A Million Memories

Chapter 4

Marlena arrived at the police station to find Roman, and ask him what time he might be home. She tried to call before she left John's loft, but there had been no answer. The conversation between them needed to happen, that night. She couldn't put it off, especially since she had already committed adultery. She knew that she had broken her marriage vows...she just couldn't manage to find any guilt over it. To her heart, that was the part that rang the most true about the ending of her marriage to Roman...her lack of guilt. She had cheated, and she didn't feel as if she had done anything wrong. It needed to end.

    He wasn't in his office, but his jacket was still hanging on the coat hook, so Marlena knew he had to be in the building somewhere. The Salem Police Department was a huge building. Roman told her earlier that he might be at work until late because of a lead on the guy who shot Abe. Marlena poked her head out of his office, and caught another officer walking by. They pointed her towards evidence room. She decided to head down there, rather than wait for him.

    This conversation was going to be difficult enough. She hated to hurt him after everything he had been through, but neither one of them was happy. It was time to acknowledge that. She was actually grateful that Eric and Sami had stayed in Colorado after Christmas. Her and Roman's arguing had reached a whole new level over the last few weeks. He had become more abusive in his language, and had shoved her once as he walked by. No matter what she did, he was unhappy...and she was miserable. He spent the majority of his time at work, and when he was home he watched television, ate, and went to sleep. Sometimes he even showered at the station just to avoid her. Marlena made a choice when she followed John upstairs, now, she needed to let Roman know.

    Marlena's heels clicked along the tile as she made her way down the long, narrow, windowless, basement hallway to the evidence room, and slid the door open. "Roman?" she called out, but got no response. She heard muffled noise further back, and walked towards the sound. She never expected what she saw as she rounded the corner.

    "Fuck, McCall, you're so tight!" Roman said as he pistoned his dick in, and out of the other woman's body. Marlena stared in shock at the sight of her husband, with Officer Taylor McCall, pushed up against the wall of the evidence room, both of them partially undressed, and neither one aware that they now had someone else in the room. Taylor's arms clung to Roman's neck, her legs tightly clamped around his waist, and they were moving as if this was not their first time together. Marlena noted that they looked...comfortable.

    "Does your wife feel this good, Brady?" Taylor panted leaning closer to Roman's ear, and licking the lobe.

    "Fuck, no! She hasn't let me touch her in months..." Roman said.

    Marlena cleared her throat loudly, and Roman's body instantly stopped moving. Taylor looked over to see Marlena standing there, and started pushing Roman away from her quickly. She scrambled for her clothes as Roman rushed to pull his pants up from around his knees. Marlena said, so softly that Roman could barely hear her, "Roman, we need to talk. Tonight. I'll be at home." She turned, and walked away, back down the long, basement hallway, and out to her car.

~ ~ ~ ~

    When Marlena walked into her home twenty minutes later, she immediately called John. He answered on the first ring, "Doc?"

    Marlena began speaking quickly, the words falling from her mouth, "I went to the station...to-to talk to Roman. I found him in the evidence room...with Officer McCall...they were, uh, they were..." Her voice dropped off, as she processed what she had walked in on.

    "Doc...Marlena...what happened?"

    "Roman was...they were—I'm not even upset. Shocked, yes, but I'm not upset..."

    "Doc, I'm so lost right now. What happened? Were you able to talk to him?"

    "Well, um, the position was a bit compromising, and I was uncomfortable...I told him to come home, and we'd talk," Marlena mumbled into the phone.

    "...a bit compromising and uncomfort—aw, fuck! Doc...he was...?" John was confused for a moment...and then he wasn't. He knew exactly what Marlena had walked in on. Roman was screwing Taylor McCall in the evidence room. "Are you okay?" was all he could think to ask her.

    "Surprisingly...I'm fine. A little disturbed that I was the topic of conversation while they, um, did that..." She paused, deep in thought for a moment, remembering how Taylor ask Roman if she felt as good as his wife. "John, is it wrong to think that I'm almost relieved?" she whispered to him through the phone, cradling it close to her ear.

    "Baby, you can feel whatever you feel. You taught me that. We can't control our emotions...we control our responses. I love you so much, Doc."

    Marlena saw the lights of Roman's car pull into their driveway, and said, "John, Roman just pulled up..."

    "Call me later baby..." and John hung up the phone.

    Marlena took a deep breath, and replaced the phone receiver to the base. She took a couple more deep breaths, because she had no idea how this was going to go. But if she was honest with herself, and if their past arguments were any indication...Roman's little escapade with Taylor McCall would somehow end up being her fault.

    Marlena was still standing by the phone when Roman entered the house. She turned to face him, and they both just stared at each other for a long moment. Neither one knowing what to say to the other. They ended up speaking at the same time.

    "Doc, look—"

    "Roman, I've got—"

    Another long awkward pause ensued. Finally, Marlena decided that she needed to get straight to the point. "I'm not happy Roman. I haven't been happy. You're not happy either—"

    Roman interrupted her, "Doc! I'm sorry. You push me away constantly. We haven't made love in months. Let's just discuss this, please...I screwed up, I know that—"

    "No. We both screwed up, Roman, both of us...I, um, I...slept with John tonight. I need to acknowledge that. We both did this...we're not happy, Roman. People who are happy, people who are content...Roman, those people don't cheat. We did."

    Roman stared at his wife, speechless for a moment, and then roared, "You fucked John tonight?"

    "That's all you heard? Really, Roman?" Marlena turned away from him, trying to figure out how to continue this conversation, because she could already tell the direction it was taking. She didn't hear Roman come up behind her, but she felt it when his hand gripped her arm, and he jerked her body around to face him. He was furious.

    "You fucking slut! You won't fuck me, but you'll spread your legs for him?"

    "Roman!" Marlena was shocked at the obscene way he was speaking to her, and tried to shake his hand off of her arm, but his hand clenched tighter. "Roman, let go of me. You're hurting me."

    "You think I fucking care? For the last year I have watched you moon after him! Every time you're in a room together. You two are like two fucking dogs in heat, and you think I haven't noticed?" Roman screamed in her face.