The other woman

Having his cake & eating it

It was going to be one of those days.

After a hectic triple header of races that had finished with a twelfth place and point-less race in Italy, it was Seb's 'day off' and his cheat day and he was spending it with Gisela and the kids - or at least he would be when they got out of bed.

Aleksandra was up early and padded quietly from her room, passing Seb and Gisela's bedroom. Her plan was to have breakfast, get showered and dressed and try to get out of here, disregarding his instructions that she was to go nowhere on her own. She was sure that she'd be ok now, that if she didn't stray far then she'd be safe. There was a lake a few miles away and as it was a nice day she'd decided to head there and maybe sunbathe and take a dip in the water.

Hearing noises, she stopped outside their bedroom door. They were having sex, she could tell, she could recognise Seb's passionate, breathy moans. She lowered her head, she wanted to move but her feet refused to carry her, the pain was rendering her temporarily immobile and her subconscious delighting in torturing her by making her stand there. It felt like he was cheating on her, it felt like betrayal and it was a pain unlike any other that she'd felt before. This wasn't the first time she'd known that they were having sex, she was stupid if she believed that Seb abstained out of loyalty to herself but right now it hurt more than ever before. She clenched her fists and took a deep breath before walking away, not even bothering to try and be quiet this time.

Heading into the kitchen, she went straight to the coffee machine. Alcohol wouldn't be acceptable at this hour of the day so a strong black coffee would have to do. Grabbing a mug from one of the cupboards, she let it slam shut. Then she got a teaspoon from the draw and slammed that shut too. She knew she was jealous, she knew she should have expected things like this but right now, it hurt, it really hurt and it swirled and bubbled away inside her, boiling up into a toxic angry mix that would have to be expelled somehow. The video that still lurked on her phone slithered back into her mind, it could be a way of punishing him but ultimately it would punish them both. She didn't think that she'd ever use it, not with how she felt about Seb. It would have to be deleted, along with the photos.

Grabbing her coffee from underneath the machine, she headed straight to conservatory and unlocked the doors, sliding them open so that she could at least escape into the far corner of the large back garden. For a mid-September morning, it felt surprisingly warm, like a final last farewell wave from summer before the cooler autumn and winter months arrived.

Finding a sunny spot that was hidden from the view of the house, she sat down on the grass, crossing her legs. Take some deep breaths, you can't let this get to you, you're stronger than this. She put her mug down beside her and concentrated on taking some deep breaths, trying to focus on her peaceful surroundings. In.......and out.....in......and out....... She closed her eyes. Inhale.......and exhale...... Gradually she felt herself calming down, letting the sun's early rays warm her skin and the sound of the breeze rustling the autumnal leaves become the only things in her mind.

"Morning!"

A chirpy female voice interrupted her thoughts and her inner calmness evaporated. Opening her eyes, the brightness briefly blinded her and it took a moment before she could see Gisela sitting down next to her, all messy unbrushed hair and glowing cheeks - courtesy of Seb.

"Hi." Alex kept her tone quiet and clipped, feeling her heckles rising just with Gisela's presence. She couldn't believe that she'd been so easily found in this little corner of the garden.

Sensing Alex's cool demeanour, Gisela realised that she might have interrupted her quiet time. "Oooh, I'm sorry, you were meditating weren't you."

She picked up her mug, realising that she'd let her coffee go a bit cold during the ten minutes she'd been out here. "It's fine." She replied before taking a sip.