His Other Woman ↠ Roman Reigns

Chapter Eight

Chapter Eight

After a five-hour plane ride on Fahayra's private jet, Fahayra and Galina arrived at Fahayra's lavish Malibu home, a Spanish-style estate perched dramatically on a private bluff overlooking the Pacific Ocean.

As they stepped inside the grand foyer with its soaring 16-foot ceilings, Galina's eyes were immediately drawn to the dazzling panoramic views of the shimmering turquoise waters through the 60-foot wide great room.

Just beyond the window-lined walls, waves crashed against the rocky shore below the infinity-edge pool that seemed to spill right into the sea.

The home was designed to perfectly frame the spectacular vistas - dual master suites aptly named "sunrise" and "sunset" capitalized on the sun's daily arc across the sky.

A sprawling courtyard with lounge areas, a fireplace, and a barbecue provided the ideal space to soak up the idyllic seaside setting. After taking in the breathtaking scenery, Fahayra showed Galina to one of the luxurious master suites where ocean breezes drifted in through French doors leading to a private terrace.

Once settled in the perfectly appointed quarters, Fahayra powered up her phone only to be bombarded with concerned texts and voicemails from family about her impulsive getaway with Galina.

Meanwhile, back home, Joe contended with the couple dozen children questioning him about their mothers's whereabouts.

After gathering them together, he reluctantly explained the circumstances, leading to varied reactions from anger to sadness. Support arrived in the form of Joshua and Kandi, though they too expressed disappointment in Joe's betrayal of Galina and Fahayra.

While Joe attempted to justify his actions, Kandi pointedly noted he seemed to have lost everything by trying to avoid loss in the first place.

Later that evening, comfortably ensconced in Fahayra's state-of-the-art home theater, the two women indulged in comfort food and movies, finding a temporary escape from the turmoil awaiting their return.

It took two days before Galina and Fahayra responded to anyone's calls and texts. The emotional turmoil of discovering their shared partner's duplicitous nature had sent them into seclusion, each needing time and space to process this shattering revelation.

After taking a brief respite to check in on their children, offering reassurance that though their family unit was fractured, the mothers would be present when the time was right, Galina and Fahayra came together.

The two women, bound by betrayal, sat poolside, the gentle lapping of water in the background, as they each nursed a martini. The tension that had long simmered between them began to thaw as they opened up.

"You know I wanted to hate you so badly but I can't bring myself to do so," Galina shared, her voice tinged with resignation.

Fahayra nodded in understanding. "Trust me I know. For years I wanted to hate you but honestly, Joe is the problem. I let him control me and my emotions for so long that I didn't know if I could live without him, you know?" Fahayra confessed.

Seeing the way Joe had reacted when the truth was finally exposed had her questioning everything she thought she knew - about Joe, about herself, about their relationship.

Galina nodded, echoing Fahayra's revelations. "That's exactly how I feel. Then he kept saying how he loves you but my question is why didn't he just leave me to be with you? Why keep us both?" Galina asked the question that had plagued them both.

They sat together, two women bound by betrayal, seeking answers that perhaps only Joe could provide.

But in this moment, there was comfort in the shared experience of loving someone incapable of honesty and fidelity.

Sitting together in the living room after their showers, Galina and Fahayra began making lists to try to make sense of the tangled web their lives had become.

On paper they scribbled all the questions they wanted to ask Joe, trying to understand his motives and thought process. They listed the pros and cons of staying or leaving, weighing options for how to move forward.

"Do you think you can divorce? I mean like do you want to divorce?" Fahayra asked Galina point blank.

With a heavy sigh, Galina admitted that she did not want to fully divorce Joe despite the situation. This was not something she could just ignore, but she still loved her husband deeply.

When she posed the same question back to Fahayra, the other woman vehemently shook her head. "He's like a drug. I don't know what I'm going to do but I can't do this anymore. I can't be second place in his life anymore. I want to be able to go out and not be afraid to be seen with a man anymore," Fahayra explained passionately.

Nodding in understanding, Galina suggested they try an extended trial separation from Joe to test if they could survive without him. "If we both can live without him during that time then we walk away," She proposed.

"If we can't?" Fahayra asked anxiously.

Galina frowned, admitting "Then we'll be in therapy for the rest of our lives."

They also worried about the kids, wondering how to handle custody and getting the siblings to bond. Galina believed Joe should handle being a single father for a while so they could have space to figure things out.

She pointed out it would also be great for the half-siblings to spend quality time together. Laughing in appreciation of Galina's strategic thinking, Fahayra said "I see why Joe is so afraid to leave you, you're a mastermind."

Galina just smiled warmly back. "And I see why he loves you," she said, a look of understanding passing between the two women.