Unspoken

Chapter 32

November 28, 1992

Marlena had left John at the gatehouse on Victor's estate while she ran by the house on Sycamore to get some of her things. She'd been wearing the same clothing on repeat for weeks. She was hoping to catch Roman while she was there, since she'd called the police station and found out he had the day off. She wanted to let him know that he should be expecting paperwork from Mickey, and that she was aware that they were not married. She hadn't spoken to him since their last argument over the telephone, although she'd tried to reach out on several occasions.

She pulled up in front of the house in John's Jeep. Her car was still in the garage. She'd need to sell it and get something more rugged. Roman's car was parked in the driveway, along with another car she didn't recognize. She sighed, wondering if she was really ready to face him after all that time. A familiar sense of anxiety and tension came over her that she recognized immediately. She'd lived with it for the last year. She felt almost ill as she let herself in the house. No matter how she laid it out for Roman, she knew the interaction would not go well.

She glanced up in surprise after she took off her coat to find Roman exiting the kitchen wearing only a pair of jeans with the top button unsnapped. His chest was bare, and he had a can of beer in his hand. His hair was a mess, as if he'd been asleep, but as Taylor McCall descended the stairs wearing only a t-shirt of Roman's, Marlena suspected his hair was a mess for other reasons. Both of them looked at her with equal looks of shock.

Marlena wasn't really surprised. She had been preparing herself for the possibility of being confronted with Roman's affair since she'd put the pieces together. Her phone call with Roman that one night in Italy had been incriminating enough, but after what Sami and Carrie had told her she'd been fairly certain of what she would find when she finally returned to Salem. The odd thing was, she wasn't even angry. She'd had time to process it all. What she felt was just a lingering sense of treachery. Roman didn't respect her. Perhaps he never had.

She glanced at Taylor with a bland look. She looked like trash, but she wasn't going to get into a fight over a man who'd decided he didn't want her. Especially when she knew for a fact she didn't want him. Marlena was better than that.

"Taylor, you need to get dressed, and leave. Now." Taylor turned quickly, glancing at Roman as if he might speak up. He didn't say anything. Tears welled in her eyes, and she turned to run up the stairs.

Roman watched her go, and then he sighed as if he'd been inconvenienced. "Doc, this isn't what you think—"

"—don't lie to me, Roman. Don't lie to me," she said. "I just came by to pick up a few things, and I needed to speak with you about some paperwork I have Mickey drawing up. I was going to ask you if you'd been having an affair, but it seems you've just answered that question for me." She stared at him for a moment, and continued softly, "You know what I went through when Don cheated on me with Liz. You know how much that hurt me, Roman. I never thought... I honestly never believed that you would do the same thing. But I also never thought you'd lie to me, and yet you did."

"Lie to you?" he repeated. "I haven't lied to you!"

"But you have. We're not married," she said. She watched the way his eyes changed, as she continued quietly, "You knew that." She laid her coat over the back of the couch, laying her purse on the top of it. "Mickey told you the night the codices were unveiled a year ago."

"I don't know what you're talking about," he hedged.

"It's fine," she told him. "Finding out we aren't married means it's easier for me. I don't have to file for divorce, and I don't have to wait for you to sign the papers. You know, for two months, I have called, and left repeated messages. I must have called you twice a day in the beginning leaving messages here at home, leaving messages for you at work. But Roman Brady is always busy isn't he? Always chasing a new lead, or working on a new case. I mean you're a police officer. Protect and serve, right?"