Hidden Desires

5. Snow White and Her Charming Princess

Jennifer's Point Of View

I drove home with a knot in my stomach, my mind racing with all the possible scenarios of what would happen when I walked through the door. Beau and I had been drifting apart for a while now, but I never expected things to come to a head like this, especially not after everything that had happened with Leah. Part of me wondered if he somehow knew, if he had sensed the shift in me. I was bracing myself for a confrontation, for anger, accusations, and the inevitable fallout. When I finally parked the car and led the kids inside, they barely spared a glance at Beau, who was sitting on the edge of the couch, his hands clasped together, staring at the floor. Normally, they would have run up to him, eager to share their day or just to say hi, but today, they simply murmured a quick, "Hi," before rushing upstairs, clearly still upset about leaving Leah.

The tension in the air was thick enough to cut with a knife. My heart pounded in my chest as I closed the door behind me, steeling myself for whatever was about to happen. The house, usually filled with the lively chatter of the kids or the background noise of the tv, felt eerily quiet. Beau's silence only made the atmosphere more oppressive, like a storm cloud hanging overhead, ready to break at any moment.

He looked up when he heard the door click shut, his eyes meeting mine with an intensity that sent a chill down my spine. This was it. I could feel it in the way he stared at me, searching my face for something, guilt, remorse, maybe even love. But I didn't feel any of those things. All I felt was a strange calmness settling over me, like the eye of a storm.

"Jenn, we need to talk," He said, his voice low, as if he was trying to keep his emotions in check.

I nodded, taking a seat across from him. My heart was still racing, but I kept my face neutral, not wanting to give anything away. "Yeah, we do."

He took a deep breath, running a hand through his hair, clearly struggling to find the right words. "I've been doing a lot of thinking lately, and... I just don't think we align anymore. We want different things, and I think it's time we both admit that."

His words hung in the air, heavy with finality. I could see the expectation in his eyes, waiting for me to react, to fight for our relationship, to tell him he was wrong. But as I listened to him, all I felt was relief. This was exactly what I had needed, even if I hadn't realized it until now.

Instead of the explosion of emotions he seemed to be anticipating, I simply nodded. "Okay."

He blinked, clearly taken aback by my response. "Okay? That's it?"

"Yeah," I said, leaning back in my seat. "I think you're right. We've been drifting apart for a while now, and I guess I've been waiting for this conversation to happen."

The shock on his face was almost comical. He looked like he was trying to wrap his head around the fact that I wasn't going to argue with him, wasn't going to beg him to stay. "You're really okay with this?" he asked, disbelief coloring his tone.

I shrugged, feeling an odd sense of detachment. "I am. I think this is the best thing for both of us."

He shook his head, as if trying to make sense of it all. "I thought you'd fight for us, Jenn."

I met his gaze, my expression calm. "Beau, we haven't been on the same page for a long time. We've been holding on to something that just doesn't work anymore. The sex is good but we just don't click emotionally anymore. I think deep down, we both know that."

He stared at me for a long moment, the tension in the room shifting from anticipation to something else.. Finally, he let out a long breath, the fight draining out of him. "I guess I just didn't expect you to be so... okay with it."