Chemical Reactions

Part 16

Kitty stormed off, her fury seething within her like an erupting volcano. She couldn't believe what she had just witnessed, the ultimate betrayal right before her eyes.

As she made her way home, her footsteps echoed with a mix of anger and hurt. Robert followed in silence, his heart pounding in his chest. He knew he had made a terrible mistake, and now faced with the consequences, he braced himself for what was to come.

Finally reaching their home, Kitty turned to face Robert, her eyes burning with fury.

"How long, Robert?" she demanded, her voice trembling with a mix of anger and desperation. Robert looked into Kitty's eyes, feeling a pang of guilt twisting in his gut.

"A few months, Kitty," he admitted quietly, his voice filled with regret.

And what about the others, Robert? The countless affairs I've discovered over the years?" she asked, her voice quivering.

Robert closed his eyes, feeling the weight of his actions bearing down on him. "Kitty, I-" he sighed, his shoulders slumping.

"It doesn't matter. I've known about your philandering for years, but this one feels different," Kitty acknowledged before asking her husband whether he loved you.

Robert hesitated, his gaze dropping to the floor. "Yes," he admitted finally, his voice barely above a whisper.

The words hung heavily in the air, each syllable piercing Kitty's heart like a thousand knives.

She feared this admission, yet hearing it out loud shattered any hope she clung to.

Kitty's voice cracked as she spoke, her pain evident in every word.

"And what about us, Robert? The life we built together? Are you willing to throw it all away for her?" Kitty wanted to know and Robert's gaze dropped to the ground, his anguish palpable.

"I don't know, Kitty," he murmured, his voice filled with confusion as he thought about you. "Y/N shares my beliefs, and she knows what I am doing here. She knows the secrets I cannot share with you and understands the world differently than most. We have a connection that I cannot possibly explain, Kitty" Robert explained, telling Kitty how you are the first woman he met who was that intelligent and shared his passion for physics.

Fury ignited within Kitty's eyes as she clenched her fists. "Oh, so this is about changing the fucking world? This is about your ego and the pursuit of knowledge?" she spat, her words laced with bitterness. Robert reached out, his hand trembling as he placed it on Kitty's arm.

"No, Kitty, it's about more than that," he pleaded, his voice filled with desperation. Kitty yanked her arm away, her voice seething with contempt.

"Well, Robert, you made me a promise when you took my hand in marriage, and I will keep you to that promise," Kitty told him sternly as a steely determination washed over her features. "You have a choice to make, Robert. Either you end this affair and commit to our marriage or lose everything, including the project. I know things Robert and I can make life rather unpleasant for you and your little lab rat here at Los Alamos," Kitty told her husband in anger, whose chin dropped.

***

Meanwhile, you stood in the streets of Los Alamos. You were alone, and your heart was pummeled by abandonment. You couldn't comprehend why Robert had left you standing there, like a discarded piece of lab equipment and wondered whether his words meant anything.

"Just you and me" was what he said many times and, with that, confusion and sadness washed over you as you stared at Robert's house and decided that, come tomorrow, you needed an answer.