"I'd say our party was a success," Bruce said to Adriana.
After the festivities had ended they were getting ready for bed. Adriana peeled of her false lashes and smiled at Bruce. She wasn't sure whether she should tell him about the check that the Joker had returned to her. He didn't want Bruce's money, which was something that wouldn't be understood. No one would turn down such a large sum. The check was eight figures.
"Can you help me out of this?" Adriana said, talking about her dress.
"Of course," Bruce said and walked around behind her.
"What did you need to talk to Mr. Hayden about?" Adriana asked, as Bruce untied the satin bow on the back of her dress. "When he went into your office with you?"
"I gave him a gift," Bruce said and kissed the back of her shoulder. "From us both."
"Money?" she asked, even though she knew the answer.
"Best kind of gift," Bruce said. "He did say he was in between jobs after all. This should help him."
Adriana stepped out of the dress and took it from Bruce. She laid it across the chair in front of her vanity. She then unhooked her strapless bra.
"I'm glad we could do something for him," Bruce said. "He deserves every penny."
Adriana nodded.
"He does," she said.
Bruce let his gaze drift down her body as he loosened his tie with one hand. She could tell that he wanted her.
"Beautiful shoes," he commented, since she was wearing nothing, but heels still strapped to her feet and underwear.
"Thank you," she said. "For getting them."
"Do you..." Bruce said, still holding onto his loose tie with one hand. "Need help with them?"
Adriana walked over to the bed and sat on the edge. Bruce followed her and got down on one knee. She lifted one foot and rested it on his knee. As he knelt in front of her and unfastened the strap, she remembered the moment he proposed to her. She was heavily pregnant at the time and couldn't believe he wanted to marry her. They were married weeks later. Everything had happened too quickly, but they were in love, and she was sure that he was the one.
Now, it felt like she had to remind herself of why she had been so sure of that.
As she slid the shoe off her foot, she began to think of the Joker. They had never made any commitments to each other, he had never made a single promise to her, and she had never once told herself that he was the one. They never spoke of loyalty or the future. They were always in the moment. Never planning for the next.
Bruce moved to remove Adriana's other shoe. Once it was off, he kissed the top of her foot. She was now remembering the Joker's hand on hers as he discreetly returned the check. She felt a shiver run though her body. She shook her head once to try to make the memory fade and it didn't work.
In a moment of complete honesty with herself, she mentally stated the truth. She wanted another man. She couldn't stop thinking about him. She didn't know how to fix it, and she didn't know how to make it stop.
Bruce did what he wanted. He was with Twyla. Adriana never asked him for any details. She told herself she didn't want to know exactly what he did with her. But she knew at the very least, in that moment he was free. He wasn't thinking about her or their marriage at all. She wanted to get over it, but she couldn't. She loved him despite his mistake, but the mistake was still a shock to her. His mistake...his moment of freedom. She had never cheated on anyone. She was loyal, faithful, and felt it was easy to do. It had been easy to do.
