Kevin walked home feeling far more dejected than when he had arrived at his friend’s house. It was as if he had left all his good spirits behind at that backyard table. He desperately wanted to get rid of his wife, but only if he could walk away with a substantial amount of money.
He kept waiting for fate to hand him such an opportunity. Kevin paused outside his apartment door. The last thing he wanted to do was go inside.
He pulled out his phone, dialed his mistress’s number, and invited her over. Valerie wouldn’t be back until the evening anyway, so they would have a good five hours. Besides, he couldn’t be bothered with the long trek across town to his mistress’s place.
And she was always ready to come running at his call, even from the other side of the world. This particular quality made her absolutely perfect for him. Kevin stepped into the apartment, which was impeccably clean and cozy.
He pressed a few buttons on the remote, and the air conditioning unit hummed to life. An hour later, there was a knock at the door. He opened it to find the lovely Tiffany, who looked at him with an adoration that bordered on worship.
Her eyes shone like twin beacons in the night. She loved coming to this apartment, secretly hoping that his wife would come home, catch them in the act, and flee in a flood of tears over her shattered family. Then, she could quickly swoop in and claim her prize.
– So, what’s the latest with your darling’s inheritance? – the girl inquired, pulling her lover down onto the bed. She was no less invested in that money than he was. After all, neither of them had any intention of working, and a hefty sum would easily solve all their financial problems…
But he cut her off, silencing her with a kiss. Soon, they were completely absorbed in each other. The front door opened, and his wife walked into the apartment.
The girl flinched and made to jump off the bed, but the man held her down with a firm hand. He waited until his wife walked into the bedroom.
– Lie down next to us! – the man said with a proud sneer. He was practically laughing in his wife’s face as she discovered him with his mistress. – What did you expect? You don’t have any money.
– And your looks are pretty average. What did you think you could hold me with? He roared with laughter, and Tiffany, contorting her face into a smug, rat-like grin, laughed along with him. But his wife’s response stunned them both.
– You are such a fool, Kevin. It was just a test. With me, you could have been wealthier than you ever dreamed.
– Goodbye. Like a true dog, you can stay here with your fleas. She turned and started for the exit.
Then, she suddenly spun back around toward them, smiled, and added. – Oh, that’s right. This is my condo. – What’s the matter, sweetie, surprised? – she asked, looking at the expression on her husband’s mistress’s face.
– I bet he spun you a lot of tall tales, didn’t he? About how rich he is? Well, now the two of you can go live in a cardboard box for all I care. But what shocked Tiffany far more than the woman’s words was her lover’s reaction. Kevin dropped to his knees before his wife and, wringing his hands, began to beg for forgiveness.
Not a single muscle twitched on Valerie’s face. She looked at him with the same detached expression, but the moment he touched her, her face filled with revulsion. She stepped back, and Kevin crawled after her on his knees, repeating over and over.
– Val, forgive me, Valerie, please forgive me! She smiled with just one corner of her mouth but said nothing more. He looked at her, cursing himself for letting his chance slip away. He had actually believed she had gotten nothing, when he could have just waited, made sure of the facts.
– Val, I love you so much! We’ve been together for years, Valerie! I’m a fool, the devil made me do it! She put a spell on me, Val! – he pleaded, continuing to grovel. But Valerie was unshakable. She watched out of the corner of her eye as her husband’s young mistress, stunned by his words and his pathetic confessions, sat motionless on the bed, naked, her mouth agape in shock.
She understood why he had chosen her—slim, beautiful, with artificially enhanced yet tasteful curves. What she couldn’t understand was why a girl with such looks would choose a man like Kevin. But then, like an old wound, another painful truth burst open.
While Valerie and Kevin’s relationship was crumbling, Tiffany hadn’t yet dared to reveal something she had planned to announce in a few days. “How can this be?” she whispered suddenly. Her words, so childishly naive and poignant, escaped her lips, and a stunned silence fell over the room.
They both stared at the girl, who was in such a state of shock that she hadn’t even thought to cover her nakedness. She shifted her gaze from the wife to her lover. But her next words were a far worse blow to him than his wife’s reaction.
– I’m pregnant, you know? – Tiffany said, her voice barely a whisper. It seemed as though she was only just beginning to process the shock. A few minutes ago, she had been laughing, echoing her lover’s cruel jokes.
Now, she could barely speak. Kevin, blindsided from both sides, was speechless. He remained on his knees before his wife, looking helplessly at his mistress.
She covered her face with her hands and burst into tears. Valerie found herself feeling a pang of pity for this unfortunate girl. She was so young and foolish.
She had fallen in love with him and believed all his fairy tales. Valerie silently walked around her kneeling husband. She picked up a sheet from the floor and draped it over the girl, who then began to cry even harder.
And Kevin just sat on the floor, his head bowed low. Valerie thought that the whole situation, seen from the outside, must look absurd and idiotic. It was like a scene straight out of a bad joke.
There was the husband with his mistress, and the mistress pregnant by the husband. Only for some reason, it wasn’t funny at all. It was an hour before Valerie was finally left alone.
Her husband had packed his things and left with his mistress. Valerie remained sitting on the edge of the bed. Had this really just happened? Why had she been so afraid to file for divorce first? The world hadn’t collapsed.
She stood up, feeling as though her legs wouldn’t support her. They felt like cotton, somehow porous and weak. She made her way to the sofa and sank into its soft cushions.
It was all over.