Then she turned to him and glared while crossing her arms.
"Why?" Chloe asked venomously.
"Please, we can work this out," James said quickly as he held his hands out trying to calm her. Chloe shook her head.
"Work this out? James, what is there to work out?" Chloe asked.
"Listen, I'm sorry Chloe. I don't know what came over me," James pleaded. Chloe gave him a look telling him she didn't believe him.
"Why did you do it?" Chloe said a little softer.
"I guess I just felt like I needed comfort from them. I thought you were cheating on me," James admitted. He left out the part about feeling like their marriage was falling apart. He didn’t want to add fuel to the fire and give her a reason to argue that she had to leave.
"Whoa, hold on a second. Them?" Chloe asked. James realized his slip-up.
"Um, I also cheated with, uh, Becca," James confessed, as he cringed. Chloe didn't know what to say. Her husband cheated on her with her best friend as well as her sister. Chloe couldn't wrap her head around the idea. All this time she had thought Becca was someone to rely on, when in fact she was just as bad as James.
"What made you think I was cheating?" Chloe asked, furiously.
"When I saw you at that party with that guy, I just thought-" James began, but Chloe interrupted him.
"You thought I was cheating with him? You cheated on me because you thought something happened with Brad?" Chloe practically shouted. "I innocently go to a party and you think I'm cheating?"
"Well I have no way to know what's going on at those parties when you go alone," James tried to defend himself. Chloe just stared at him in confusion.
"You expect me to accept that as the reason you cheated on me with not one but two people? Why didn't you believe me when I said nothing happened with him?" Chloe asked.
"Chloe I'm sorry-" James pleaded, before Chloe interjected again.
"No James! I've had it! You never let me out of the house, and yet you expect me to keep up this image that is not truly me. I can't take this anymore!" Chloe yelled at him, angry tears coming to her eyes.
Chloe turned and wiped the tears off of her cheeks. James just looked down at the snow-covered ground. He didn't know how to respond to Chloe. He began to shiver in the cold winter air.
He did feel bad that his lifestyle came at a cost of her happiness. But it wasn't worth it to end things and make their parents upset.
After a few moments of silence, Chloe took a deep breath and turned back around.
"Are you happy in this marriage?" Chloe asked. Her voice was now calm and hoarse from her tears. James knew he wasn't happy but he couldn't admit it. He had to make her stay with him. It may have been selfish to be thinking this way, but he couldn't let her go and face their parents alone.
"I-I don't know…" James responded.
"Everything just isn't going the way I thought it would. I mean, I grew up hearing all these stories about how great it is to live this way. I thought it would be great to not have to work a day of my life and still have everything I could ever want. But it turns out I don't have everything I could ever want. Something's missing," Chloe explained as James listened intently.
"What do you mean?" James inquired. He had never heard her express these feelings before.
"I mean I don't love you James. I don't feel loved. I don't feel like I even have a husband sometimes," Chloe admitted. James was taken aback; he had not expected her to admit that. He felt the same way, but he knew he had to hold on desperately to this marriage.
"But I do love you," James responded. He was beginning to feel guilty but he needed her to stay.
"Really James? You love me? You're looking for comfort in other women and you're in this marriage for all the wrong reasons," Chloe said. "That's not love. You can try to convince me, and yourself, that you love me but really you just have an image to keep up."
"I don't know Chloe," James said. It was hard to not give in. He knew she was
"Why?" Chloe asked venomously.
"Please, we can work this out," James said quickly as he held his hands out trying to calm her. Chloe shook her head.
"Work this out? James, what is there to work out?" Chloe asked.
"Listen, I'm sorry Chloe. I don't know what came over me," James pleaded. Chloe gave him a look telling him she didn't believe him.
"Why did you do it?" Chloe said a little softer.
"I guess I just felt like I needed comfort from them. I thought you were cheating on me," James admitted. He left out the part about feeling like their marriage was falling apart. He didn’t want to add fuel to the fire and give her a reason to argue that she had to leave.
"Whoa, hold on a second. Them?" Chloe asked. James realized his slip-up.
"Um, I also cheated with, uh, Becca," James confessed, as he cringed. Chloe didn't know what to say. Her husband cheated on her with her best friend as well as her sister. Chloe couldn't wrap her head around the idea. All this time she had thought Becca was someone to rely on, when in fact she was just as bad as James.
"What made you think I was cheating?" Chloe asked, furiously.
"When I saw you at that party with that guy, I just thought-" James began, but Chloe interrupted him.
"You thought I was cheating with him? You cheated on me because you thought something happened with Brad?" Chloe practically shouted. "I innocently go to a party and you think I'm cheating?"
"Well I have no way to know what's going on at those parties when you go alone," James tried to defend himself. Chloe just stared at him in confusion.
"You expect me to accept that as the reason you cheated on me with not one but two people? Why didn't you believe me when I said nothing happened with him?" Chloe asked.
"Chloe I'm sorry-" James pleaded, before Chloe interjected again.
"No James! I've had it! You never let me out of the house, and yet you expect me to keep up this image that is not truly me. I can't take this anymore!" Chloe yelled at him, angry tears coming to her eyes.
Chloe turned and wiped the tears off of her cheeks. James just looked down at the snow-covered ground. He didn't know how to respond to Chloe. He began to shiver in the cold winter air.
He did feel bad that his lifestyle came at a cost of her happiness. But it wasn't worth it to end things and make their parents upset.
After a few moments of silence, Chloe took a deep breath and turned back around.
"Are you happy in this marriage?" Chloe asked. Her voice was now calm and hoarse from her tears. James knew he wasn't happy but he couldn't admit it. He had to make her stay with him. It may have been selfish to be thinking this way, but he couldn't let her go and face their parents alone.
"I-I don't know…" James responded.
"Everything just isn't going the way I thought it would. I mean, I grew up hearing all these stories about how great it is to live this way. I thought it would be great to not have to work a day of my life and still have everything I could ever want. But it turns out I don't have everything I could ever want. Something's missing," Chloe explained as James listened intently.
"What do you mean?" James inquired. He had never heard her express these feelings before.
"I mean I don't love you James. I don't feel loved. I don't feel like I even have a husband sometimes," Chloe admitted. James was taken aback; he had not expected her to admit that. He felt the same way, but he knew he had to hold on desperately to this marriage.
"But I do love you," James responded. He was beginning to feel guilty but he needed her to stay.
"Really James? You love me? You're looking for comfort in other women and you're in this marriage for all the wrong reasons," Chloe said. "That's not love. You can try to convince me, and yourself, that you love me but really you just have an image to keep up."
"I don't know Chloe," James said. It was hard to not give in. He knew she was
Similar Books
