Her Secret Affair

Chapter 15

"Say something," she begged after the silence became too much for her to bear.

"What do you want me to say?" trying hard to control his voice, the meaning of what he saw consuming him.

"Something... Anything.."

"Brie, I get it. He's your boyfriend.. partner.. whatever it is you call him... I cannot expect you to not sleep with him. You do share the same bed every night after all," his voice was unintentionally harsh.

"It wasn't like that. We hadn't slept together for over six months. And then..."

"You really do not have to explain anything to me," he said, trying to tone his voice down. She looked at him, the hurt showing on his face. He rolled over and stood up pulling on his shorts. "You want something to drink?" he asked.

"Are we not going to talk about this?"

"Brie, there's nothing to talk about," he walked out the room and into the kitchen, trying hard to get a grip of himself. He poured himself a glass of whisky and gulped it down before pouring another one. Sitting down in the living room, he wondered why he had to tell her he loved her today of all days. She had already said she didn't want to do this anymore, why couldn't he have just accepted it and moved on? "You knew this wasn't going anywhere," he thought to himself, "You knew where she went each time she left this house. Why should it bother you knowing she slept with him?"

A small part of him had hoped she would fall in love with him and leave Joseph. He wasn't one to break up a happy home, but this was Brie, and he knew she wasn't happy. He knew it the day he saw her at that damn conference. "I should have continued staying away from her," he thought gloomily. Realising he was acting like such a child instead of the man that he was, he placed his glass on the coffee table in front of him and went to her.

She was sitting at the foot of the bed, dressed, staring at nothing. "Hey, it's almost 4 o'clock. You should get going," he smiled softly putting on the facade that he was ok, while inside his heart ached at the thought of saying goodbye. He extended his hand to her, and she looked at it puzzled.

"You're not mad at me?" she whispered, tears threatening to fall from her eyes.

"Why would I be?" he said and softly pulled her from the bed. If they stayed in this room a minute longer, he might just stop her from leaving. Back in the living room, they stood staring at each other.

"Is this goodbye?" she asked.

"It's an 'I'll see you around'. You know that I'm always going to be here for you if you need me," making a promise he had no idea how to keep, "We were... we are friends above all of this."

He gave her a hug, taking in the smell of her before he slowly let her go. She took her bag, giving him a long look before she walked away. He grabbed his phone as soon as he closed the door behind her.

"Skyland Airlines, good afternoon. How can I be of assistance to you today?" a cheery woman answered in a sing song voice.

"Hi, I'd like to book a ticket for Singapore please. Business class."

"What are your expected travel dates, sir?"

"First available flight."

"One moment, sir... We have a seat that just opened up for tomorrow at 11 AM. Would that be convenient for you, sir?"

"Yes that's fine." He gave the Customer Service Agent his details and hung up. He has been delaying this trip because he hadn't wanted to leave her. "No better time to go than now," he mused.

He called his assistant, advising him that he would be going to Singapore for the next two weeks and to make the necessary arrangements for him when he lands. Adam had been pressing him about taking this trip for the past 4 months, so he was surprised when all of a sudden Mr. Sim called to say he was actually leaving. He knew better not to question his decision.

Frankie packed his suitcase and prepared his travel documents. He spent the night submerged in some paperwork, before reluctantly going to sleep. The next morning, he took his phone, tempted to message Brianna to tell her he would be traveling, but his ego wouldn't let him.

At 11 AM, the plane took off with Frankie staring out the window, wondering how the hell he was going to get over this woman.

**********

Brianna jumped when Joseph walked into the room. It was one week later and she had been staring at her phone for the past half hour. She knew she was the one who ended things, but she needed to make sure he was ok, convincing herself this was the only reason she wanted to call him. She was not ready to admit what she felt for Frankie, she refused to analyse it. She hadn't heard from him since she left his house, and she missed him so much, it physically hurt.

"Everything ok?" Joseph asked.

"Yeh. Nicky already in bed?"

"Yes, he is. I was just about to put on a movie, want to join me?" Joseph had been attentive all week. Surprising her to go for lunch, having flowers delivered to her office. And yet, each time he tried to touch her, she made up an excuse. When she didn't have any, she just feigned sleep when he came to bed. She should have been happy that he was finally showing an interest in her, but she wasn't. The guilt of cheating on him ate at her, especially when memories of Frankie flooded her each time he tried to touched her. She needed to get him out of her mind.

"Sure," she said as she put her phone away and went to watch the movie with him. He sat with his arms around her, slowly pulling her body closer to him on the sofa. She tried hard to concentrate on the movie, willing him not to touch her tonight. Joseph sensed her flinching slightly beneath his touch, the movement trigging him.

"Brie, what is it?"

"Mmh? What do you mean?"

"Nothing...." he dropped it, his anger boiling inside of him. He was certain she hadn't met up with whoever it was this week because he had kept showing up at her office. Each time he went there, she had been alone at her desk, stuck in a pile of paperwork. The flowers he had sent her on her desk next to her computer. Most days he had taken her out for lunch, and she had been coming home straight after work, no late nights. "So what was it?" he thought. He needed to know how involved she was with him. Was it just sex? Was it more? But he couldn't bring himself to ask.

He loved Brie, that he was certain of. She was the mother of his child. But, he doubted whether he was still in love with her. That is why he had never married her. He knows it is something she had wanted, but he just couldn't bring himself to do it. And as selfish as he was, he couldn't let her go either.

That night, they both went to bed in silence.