The Wives(66)

The silence that follows is deafening. A searing pain stabs through my head, running from temple to temple.

“That’s not true,” I say. “Why would you say that?”

She stares at me, a blank expression on her face. “Because it’s the truth.”

I shake my head. My mouth is dry. I want something to drink but I’m too proud to ask for water.

“No. He told me that—”

“Stop it,” she says, cutting me off. Her eyes are wild. She closes them, suddenly shutting me out. “Just stop it.”

Normally I’d back down, but not this time. I’ve been sitting in the dark for too long and I need answers.

“When was the last time you saw Seth?” Right away she makes a sour face, her lips puckered.

“I told you that—”

She looks down—at her lap, or her hands, or the pattern on her pajama pants, but not at me. I see her shoulders lift and sink as she sighs.

“I saw Seth last week,” she says. “Here at the apartment.” When she sees the look on my face, she adds, “He owes me money.”

“For what?”

“For losing everything,” she snaps. “Do you think I actually belong in a place like this?”

Regina with the Louboutins? I want to laugh: no, probably not. I have the money to buy red-soled shoes, but I’m not the type. Regina, on the other hand, is used to lavishing luxury on herself. She wears designer and probably always used to drive the newest-model Mercedes rather than the beat-up junker parked in her spot downstairs.

“You’re going to have to catch me up on this, Regina. I have no idea what you’re talking about.” I try to keep my voice patient, but it sounds like I’m talking through my teeth.

“His business. Things started going south a few years ago. Right before he married you,” she says pointedly.

“Seth took a second mortgage on the house we bought together to keep the business floating, but then he still couldn’t pay it. There was too much debt. Our house went into foreclosure. He promised to turn things around, make it right, but as you can see—” she lifts her eyes to the ceiling “—I’m here.”

Why didn’t I know any of this? Why hadn’t he said something? I had enough money to contribute... I shake my head. I can’t believe I’m thinking like this. Even now, sitting across from his other wife, after being institutionalized, I’m thinking about how I could have helped him.

“And did he give you money?” I ask.

I’m trying to imagine it all. Seth never spoke about his financial situation, especially with the others. We have separate accounts, though I’d given him a joint debit card to mine when we were first married. I’d always assumed it was the same for them.

She exhales, her cheeks puffing out. She looks like a child. How does anyone take her seriously?

“Yes, a little bit. Not enough. I have bill collectors knocking down my door. It’s stressful.”

“If you’re not in a relationship, why didn’t he just send you the money? Why did he have to come here?”

Her mouth tightens, a flesh-colored slash on her face. I realize then that she’s a lonely, bitter woman, not the picture of power and grace that I’d imagined. Oh, when our idols fall, I think to myself. I prefer the version of her that I made up in my head, the one that made me feel insecure.

“Our dog died,” she says. “And he wanted to tell me in person that he’d have more for me soon. A business transaction that’s going to pay out in a few weeks.”

So he wasn’t lying about the dog. I wonder if he’s lying about the business transaction. Seth closes on accounts all the time. His clients call him efficient and hardworking. He has one bad review on Yelp, which he stresses about weekly. His payouts on jobs are sufficient but not large enough to pay off big debts—or buy back big houses.

I test out the name of their dog. “Smidge?”

Regina looks at me in horror. “How did you know that?”

“Seth told me,” I say, shrugging. He told me things, too, I think. I just never know what’s true and what’s not.

She blinks rapidly as she looks away, like she can’t believe he’d do such a thing.

“I haven’t been able to throw her things away yet.” She nods to a space between the TV stand and the kitchen where a basket of dog toys still sits. It’s overflowing with bright balls and stuffed toys—a spoiled dog.

“Did you have sex when he came here?”

Regina’s head snaps toward me, her face a mask of outrage. “How dare you,” she says. But there’s something there, concealed behind the anger...admission.

“You did.” I swipe my hair behind my ears. I don’t feel anything; of course I don’t. I know Seth has been having sex with his other two wives this entire time. I just made sure the sex with me was better than anything they could offer. I was more waxed, more flexible, more responsive to his touch. Regina is back to just blinking.

“Why are you pretending with me? Seth is acting like I’m crazy, making up the entire story about his relationships with you and Hannah. I just want the truth.”

“I don’t know Hannah,” Regina says. “And I’ve already told you that we’ve been over for a long time.” Her legs are folded up underneath her, and I can’t help but think it’s to make her appear taller, like those heels she wears.