My Husband's Secret, My Silent War

est friend," Jade, told a room full of people abo

, just laughed. He

ut the worst message was from Julian. He confessed he'd been swapping my birth cont

lained infertility," telling me I was all h

rthday trip, forgetting it was my bi

m. I was done watching my marriage die. I

pte

e Myer

edding anniversary: a secret shared between them is just a weapon she

anctuary, was crammed with Julian' s friends-a group I privately called "The Crew." They were a pack of sycophants wh

Julian' s college roommate, sloshed his b

a smile, feeling Julian' s arm snake around my waist. He smelled

en on a bro who had to chug a beer. It was all harmless, stupi

ached her eyes, was the official queen of "The Crew." She was Julian' s be

manicured nail on her c

o tell us a secret about Jul

er the room, deliberately skipping over me, before landing it squarel

ut through the party noise. She leaned forward, every eye in the room now f

my fingers a thousand times. He' d told me it was from a childhood

bonfire during Spring Break our sophomore year. I felt so, so bad..." She paused, letting the d

cond, a collective intake of breath, before

Jade!

ava

an, yo

ound it left me breathless. Spring Break. Sophomore year. That was the week before Julian and I officially

t just laughing at a story; they were laughing at me. At my ignorance. At

ng with him to say something, to s

Don' t tell all my secrets." His tone was light, chiding, like she was a mischievous puppy instea

e leaned in and whispered something in his ear, her hand resting possessively on his ches

air was thick and unbreathable. My champagne g

ke through the fog. The empty beer bottle

g, challenging smirk. She had won. She had taken something private and be

resolve settl

id, my voice q

widened. "I d

ed, standing up. "

he half-full bottle of expensive red wine-the one I' d bought especially

re Jade was sitting, pra

ing?" Julian asked, his b

s, and with a steady hand, I slowly, deliberately, upended

he dark red liquid soaked into the fabric, spreadin

to her feet. "What the

me back with a force that made me s

ger I had never seen directed at me before. It was always res

s now sobbing theatrically into her hands. "She just told a room full of people she spent a night kissing your b

the ceiling, anywhere but at me. They knew. Of course, they kne

t and wrapped it around Jade' s shoulders, shielding her as if I were

voice muffled by his jacket. "We were just kids. Why is she mak

red, stroking her hair. "Sh

s eyes cold as steel. "

ad been humiliated, whose marriage had been disrespec

hope I' d been clinging t

ly calm. I looked him dead in the eye, letting him see t

ned and wa

f here!" he yelled, his voice laced

so staggering it

lked to our bedroom, my hands shaking so

the garage, yanking my arm. "What the hell was

m across the face. The sound echoed in the ca

mark blooming on his cheek. He stare

t behind him, their faces a mixtu

h false sincerity. "Julian and I are just friends. We' ve always been

ting me in fron

w and menacing as he rubbed his cheek. "Yo

hit me back. Instead, he just looked at me with pure contempt.

ll wanted to go b

everything for. And for the first time, I felt nothing but a cold, v

eryone. He had chosen his "best frien

my car, and slammed the door. He bange

t of the car! Don

out his voice. I didn' t look in the rearview mirr

d standing beside his true partner, while

n't over. It

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