Unexpected Turn Of Events

You're not, are you?

"Don't touch me." Stevie swats Jeff's hand away as he tries to help her get out of the car.

"What the hell is your problem?" Jeff yells. 

Stevie spent days in hospital and she refused to see him. He has no idea why the sudden change in her behavior. One thing Jeff knows for sure, however, is that Lindsey is more than just Max's guitar teacher. He's the man Stevie's been seeing and possibly a lot more than that. 

"I'll help her." Max says, coming around to Stevie's side. Slowly, Stevie gets out, still holding onto her son, she makes her way into the house. 

Ruby has a room downstairs ready, so Stevie doesn't have to climb the stairs. Stevie holds her side, masking the discomfort she's feeling as she goes to her new temporary room and Ruby helps her to bed. Jeff comes in and unceremoniously drops Stevie's bag on the floor.

"We need to talk." Stevie addresses him, Max and Ruby looking at each other, knowing it was their cue to leave.

"So, now you want to talk?" Jeff scoffs, his arms crossed as a petulant child's again. 

"Close the door and sit down. Not on the bed." Stevie adds.

"What makes you think you can order me around, huh? After that show you put on with Lindsey, whom you've never met before." 

"Don't give me that." Stevie winces a little, trying to get more comfortable. "Is there something you'd like to tell me, Jeff?" She thinks, she'll give him a chance to come clean first.

"I should be asking you that."

"No, no you really shouldn't." Stevie shakes her head.

"I don't know what you're talking about. There's nothing I'm keeping from you an-"

"What about a daughter? Aimee?" Stevie sees all color drain from Jeff's face, his Adam's apple raise and fall, as he unfolds his arms, opening his mouth to say something, but nothing comes out. "I know about her. It's your own carelessness that let me find out you have a daughter. And don't you dare lie to me."

"How?" Jeff asks, his voice barely audible.

"I saw that drawing in your office, which is why I got in the car. I wanted to run away from you as far as possible."

"You could have gotten killed, Stevie. Despite what you might think, I care about you."

"That's not the point right now. What I want to know is how long you've been lying to me? How old is your daughter?" So far, Stevie's in control of her emotions, she doesn't want to let Jeff see her cry, especially because of him.

"Aimee is eight." Jeff replies, actually sounding ashamed.

"Oh God... And who's the mother? Do I know her?" Stevie thinks she's going to puke if the answer happens to be, yes. 

Shaking his head, Jeff sighs. "I met Sandra about ten years ago. She was the wife of one of our clients. We got to know each other and... One time her husband couldn't make it to the meeting, so under his instructions, she brought me some files and it was just the two of us... We had dinner with a bottle of wine, then she asked if I was in a hurry and..." Jeff shrugs his shoulders, unable to look at Stevie. "We slept together once. I swear."

"Does it really make much of a difference? You still cheated." The next question comes naturally. "If you... you slept with her once, then are you sure Aimee is yours?"

"I'm not stupid." Jeff gets a little defensive. "I had a paternity test done." After a moment of silence, Jeff says. "It was a mistake. It separated Sandra and her husband. They had been married for a few years back then."

"You and I were married for more than just a few years back then." Stevie points out, which silences Jeff. "Well, at least you didn't abandon your daughter. That poor girl..."

"Aimee's not a poor girl, Stevie. I bought them an apartment, I pay pretty good child support, she has everything an eight year old could want."

"What about a father?" Stevie looks Jeff in the eyes and he feels physical pain in his chest at her words. "Doesn't she deserve to have a father everyday, not just when he can sneak away from his family?"

"What do you think I was going to do, when I found out I knocked some other woman up? Tell you?"

"You should have, that's exactly what you should have done." Stevie nods. "It's not fair on anybody, what you did."

"If I had told you, you would have left me!" Jeff argues, but Stevie answers him calmly. 

"Back then I still loved you enough to have found it in my heart to forgive you." That takes him aback and he struggles for something to say. "I can't believe that we've argued so many times about me and Lindsey, the names you've called me... when you have a secret family, Jeff. You're such a hypocrite." Then it hits her. "Was that the reason you suggested open marriage? You thought that would make you feel less guilty?" Jeff doesn't reply in words, nodding his head. "God..."

"Don't pretend you're innocent, Stevie. We had rules about it and here you are, parading your lover for the world to see. What was that at the hospital anyway? You asked me to leave and he stayed? Why were you begging for him instead of wanting me by your side, huh?" Jeff hopes to divert some of the blame away from himself.

"You really want to know why?"

"Please, do tell me!" Jeff jumps to his feet, hands on his hips as he attempts to stare her down, so she thinks about her answer twice.

"I fell in love with Lindsey." Stevie says, not fazed. "He treats me the way you should. He reminded me what's it like when a man loves his woman."

"I can't fucking believe this!"

"Oh, can't you really!" Stevie starts to lose her patience. "You've completely abandoned me, Jeff. Your work has become a lot more important to you than I ever was. Although, it probably wasn't just work, seeing as you've been hiding a child from me for the past eight years! How many of those trips were really business related, mm?"

"I said, I was sorry!"

"Actually no, you didn't. You didn't say you were sorry once. Which makes me wonder if you even are." Jeff opens his mouth to reply, but Stevie interrupts. "You know what, though? I don't care. This marriage has become a sham. You've been living a double life for years, I'm in love with someone who isn't you. What could possibly be done to make this okay again? Nothing. The answer is nothing, Jeffrey."

"You're just infatuated." Jeff tries. "What, you think he'll be treating you like a princess after you've lived together for ten, twenty years?"

Shrugging her shoulders, Stevie shakes her head. "I can't know for sure. Maybe we'll break up after a year or we might not even make it that far, but I choose to be happy now with Lindsey instead of continuing being miserable with you just because we've been married for so long and we have children together. They're old enough, they'll understand."

"You're not implying what I think you are..."

Taking a deep breath, Stevie says firmly. "I want a divorce."