Chapter 1

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The wind in the trees, the green of the grass and the leaves, the blue of the sky. They needed this. It could save everything. No matter how hard they tried, their marriage was on the cusp of an implosion and a get-away weekend in the hills at their private cabin could save it. At least...they hoped. He hoped. She...maybe not so much. He could no longer tell these days. Alice seemed so unsure of everything the past few years and the past few months had only gotten worse. FP could not read her anymore. His wife used to be an open book. They would tell each other everything. Or so they thought.

It was that day. That one horrific day that changed the way Alice felt about her husband. Mrs. Smith-Jones came home from work at the local newspaper only to find her husband with another woman. Younger. More flexible, from what Alice could tell before she ran out of there, yelling every curse word she knew...and some she didn't know she knew. FP never forgave himself. Even after weeks and weeks of emotionally heartwrenching therapy, the couple couldn't find ways to be in bed with each other again. She always pictured him and her and he always pictured that look of devastation on his soul mate's face when she saw his mistake.

To this day, he still wondered what it was that had urged him to cheat. Alice Helen Smith-Jones, was the most gorgeous girl in school. In the whole damn town and he got her. He treasured her. Not only was she the most gorgeous, but she was the most special. She was badass in a tender kind of way that he had never heard of nor seen before. She was cold, but had a warm heart. Something he loved to know as the ONLY one to know. She always refused to show her warm side, but with Forsythe Pendleton Jones Jr....her kind heart would slip through. They were everyone's dream. The power couple in high school and in college. From the moment they first laid eyes on each other, they knew....this would be the person they died with.

But young Penny Peabody ruined that, if only for a brief moment for FP....it ruined it forever for Alice. He felt her slipping away from him and something, he did not know what, had triggered her into a state of depression. She stopped smiling and even quit telling people insulting jokes, which was usually her favorite pass-time. FP noticed her change and when he begged and pleaded for her to tell him what was bothering her, she shut down. He even went so far as to make a romantic candlelit dinner for her in the hopes that she would soften up a bit and tell him her inner battle. She wouldn't budge. That's when she stopped letting him touch her. That's when he turned into, what she would call, 'a horny bastard who only needed one stick' to feel satisfied again. And that's when Penny came into the picture.

"Hey, honey. Could you roll your window up, please?" Alice asked kindly with a fake smile. "My hair is all over the place."

"Maybe you should've put it up." FP responded from the driver's seat.

"Just put the goddamn window up, FP." Alice demanded and he obeyed.

"Hey, I'm sorry." He sadly smiled at her. "I was just kidding."

Alice felt ashamed for snapping at him and she sighed, grabbing ahold of his hand and kissing it before setting it down between them. FP looked into her, once loving, blue eyes and he drowned for a moment in them. With a flutter in his heart, he looked down at their intertwined fingers before slowly letting go of her hand. He moved his own up to the spaghetti-strap of her sundress on her shoulder. While attempting to maintain focus on the road, he slid the strap down and off her shoulder, leaving it bare for a moment before she quickly returned it to where it belonged. She awkwardly cleared her throat, unaware of how she'd get through this "romantic" weekend with him.

"This vacation will be good for us, Ace." He subconsciously promised himself.

Alice sent him a pained smile before looking out the passenger side window again and for the rest of the ride, they drove on in silence.

They finally reached the cabin in the hills of one of the most beautiful mountain sceneries of the state. They looked around at the trees that surrounded them, secluding them from the outside world. FP turned off the car's engine and unbuckled his seat belt. He put his hand on the door knob to get out but he stopped when he felt Alice's gentle touch on his forearm beside him. "Hey." She spoke quietly and stared into his chocolate brown eyes.

"What?" He finally asked after a long moment of silence.

Alice felt a jump in her stomach and she quickly blinked with a shake of her head. "Nothing. Nothing." She sighed, unbuckling her own seatbelt and reaching for the door handle as well.

"Wait, wait!" FP stopped her. "Hold on." He quickly jumped out of the car and ran to the passenger side, opening the door for her like he used to, not a year ago.

They finally made it onto the porch when they heard one of nature's most vibrant sounds. They both looked out into the trees, listening to the coyote howl as it was soon joined by another. Holding their bags, they both sighed and turned back to face the cabin's front door. FP set down his suitcase, searching for the cabin's key on his keyring. When he finally got the one he needed, he attempted to open the screen door with a struggle. "Ugh! This stupid thing is still broken!" He grunted, pulling and tugging at the handle. "I should fix it tonight."

"Mmmm, good idea." Alice replied behind him with a hint of an attitude in her tone. "I've only been telling you that for years."

"Not now, Alice." FP grunted once more and he was finally successful in pulling it open. "Whew!" He laughed at himself. "Got it!" He unlocked the deadbolt and pushed the heavy wooden door open as well. Wiping the sweat from his forehead, he moved aside to let Alice in before him. "It is hot today!" He complained as she stepped in. "I think I'm gonna leave the screen door open until I fix it." He chuckled. "Don't wanna be locked in here all weekend. And since the air conditioner hasn't been on in here, I'm gonna leave this one open too."

"FP." Alice looked back at him with a scolding look.

"Just for a little bit, until it cools down in here." He received an eye roll from his edgy wife before she turned and headed back for the bedroom. With a sigh, he set his bag down and went over to the air conditioner to turn it on.


A/N: Hey, guys! There's chapter one! I really hope you're enjoying it so far. Things are gonna get really intense next chapter. If you've seen or read "Gerald's Game" then you know what I'm talking about. Only, this story is gonna have some different elements to it based on my own imagination. If you haven't already noticed my creative liberties in chapter one. Haha Anyway....leave me some reviews down below! I hope you prepare yourself for what's to come.

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