Belong (Seven Year Itch #3)(6)
“Will you need a ride from the airport?”
“No. That won’t be necessary. There’s no telling what time the flight will arrive, and I don’t want you to have to leave him to come get me. I’ll take a cab.”
“Will you be bringing the family with you? I know he’d love to see Veronica, before he…” She broke down before she could finish the sentence. “I’m sorry, dear. It’s been a difficult day.”
“Don’t explain. I’ll be there as soon as I can. Hang tight. He’s in good hands. Try to get some rest. I’ll be there before you know it.”
When I hung up the phone, I knew I had a bunch of decisions to make, some temporary, while others were permanent. For the time being, I had to worry about my grandfather first. My marriage was going to have to wait to be figured out.
While I knew Veronica was still upstairs, I got on my computer and starting searching for a flight. After booking the first one I could get to in time, I headed upstairs to pack a few things.
She was sitting up in bed looking at her phone. When I entered the room she turned and greeted me with a smile. Her eyes drew me in, while the horrible truths of the night before lingered in my mind. I clenched my jaw and tried to relax. “My grandfather is doing bad. I got a call earlier. I need to head to D.C. this morning. They think he’s going to be put in hospice.”
Veronica stood and walked toward me. Her arms wrapped around my back and I accepted her support, doing my best not to lose my shit. “I’m so sorry, Chad. I know how much you love him.”
Veronica didn’t care for my grandfather, but I couldn’t blame her. He was a pervert by nature, always teasing women about little things they did or wore. The moment he met her he complimented her beauty, taunting me about the reason I’d tried so hard to be with her. That was all it took for her to put a wall up when it came to him.
“My flight is in two hours. I better get going.” I pulled away fast, not wanting to stand close to her any longer.
“Chad, wait. What about last night? We need to talk about it. Do you want me to cancel your appointments? Should I bring Harper and come with you?”
“No. Stay here. I’ll make the calls to the office while I’m on the way to the airport. There’s nothing you can do right now. Tell Harper I’ll call her tonight.”
“You are coming home, aren’t you?”
Her question made me somewhat happy. At least she wanted me around. “Besides Harper, do I have a reason to come home?”
“Don’t say stuff like that. We’ll get through this.” She looked down at the floor. “I’m going to tell Shelly I can’t see her anymore, professionally or otherwise. It’s over, Chad. I’ll do whatever you ask. Just don’t give up. Harper can’t come from a broken home.”
In that moment it hit me like a ton of bricks. Veronica wasn’t concerned about our relationship. She wanted our daughter to come from a solid family who lived under the same roof, even if she had to keep up with our charade of a marriage.
It was then when I realized everything I’d felt for her was coming to an end. I couldn’t trust her. After what she’d done, I didn’t even know if I could like her. How much of our marriage had been a fa?ade I’d probably never know, but I did feel like all hope was lost. She’d never be the woman I needed her to be, no matter how hard I worked to keep her content. We were settling, and I was done pretending it was anything else.
During the ride to the airport, I remained focused, doing my best not to think about all the shit going on my personal life. My only concern was getting to my grandfather and making sure he didn’t pass away without me by his side. I’d made him that promise when I moved to California, and I was determined to keep it.
The flight was long, with terrible turbulence. I wondered if it was God’s way of putting me out of my misery. Maybe the plane would go down and I wouldn’t have to deal with my marriage falling apart, or losing someone dear to me.
It’s amazing how I’d spent the past ten years building something from the ground, only to want to throw it all away and start over again fresh. It would have been much easier than dealing with the problems head on. How did I fix someone who was incapable of changing? Veronica didn’t ask to be the way she turned out. She also didn’t force my hand into marrying her. I’d been the one to push.
Now I was living with a woman who’d rather be with someone else than talk to me about her problems. I felt insignificant, like nothing I’d done could alleviate her struggles or my sorrow. We were at a catch twenty-two with nothing left to hope for. I’d been going through the motions with blinders on, content on the idea of pretending we were the perfect family, when in fact we were far from it.
Don’t get me wrong, I loved my wife. I’d strived to be the best husband and father. I’d been understanding and faithful. As far as I was concerned, Veronica was a lucky woman.
While sitting on the evidence of her adulterous actions, I pondered on a few things. How much of my marriage was fabricated? Was Veronica capable of loving someone when she clearly didn’t love herself?
Maybe I was the person who needed therapy.
While people worked efficiently in the seats beside me, I stared out the small plane window wishing all my troubles would cease to exist. I thought about how to keep my daughter shielded from what was to come, and how I would still be the hero when I knew I’d be blamed for letting her down.