Trigger warning: slight violence
"Stevie what do I do?!" Lori asks frantically as Lindsey continues banging on their door.
"Hand the phone to him"
I hear murmurs on the other end, then a scratchy voice speaks.
"Steph!"
"Linds, please leave Lori and Chris alone, this is hard enough already-"
I peek around the corner and see Ray is almost done with his scotch and I pull the long cord attached to the phone into the bathroom with me. It looks completely suspicious.
"I can't do this. You can't leave me. Please, I need to see you. I need to touch you."
A large lump forms in my throat and it takes everything in me to not cry.
"Linds please-" my voice cracks
"Baby just let me see you..."
"But Ray-"
"Screw that bastard! That fucking piece of shit can wait to get back to Arizona and see all his fuck-wad colleagues! Just tell me what airport you're at and let me see you. It won't be long."
"The plane is supposed to leave soon"
"I'll pay whoever I have to, to have "technical issues"
I reluctantly tell him the airport and he thanks me over and over again. I don't know what can of worms I just opened, once again.
-
Around 15 minutes after my conversation with Lindsey I'm still sitting in silence with Ray, contemplating my next move. The air conditioning on the plane isn't working, so we've been delayed until it's fixed. I'm sure this was Lindsey's doing, he's a smart man and he's good with people so I'm sure he was able to bribe the right person.
"Who was on the phone?" Ray looks at me with dead eyes
I'm silent for a few moments, just looking out the window as the rain continues to fall heavily.
"Stephanie, tell me"
I'm sure he knows who it is, because why else would he be urging me for an answer.
"Why do you treat me this way?"
He rolls his eyes and takes another gulp of his scotch.
"Are we really doing this today?"
I snap my neck his way to reach his gaze and I swear I see red for a second but then tears prick at my eyes.
"Yes! Yes we are! Who the fuck am I to you? Because you sure don't think of me as your wife, right?"
He runs a finger around his jaw with frustration
"Stevie , you know I love you. What has this guy put in your head to make you turn against me? Surely he was just telling you shit to get into your pants"
It takes everything in me to not lunge out of my seat and smack the hell out of him. This is it. I just have to rip off the band- aid.
"He told me the truth that I was not able to see"
He rolls his eyes once again
"And what is that?"
I stand up
"That you're a filthy piece of shit, who makes me feel worthless just so you have a better image of yourself"
He scoffs and stands up too.
We stare at each other, face to face, with hatred . Neither of us backing down. For once I'm not scared if he hits me.
"Don't you fucking talk to me like that, you're fucking delusional."
I chuckle at his statement, but there's no humor, of course he'd react this way.
I walk over to the over head bin and grab my luggage, bringing it down.
"And what do you think you're doing?!"
I glance out the window and the car is still there. It has been for around five minutes, he was smart enough to not honk.
"I'm done"
I make my way to the exit with my bag.
He pulls me back by my hair.
"Get off of me!"
I slap him in the face as hard as I can. I'm sure that's really gonna set him off. I quickly make my way down the stairs trying to get all my stuff down in one piece.
"Get your ass back here right now!"
There's a few workers around and I'm sure they're getting a real good show. I can see he's restraining himself for once because there's an audience. I speed walk which almost qualifies as jogging towards the car and pull open the doors to be met with Lindsey and Chris as the driver. I throw my luggage in the front seat. I smack my lips into Lindsey's. This all happened so quick. I can't believe i did it. I left.
"I love you so much baby! You did it. You deserved so much better Steph" he kisses all over my face. As the car pulls away I glance out the back window and I see Ray still standing in the exit door. There's a look on his face that makes me shiver. I redirect my attention towards Lindsey and kiss his nose, lips, jaw and everything in between.
"I love you so much," I whisper into his ear.
"Okay enough!" Christopher announces.
We both pull away from each other but our hands are still locked.
"What the fuck is going on!?"
I'm drenched from the rain and I'm sure there's mascara running down my cheeks as I begin to break down after the adrenaline has vanished.
" I can't stay with Ray, Chris. I left him. I love Lindsey"
Lindsey looks at me and we smirk. He kisses my cheek once again.
" you're gonna be in a world of hell. You know how he is... but if your happy, I'll do anything to help you"
"Thank you," I run my fingers under my eyes trying to clean up my face.
What have I done? I'm sure I've made the right decision, but, wow... I feel like I'm living a dream. I lay my head in Lindsey's lap and a genuine smile spreads across my face.
This is what you guys have been wanting, right?🤭 sorry if there's any errors! ❤️
