Secret Desires

✧ 13: Vanessa's Side

Vanessa

✧ July 19

       There was nothing she could do. She paced back and forth from the back door to the front. Vanessa felt her ankles becoming swollen but that didn't stop her. Her nails were bitten down as she worried at them. Her bottom lip was next. She checked her phone for the hundredth time in the last hour. Still no texts or calls from him. None from her sister either.

        She didn't know who would respond to her first. Perhaps neither of them would. Her sister was justifiably pissed with her. Vanessa had done the worst thing any sister could do to their own.

        She'd slept with her sister's husband.

        It sounded much worse than what really happened, but Maggie would not hear her out. The truth came to light and Vanessa was kicked out on her ass. She had begged and pleaded for her sister to let her back in the house. Maggie had to know that she wasn't a homewrecker. Vanessa had no idea what to say when everything happened, but that had only made things worse. Her silence had been damning.

        She'd been a blubbering mess outside her sister's house. She banged on the front door for a while until one of the neighbors came out to see what all the commotion was. Vanessa had wiped at her face, trying to act as if nothing was wrong. Before the neighbor could question her further, Vanessa got in her car and left. She'd run a stop sign and two lights. She wasn't purposely endangering herself. She couldn't focus when her world was falling apart. Her sister was the only one in her family who loved her unconditionally. And now that might be all gone.

        It was a mistake. A horrible stupid mistake. But Vanessa felt as though it wasn't right that anyone else should be hurt by this situation. Not when it was her this was happening to.

        She stopped pacing at the sound of the front door being unlocked. She hurried to get it, pulling it open to let him in. He stood there with the same look he'd left with. He was still in his sleepwear, his hair messy from sleep. He looked miserable.

        This morning when she heard him talking on the phone, she thought nothing of it. The night before he had been comforting and reassuring. What did she have to worry about? She had planned to tell him the truth this morning. She just needed a day to gather her thoughts and the courage to do so.

        She had been getting up when the bedroom door burst open, the door slamming into the wall. There had been a crack in the wall from the impact that she had stared at for a long time when he was gone.

        His first words to her this morning had been, "Your sister called." Vanessa's heart sunk into her stomach. She sat on the side of the bed with a hand on her stomach. She felt her baby move, probably startled like she was. Jake stood in the doorway staring at her expressionless. She couldn't speak or move. It wouldn't have mattered either way. As fast as he'd come he was gone. She heard him grab his car keys before leaving out the front door. The sound of the door slamming had her on her feet.

        She hurried to the living room but his car was already gone. The sound of tires squealing sent her heart racing. He was angry. That much was clear. There was no telling where he went. Vanessa had called her sister and she answered right away, the yelling from their last encounter resuming.

        Maggie had called Jake to tell him about their fight. She told him everything including warning him about Vanessa. Jake knew now, but that didn't mean he knew everything. She had to explain herself. He had to listen.

        Her phone call with her sister had been short before Maggie hung up. Vanessa screamed at her phone in frustration, trying to call Maggie over and over again. Then she tried Jake but her calls went straight to voicemail. Either his phone was off or he blocked her. That's when the pacing began.