Breaking All My Rules (33 page)

Johnny slipped on his loafers, retrieved his wallet from the counter, and headed toward the door. “Don't wait up.” And with that, he was gone.

Geneva walked toward the front window and watched the taillights of Johnny's SUV as he sped down their street. He'd said he was going to meet his friend Bernard, but he didn't say where, or what time he'd be back. “I can't take too much more of this,” she said aloud.

Twenty minutes later Geneva slipped under the cool, freshly laundered sheets she'd put on the bed only hours earlier—when she'd been anticipating a tantalizing romp after a romantic meal with her husband. But instead she was lying in bed alone, and it was becoming a regular occurrence. As Geneva stared up at the ceiling her mind replayed the interaction she'd had with Johnny. Even though she'd heard Bernard's voice on the phone, she wasn't convinced that the call was on the up and up. She didn't want to admit it, and she'd been fighting the reality for a few months, but now she had to face what she feared. Her husband was involved with another woman.

Tears streamed from Geneva's eyes. She felt alone and unwanted, and she knew this couldn't continue. Her marriage was on the brink of dissolving right before her eyes, and as she cried until her eyes felt tired, she knew that their argument tonight was just the tip of the iceberg to come.