A Love Lost

Chapter 43

A few weeks later Hallie and Max found a doctor they liked. They had their first session this Friday. She was getting ready to go to bed. When she laid down she picked up her phone to call Sam.

"Hello?" Sam said.

"Hi." Hallie said. "I didn't wake you did I?"

"No." "I'm really glad you called." "I was just thinking about you."  "What are you doing?"

"I'm about to go to bed." "I was wondering if you had to work next weekend?"

"No , why?"

"The girls have activities." "I was thinking I could bring Max Jr. to Atlanta so you can meet."

"Sounds good."

"I'm going to my first marriage counseling session on Friday." "I'm not looking forward to it."

"He talked you into it huh?"

"No." "He made some good points."

"I think you should just get a divorce."

"You're biased."

"I can't help it." "I love you."

"I'm going to bed." "Goodnight."

"Goodnight."

That Friday Hallie and Max were just starting their session.

"What seems to be the problem?" The doctor asked.

"There are several." Hallie said.

"Ironically the person who brought us together, is the person tearing us apart." Max said.

"Who would that be?"  The doctor asked.

"Her ex-husband." Max said. "The man she frequently cheats on me with."

"Five times in a thirteen year period is not frequently." Hallie said. "I know it doesn't make it any less wrong." "I admit I was wrong, but I do not do it all the time."

"Enough to be carrying his child right now." "Which I've never understood." "We initially got together and fell in love because you weren't happy." "Yet, you keep screwing that asshole."

"Hallie do you still love your ex-husband?" The doctor asked.

"No."  "I love Max."

"Let's back up and talk about how you two got together."

They explained the whole story.

"Then on the night I proposed to her she tells me she cheated on me with her ex-husband Sam." Max said. "Also that our son might not be mine."

"Which he wasn't but I didn't know that until recently." Hallie said. "Max paid to have the results switched."

"So the biological of your son is your ex-husband?" The doctor asked.

"Yes."  "I kicked Max out of the house after that."

"How did that make you feel?"

"Angry, hurt, betrayed." "Angry for my son." "He is going to be so hurt and confused when he learns, that the father he's known his whole life, isn't his father."

"I've been a good father to him." Max said. "You can't deny that."

"Knowing you weren't for years." 

"I didn't know for sure until you showed me the DNA test results."

"Max do you still love Hallie?" The doctor asked.

"Of course I love her with all my heart." "Sometimes I don't feel like she loves me."

"That's ironic, sometimes I feel the same way." Hallie said looking at Max. "I feel like I'm a game to you sometimes." "That you don't really forgive me for what I've done." "You just say you do because you're afraid if we break up, I'll go back to Sam." "I feel like I could kill someone right in front of you, and if you thought it would prevent me from going back to Sam you'd say." "All is forgiven."

"That's not true." "You're not a game." "I love you Hallie."

"You say that, but I don't feel it." "When we first got together all you had to do was look at me and I l knew you loved me." "Now it feels like your just going through the motions."

The hour was almost up.

"I'd like to know what each of you want out of this time." The doctor said.

"I want us to be ok and happy again." Max said.

"I want to see if this will save us from divorce." Hallie said.