Manic: Confessions of a Wife

Manic Book 1: Season Finale

It's been two weeks since Lori's last session with Malik and Savannah. Despite some initial awkwardness in the first ten minutes, the rest of the session went surprisingly well. As she writes a few notes on her notepad, Lori reflects on the progress that has been made. "I'm happy with how today went. I have availability on Friday, but we can also skip and meet again on Monday if you prefer."

Malik turns to Savannah before facing Lori, a serious expression on his face. "We need to talk to you about that," he says with a hint of hesitation in his voice.

Lori lets out a heavy sigh and asks, "Okay, about what?"

"Last night, we discussed everything and we've come to a decision," Malik explains. "We think it's best for us to end our counseling with you after today. We know this is last minute and if we are legally obligated to compensate you, we will."

Lori's face showed a moment of disbelief. She was caught off guard by his statement and was not pleased with it. She knew Savannah had influenced him. "Can I ask why you came to that decision?" she inquired.

"It's not because of anything you did. We just want to focus on our marriage and starting a family. Counseling has been put on hold for now. But now that I'm back, I feel like our marriage is headed in the right direction."

Lori glances at Savannah, noticing the devious smirk on her face. The urge to slap it off is strong, but she manages to keep her composure. "I'm not trying to overstep my boundaries," she starts to say. However, Savannah quickly interjects, "Then don't!"

With a dismissive eye roll, she presses on, "I'm not trying to overstep, but quitting counseling is the last thing you should do right now. Take a moment to ask yourself why you moved back in with Malik."

"I moved back in because I love my wife and want to be by her side every night," he says, tilting his head. "Being at my parents' house only drove us apart, as we told you before, Lori." Malik can sense the accusatory tone in her voice and doesn't like where this conversation is heading. "Why are you giving me the third degree?"

"You're misunderstanding my concerns," Savannah snaps back, her irritation evident. "If you're not going to help us see things from your perspective, then just keep your opinions to yourself."

Lori shifted her gaze between Savannah and Malik, her words hanging heavy in the air. "Did you move back in because you thought it was the right thing to do, or because you were afraid she would cheat?" Savannah maintained her composure, a small smile playing on her lips as she chose not to respond.

"Are you accusing my wife of cheating?" Malik calmly asks, as Savannah responds with a pleasant yet sarcastic tone, "Yeah Lori, are you accusing me of cheating?"

It was no surprise to Lori that Malik was fiercely defending his wife. He was always one to have Savannah's back, no matter what. "I'm not trying to point fingers or accuse your wife," he stated calmly, "I just think it's important for you to be honest with yourself and your marriage." He paused before continuing, "Moving back in together may not be the best solution for fixing your broken marriage."

Malik's eyes dart around as though he's searching for answers in the air. "Thank you Lori," he says, standing up. "Today will be the last day for us." Savannah follows suit, but doesn't walk with him to leave. Malik turns around, looking at her. "Baby, you coming?" he asks, hopeful yet unsure.

"Uh," I said, glancing at Lori, "can I have about ten minutes? I just need to have a quick conversation with her, nothing negative, okay? She did counsel me alone for a while, so I want to express my gratitude."

After a moment of hesitation, he finally closes the door. Savannah remains silent, but her self-satisfied grin speaks volumes. "Malik doesn't trust you, Savannah," Lori sneers, "It won't be long until he finds out that his wife is a whore."

"Wow! I must say, I'm impressed by your boldness," Savannah nods approvingly. "But don't you know that I'll drag your ass?" She furrows her brow, unsure of where the line was drawn in this one-sided love-hate relationship. "It's starting to get weird...and now I'm concerned."

"Now, you're concerned? Now?" she taunts, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "You don't know the damage I could do to you, Savannah... I could ruin your life." She snaps her fingers, emphasizing her point.

Savannah throws her hands in the air. "Do it! Do it Lori! Do it or shut the fuck up about it!"

"And if I don't?" Lori asks nonchalantly.

Savannah takes a deep breath before responding. "You are trying so hard to get a reaction out of me. Why? What's the real reason why you're mad? Is your husband not satisfying you?"

Lori smiled, "No, but Wesley is."

Savannah gasped, a mix of surprise and disbelief evident on her face, "What? You've been sleeping with Wesley? So you lied to me?"

"I didn't lie, Savannah. It just wasn't any of your business. You kept talking about Wesley and, and I just wanted...I wanted to know how it felt to be with him!" Lori walked over to her desk, leaning on the edge. "My husband has never made me feel the way Wesley does."

Savannah is speechless, she doesn't know what to say. She shakes her head back and forth in disbelief. "You're really having sex with Wesley?" She walks over to her, crossing her arms. "How many times have you slept with him?" Her friend looks up in a daze, "Mmmmm, I stopped counting..."

Savannah is trying to maintain her composure, but it's becoming increasingly difficult as her patience wears thin. "Dammit, can you just tell me how many times, Lori?" she exclaims in frustration. Suddenly, a knock on the door interrupts her tirade. It's Malik, her partner. "Hey baby, is everything alright?" he asks, concern etched on his face. Savannah quickly composes herself and turns to face him. "Yes, everything's fine. Just discussing why we had to leave," she explains, giving him a quick side hug and a kiss on the cheek.

"Maybe our paths will cross again," Lori says with a smug grin on her face.

As they walk hand in hand out of the office, Savannah meets Lori's gaze and confidently states, "There's no maybe about it," smirking, they walk out of her office.

Lori immediately calls Wesley, but he doesn't answer. Frustrated, she quickly sends him a text, urging him to call her back as soon as possible. She can feel the weight of her mistake sinking in as she remembers admitting to Savannah that she's been sleeping with Wesley. She can't deny that Savannah was right; she was taking her anger out on her about how Wesley treated her the other night. Lori berates herself for letting her emotions get the best of her. Now, she's faced with the daunting task of finding a way to break this news to Wesley before Savannah does.