair. It only lasted a couple months, but there’s a child. No, no. Okay, dearest wife, remember how we have been having so much trouble, how we wanted to have a baby and it’s just not working for us… Well, I’ve got a solution. I know it’s not ideal, but it’s a child. It’s my child. Ours, if you’ll have her. We’ve got—No. Let’s see… Honey, I know you won’t be happy, but there’s something I’ve got to tell you.

“You had an affair?”

Richard’s head jerked up from the sink, and he turned toward her, forcing a smile as he stepped away from the counter. “Hey there, sweetie. Look, I know that this isn’t—”

“Don’t call me sweetie, and don’t come any closer. I don’t believe this. You cannot possibly think that I would be okay with this. You are not doing this to me. Get out.”

“Honey, please,” he said, coming closer. He reached for her, and she put her arms up, shoving him away. She felt like she was covered in ants, dirty little things crawling over her skin, and her stomach heaved. She was going to puke if she didn’t kill him or herself first. She didn’t know what to do or think, but she had to get away from him.

Was this what they were? After eight years of marriage, after fertility treatment after fertility treatment, after putting herself through hell to try and give him what he wanted—what she’d thought she wanted until he said that he’d give her a child by some other woman. She’d considered adoption after all the problems, but this? How could he do this to her?

“It’s going to be okay. We’re finally going to have the family we wanted. We’re going to get past this, and we’ll finally have a use for that nursery.”

She shook her head. “We don’t. No. Not me. I don’t.”

“Of course you do. You’re my wife, and I love you,” Richard told her, putting his hands on her shoulders, holding her still. She took a deep breath, not wanting to look at him. He made her sick. He touched her face, and she shuddered. “Come on, now. It was a stupid mistake, and I’m sorry. It’s over, and I didn’t care about her. I only care about you.”

“Oh, go to hell. You don’t get to say that. Don’t you get it? It should have meant something to you, you bastard. You threw away our marriage for nothing? That’s honestly what you’re trying to tell me? That eight years doesn’t mean a damn thing to you? Don’t you understand? I can never trust you again. And you think I can just raise a child that would be living, breathing proof of how I wasn’t enough for you? That I could stand that insult day in and day out and not hate it and you and myself?”

“You’re a strong woman—”

“Don’t you dare turn that into an insult. You asshole. I don’t know how I ever loved anyone as selfish as you. Get out.”

“Fidelity—”

“I mean it. I want a divorce. The next time you hear from me, it will be through a lawyer. Now get out,” she said, shoving him away.

“No. I’m not going. We’ll work this out.”

Bastard. He really thought they could fix this? No. They would never fix this. She moved past him, trying to remember where she’d left her keys. “Fine. I’ll go.”

“Fidelity—”

“You know what amazes me?” She stopped and turned back to look at him. “Eight years you’ve been married to me, calling me by that name, and you don’t know a damn thing about what it means. We’re through, Richard. I’ll collect my stuff later.”