Dinner on Friday

47. Carla

BROKEN

I thought I knew betrayal, but nothing could prepare me for the scene on the screen. The truth unfolded before my eyes, a nightmare made real, as the video revealed Dante's actions in stark, unforgiving detail.

Tears streamed down my cheeks as I watched, my world crumbling around me with each passing second. As his betrayal landed on my chest with the force of an atomic bomb, I felt a wave of anguish wash over me.

I had so many questions, each one a dagger twisting in my gut.

Who was the woman? How long had he known her? Was this their first time fucking, or had they been carrying on behind my back for weeks, months, years? Was he using protection or raw dogging her? What were they whispering about? And the most important question of all: Did he love her?

I hadn't touched my husband in weeks, the distance between us growing with each passing day, but seeing him tangled with another woman pained me beyond explanation. I despised the way she ran her fingers down the side of his face with such familiarity and hated the way she seemed to enjoy the pleasure he brought to her, almost as if she was entitled to it.

Dante was a hypocrite, I realized bitterly. I remembered the time he attacked Sergio in a rage of jealousy, even when nothing was going on between me and Sergio.

And now, for him to turn around and do this? To betray our trust and our love, all for a fleeting moment of pleasure?

I blinked back tears, and for a second, my vision blurred, but for the life of me, I couldn't unsee the image of Dante humping another woman. I blinked again, and my eyes fell on the forgotten pregnancy tests on the counter. My heart constricted painfully when I saw two distinct lines in each test window.

Oh, shit.

The tears spilled in earnest now-big, fat, ugly tears. In my heartbreak, I forgot about my handicap, pushing myself off the toilet. One second, I was vertical, and the next, I was falling. Grasping at straws, I crumpled and hit my head on the armrest of my wheelchair before bouncing off and landing on the cold tiles.

A gush of warm liquid leaked down my temple and over my cheeks. Yup, I was bleeding, but that didn't overshadow the deep ache of betrayal growing like cancer on my chest.

As I lay trembling on the tiles, anger surged inside me. How could he do this to me? I trusted him with my heart and my soul.

Why would he do this? Why?

I thought we were happy.

Girl, with everything going on in your life the past year, why the hell would you think he was happy? Ever since he married you, you've only brought death and heartache to his door.

Warm blood trickled from the gash on my temple, serving as a cruel reminder of the physical pain I was experiencing, but it paled in comparison to the agony of my shattered dreams.

And with it, all my hopes of finally being lovable and living happily ever after with the love of my life.

With a trembling hand, I reached out to grab hold of the wheelchair, using it to pull myself upright. Every movement sent a jolt of pain through my body, but I pushed through the discomfort, driven by a fierce determination to keep moving. I couldn't let this shatter me. I had a baby on the way.

The sound of my ragged breathing filled the room as I struggled to get back in the wheelchair. I let out a frustrated sigh and sagged to the floor as tears blinded me.

Oh my, why did my chest hurt so much? And why did it feel like I wasn't getting enough air?

Well, shit, imagine getting a heart attack from heartbreak?

"Carla?" Sergio knocked on the door. "It's been more than ten minutes. Are you alright? What do the tests say?"

I laughed. "Fate is a cruel thing, Sergio."

"Excuse me?"

"Can you bring me my crutches, please?"

"Yeah, sure." A couple of seconds later, the door swung open. "Oh my god, what happened?"

"I fell and hit my head, but I'll be fine." I raised my hands for him to help me up.

"This doesn't look good," he said once I was firmly planted back in my chair. "Let me see."

"You remind me so much of him," I whispered.

Sergio looked confused. "Who?"

"Of my husband."

"And by your tone, I'm guessing that's not a good thing right now. What happened? What was on that drive?" He looked around the bathroom. "Where are the towels?"

I pointed behind him. "Third drawer from above."

After running a small hand towel under warm water, he brought it to my temple and applied pressure. "Carla, what was on the drive?"

"Nothing important." I stared at the laptop, but the screen was now black.

His eyes narrowed. "Then why are you crying? Something on that computer upset you. Is that why you fell?"

I wiped snot from my nose. "He... he... oh my god, I can't even say it."

"Just say it."

"He cheated on me."

Sergio looked me in the eyes, and his expression told me I was insane. "I don't believe that. Your husband nearly killed me at the thought of us being together. It makes no sense."

"I have proof."

"And the proof came on that drive?"

I nodded.

Sergio stepped away to rinse the blood off the towel before applying more pressure. "How do you know it's real?"

"Tsk. Are you saying I can't tell fiction and reality from each other?"

"Do you know what AI is capable of these days?"

"Yes, but I know my husband, and I know what I saw. I know his body and have traced every contour of it countless times. I know the way his dick swings when he's walking, know the way his hips move when he's fucking. It was him. Not some image rendered by AI." He released the towel, and I took over the task of applying pressure and wiping blood from the corner of my eye.

"Okayy, you know him, alright, but who has something to gain by sending you a video of Dante with another woman?"

"Are you serious right now?" I asked incredulously. "That's what you're worried about? He was with another woman. That's all that matters. Whoever sent the video to me did me a favor."

"You're hurt, I understand-"

I interrupted him. "Oh, don't give me that bullshit about being emotional, and that's why I'm not thinking straight."

"I wouldn't dare." He glanced at the pregnancy tests on the counter next to him. His gaze returned to my face and then once more to the tests. "I guess congratulations are in order?"

"Thank you. I guess?"

"It's his loss, you know. You're a wonderful woman, and you're going to be a great mom." He smiled, his hazel eyes shining genuinely. "You're kind, beautiful, and loyal. What more can a man ask for? If my future wife is half as beautiful as you are, I would never put another woman before her."

Sergio's kind words made me feel a little better, but I already knew that I would cry myself to sleep tonight and for many more nights to come. I was about to be a single parent, and my life, as I knew it, was going to change forever.

With the help of my mother and the few friends I had left, I would find the strength to pick up the pieces of my shattered heart and rebuild.

But why did it feel like this was the last straw for me? As if this betrayal, on top of everything else, had finally broken my spirit?

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