The End

Chapter 3: The Hypocrite

That dream had awoken something inside of her. Her thoughts had been disciplined for the last six years. Today they came rushing in like a flood. She couldn't decide if it was the quiet of world or her subconscious emotions were finally catching up with her. Either way they were haunting.

Ellen held her three-year-old son as he played on his iPad. She stared at their reflection in her pool. The sunlight skimmed the top of the water with a perfect glitter. Eli, was the spitting image of his father. She loved that about him. He was all of the parts of Christopher that she still loved. But she knew without a doubt that Eli would grow up to be better man. He would be stronger than his dad, he would love better than his dad. He would have more integrity.

She huffed a light laugh, to say that Chris lacked integrity was like the pot calling the kettle black. It was quite obvious that he had a string of mistresses but she was sure that none of them compared to her affair with Patrick. It wasn't possible. Ellen wasn't sure that there was another couple in the world that could connect the way they had. He was without a doubt the love of her life. That is what made her so sure that Chris' affairs paled in comparison.

Their marriage had changed since Patrick left the show but it hadn't changed for the better. Now she was present and very mindful of just how terrible it was. Ellen was uncomfortably aware of her loneliness. This was now only magnified by the fact that she wasn't working.

Patrick hadn't been the problem but the answer to what she had lacked. It wasn't that she hated Christopher. She didn't. At one time in her life they were a perfect match. He had a bad boy edge that intrigued her and yet he was artistic and cool. The problem was that she wasn't the woman she used to be. The kind of support she needed now, wasn't the kind of support that Chris could offer. Nor was he attempting to.

All of this mixed with her sudden uncontrollable flashbacks, a recipe for disaster. She could feel it in her bones. In her urge to start drinking at 1:00 in the afternoon. However, that urge could have also been brought on by her new teaching job. One that she wasn't trained for, or experienced in.

"Ellen," Chris shouted to her from the kitchen.

"We're out here," she called back to him.

Chris stepped out onto the patio. Ellen immediately noticed that he was dressed for more than their current lockdown required. "Do you have a zoom?" she asked with a smile.

"I have a meeting," he said firmly.

"A meeting?" Ellen asked with a confused look on her face.

"In Culver City," Chris responded.

She was less than amused and she certainly wasn't an idiot. It was one thing to lie to her face and spend the weekend with the flavor of the week on a normal occasion, but this was completely irresponsible. This jeopardized lives. Including the lives of their children.

"Oh," Ellen said with surprise as she stuck her foot in the tub, "It's warm."

"What did you think we would make you get in a cold bathtub?" a crew member asked with a smile.

"Last time it was cold," she laughed.

"Oh gosh," the young art department crew member responded, "that would be awful."

"It was," Ellen nodded and giggled her signature giggle. The set was closed, it usually was for scenes like this, though Patrick and Ellen had become very accustom to shooting intimate scenes in front of people. The crew was usually cut to about half. Ellen settled in the corner to wait for him. Her phone vibrated against the bathroom vanity. She sighed heavily and rolled her eyes. Chris had called her 15 times since 6 am and it was only 8. His night club scandal had hit the gossip sites this morning.