After bearing witness to an evening celebrating the perfect wedded bliss that his ex-wife was now sharing with another man, Wayne had hoped for a little attention in the bedroom from Stephanie. He’d thought they were on their way when Stephanie agreed to stay over, but as soon as they got to Wayne’s house, she announced that she was tired, which signaled that he might as well not even try.
“I thought Owen didn’t seem so good,” he said once they had gotten into bed and the television was on.
“He seemed okay to me,” Stephanie answered.
“Tough position for him to be in. First, hearing his mother telling the world that she was never happy with his father—that she’s finally found true love with this other guy. And then that she was cheating on me.”
“You never told him?”
“No. Why would I?”
“Because it’s the truth.”
“No teenager wants to think about his mother that way, whether it’s true or not. Makes you wonder, though, what James did to that woman.”
Stephanie laughed. “I would have gone the other way on that. It makes me wonder what’s wrong with James that he ever married such a nutcase.”
“I don’t know what’s crazier—showing up uninvited and making a scene so you can tell off your ex-husband and the woman he cheated on you with, or raising a glass to toast your ex-wife’s happiness with the guy she cheated on you with.”
Stephanie offered him a soft smile. “Thanks for saying that. Sometimes, you get so defensive about your relationship with Jessica that I don’t understand what’s going on between the two of you.”
“I’m just . . . trying real hard not to be like James’s ex-wife, is all.”
“I get that. I also think that what you did tonight was good for Owen. Not to mention very brave of you. I wouldn’t have done it. I’m not sure I know many people who would have.”
“Thanks, I guess.”
“Yeah, well, I don’t mean that you should do it again. In fact, let’s make a pact right now that we don’t go to their second anniversary party.”
“Even money they don’t make it to next year.”
“What makes you say that?”
“Nothing really. Just a feeling. Did you see the way James was talking up that blonde who looked like she might tip over?”
Stephanie’s shrug said more than words.
“What?”
“If anything, I thought that Jessica was pretty engrossed with that guy with the shaggy hair.”
Wayne had to laugh at that. “I guess I’m the last person on earth who’d know what Jessica looks like when she’s cheating on her husband.”
Among Wayne’s many self-recognized shortcomings, he believed this to be the worst. How could he have been so blind that he didn’t realize his wife was sleeping with another man? In hindsight, the signs were glowing neon. The late nights she claimed to be working, her newfound dedication to the gym, her loss of interest in sex (at least with him).
It had been easy at the time to attribute it all to Owen’s cancer. That first year, they had been in shock, not themselves at all. Even after Owen was in remission, when Jessica first met James, her extracurricular activities had seemed a legit way of finding positive outlets to cope with the trauma of almost losing Owen.
He realized now that he had been all too willing to let Jessica grieve and process on her own. He simply hadn’t had the bandwidth to be there for her while grieving and processing it himself.
Had they been better partners, they would have helped each other get through it. Instead, they retreated into their separate spaces. Jessica’s, apparently, had been too empty, so she’d invited James in.
But the real blame, he knew, lay only with him. It was his weakness that directly led to his wife’s infidelity. A stronger man—a man, dare he say, more like his father—would have protected what was his. Indeed, if there was one thing Wayne knew for certain, it was that Archibald Fiske would have made damned sure that no man broke up his family.
Somewhere along the line, someone must have told Malik that being able to have sex for a long time was the same thing as being good at it. Haley was certain that there were many women who enjoyed his combination of a chiseled body, larger-than-average equipment, and commitment to an hour of intercourse, but Haley would have preferred that he be a little more attentive to her.
Almost as soon as they were finished, Haley told Malik that it was time for him to get going. “Busy day tomorrow, love. But you were great, as always.”
She didn’t think Malik wanted to hang around anyway. He wasn’t the kind to stay for breakfast.
After she hustled him out the door, Haley relit the blunt they’d been sharing for the few moments before the undressing began. As she inhaled deeply, a smile came to her face. Her plan had been perfectly executed. Even as she imagined the angry call from her lawyer on Monday, she was still glad that she’d called out her cheating sack of an ex-husband in front of his new wife and their friends.
PART TWO
5
The intake nurse was pretty. Her name was Sasha. She was seated behind a glass partition like a bank teller.
Sasha always seemed happy to see Owen, as her smile that morning confirmed. “Cool tee,” she said.
Owen had worn the shirt for her, so he was pleased that she’d commented on it. During last week’s visit, she had told him about liking Batwoman, the TV show on the CW. He tried it but found it unwatchable. Still, he’d decided to wear his Batman and Joker split-face graphic T-shirt today.
“I see that this is a redo,” Sasha said. “So sorry about that. I know it’s no fun to come here two weeks in a row because we didn’t get a good read from last week’s sample. Why don’t you meet me at the door, and I’ll
