Lost in madness

39

Andrew

The steam from my shower still clung to the bathroom mirror as I stepped out, wrapping a towel around my waist. I could hear Sally bustling about in our bedroom,

I padded across the cool tiles and pushed open the door.

Sally stood before our full-length mirror, adjusting a navy blue dress that hugged her curves. Her hair was swept up in an intricate updo, tendrils framing her face. For a moment, I was struck by how beautiful she looked, a pang of something—twisting in my chest.

"Where are you going dressed like that?" I asked, leaning against the doorframe.

She met my eyes in the mirror, a small smile playing on her lips. "A wedding. My friend Ike is getting married."

I furrowed my brow, trying to act clueless. "The one whose father used to be governor, right? I think James mentioned something about that last time." I moved towards my dresser, rifling through a drawer for underwear. "I didn't know you two were close."

There was a beat of silence before Sally spoke again, her voice carefully neutral. "Actually, we used to date."

I froze, my hand hovering over a pair of boxer briefs.

"Nothing serious, a just casual fling."

"Why are you telling me that?" The words came out sharper than I intended, irritation flaring unexpectedly.

Sally turned to face me with a proud smug. "I just thought you should know that I had a life before."

I scoffed, grabbing a shirt from the drawer with more force than necessary. "Right, because I somehow forgot that you fucked other men before we met." The sarcasm dripped from my words, "That's very insulting."

"Oh, don't me started on insults. Believe me, you don't want to go there."

"Yeah, whatever."

I really wanted to attend this wedding, but I didn't want Sally to suspect the reason—  "You should come," Sally said, solving my internal debate. "Take some time from the office and perform your duty as my husband for once. I can't remember the last time we were seen together at a wedding."

"You didn't have to say all that. I'll come with you."

Sally's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "That was easy. Usually, this is the part where you pretend to have a meeting and walk out of the conversation. Are you okay?"

"Don't push it, Sally," I warned, feeling my irritation rise again. "I'm doing what you want, let's not argue over this." I glanced around the room, noticing the absence of our son's usual chaos. "Where's Jacob?"

"Hmm?" Sally seemed momentarily distracted, still eyeing me suspiciously. "Gabby took Jacob to the park." She shook her head slightly as if clearing away her doubts, and a genuine smile bloomed on her face. "Come on, let's find you something to wear."

Before I could protest, she had me by the hand, pulling me towards our walk-in closet. The space was a stark contrast between us—Sally's side a riot of colors and textures, mine a sea of muted grays and blues. She rifled through my suits with a practiced eye, eventually pulling out a charcoal gray number I'd forgotten I owned.

"This one," she declared, holding it up against me. "With the pale blue shirt and... this tie." She plucked a silk tie from the rack, its pattern a subtle interplay of blues and grays.

As she fussed with the ensemble, a soft smile playing on her lips, I felt a twinge of... something. I couldn't quite name it. "I don't know what's happening here, but I like it," Sally murmured, smoothing down the lapels of the jacket. "For the first time in ages, it feels like you're putting in effort. This is all I want from you, Andy."