My Neighbor's Wife

Chapter 14

Lucy's whole body freezes as she sees Benjamin coming out from behind the counter. She immediately tears her eyes away from the scene and presses her back against the wall. Bringing a shaking hand to her chest- feeling her own heart beating fast- she clutches the front of her dress, so tight that her knuckle is turning white.

There are so many emotions running inside her right now, that she does not know how she will react. Her face is showing flickers of these emotions that she is feeling- though she remains passive. She wants to break down and cry- and at the same time, she wants to yell in fury and in rage- it is so conflicting.

She does not know what to think, considering the fact that she did not really see them doing something. Though Mrs. Lovett's look is a giveaway- her hair disheveled; she is covered with flour and her dress looked like it was put on hastily- and also wrinkled. But it is Mrs. Lovett, and she has always been like that.

Maybe she's just over thinking and assuming things. Besides, is Benjamin really capable of having an affair with another woman? No! She knows him too well- he will never do that to her. Their love for each other is so strong that she is sure he will not do anything to hurt her- even if she doesn't know about it.

Or perhaps, this is his way of getting back to her- for not telling him about working for Judge Turpin. Oh, this is all her fault! Yes, she is quite sure now that this is his revenge- sleeping with another woman. If she didn't leave last night and waited to talk to him then, maybe this would not have happened. She does not have the right to be angry with him because this is all her doings. This is what she gets for not telling the truth and at the same time, for being mad because she was caught lying.

But, this is too much. This is all wrong- he is wrong. How can he do this to her? She knows she committed a mistake, but it is not a good enough reason- and there never will be- for him to cheat on her. It feels like her heart has been ripped away from her chest and shattered it into million pieces. It hurts her so much that she just wants to crumple on the floor and cry until no more tears flow in her eyes- though she cannot do that yet, maybe later.

For now, she has to deal with her husband and his mistress. Speaking of, shouldn't she be angrier with Mrs. Lovett? Because she knows that Benjamin already has a wife, and yet she allowed him to have his way with her. Albert must be rolling in his grave right now, seeing what his wife is doing- and it's only been a month since his death. It's a shame, really, she even considered the baker to be her friend.

With a determined look on her face, she composes herself and prepares to confront the two people inside the bakeshop. She brushes off imaginary dusts from her dress and straightens it. Squaring her shoulders and holding her head up high- with a look on her eyes that says murder- she walks towards the door of the shop.

She falters, her hand hovering over the door knob. She does not know what to say- what to do. She is afraid that she might not be able to control herself and do things she will regret later. What if she is wrong? She does not have enough proof that her husband is really doing what she thinks he's doing. Well, that's why she will go inside and know the truth.

Taking a deep breath, she finally opens the door and walks in. The sight that welcomes her makes her wants to tackle the baker to the ground and beat her; she also wants to shake her husband forcefully, hoping that he will come to his senses. They don't even notice her, for they are too busy dusting flour off of each other.

She ambles towards them, stopping a feet away from the counter. Unaware of her presence, they just continue on with what they are doing- she watches them. Looking closely, she sees that Ben's shirt is open in the middle and that the buttons are torn away- some dangling loosely. She does not want to think bad about it but, what else could have possibly cause that? Well, obviously not by making pies.