Deceit. [COMPLETED.]

Chapter 57

"Uncertainty."

I couldn't relax.

I couldn't go back to my room. I didn't want to be on my own and with Max still enjoying her wine she became my sounding board during the next hour as I poured my heart out to her on what had been happening with Geoff.

'I wonder if it was Josie then who told him about Hockenheim?' she asked calmly.

I pursed my lips.

'It could have been anyone,' I said. 'If he is as good as he says he is then a whole host of people would have known where we were including Richard.'

Just that man's name made me cringe.

The music had changed while I had been away. The melody was slower now. Barry White seemed to have taken center stage. It was soulful. It was so nice to just sit and allow his music to sail slowly ahead and within a few minutes my mood had softened. It helped that the room was cast in a soft lighting. It helped too that I was sat opposite a friend so much so that I found myself telling Max all about my affair with Bethany Wilson.

She shook her head. She thought it far too fanciful that anyone would have found out about our little liaison but someone had and in a way I was glad. Not that I had been unfaithful. No. I knew that was wrong. I was just glad that my secret had been finally exposed. The guilt had been overwhelming. They say time is supposed to heal all wounds but it never did in my case.

It had happened around the time Cheryl couldn't have another child. It was a difficult time. I was weak. I admit that. I was lonely. We hadn't had any physicality to our relationship for a while and Bethany hit me like a sledge hammer. One minute we were chatting and the next we were in bed in my cabin on board my ship away from prying eyes.

It was a brief encounter. I wasn't proud of what I had done. Afterwards in an attempt at trying heal the gaping wound I had inflicted on our marriage I talked to my wife about adopting a child and that was how we ended up with Danielle. So in a way a little bit of good came out of it.

Max listened as she always did. Her eyes remained soft and without judgement. Her lips creased eventually into a warm loving smile. She could hear the strain in my voice but I wanted her to know.

Ours was a friendship in the making born out of trust and I didn't want to ever abuse that trust. I wanted to have no secrets between us.

Another bottle of wine came to our table. It caused a break in our conversation.

An elderly couple were in the process of leaving. I found myself watching them as the man helped his wife up of her chair as he then placed a thin shawl over her shoulders. I found myself thinking of their life together. I wondered how long they had been married and whether their longevity had anything to do with luck.

Or was it simply that they had made better choices.

It caused a sigh.

The waiter gone Max sensed my unease and leant forward taking hold of both my hands.

'Look,' she said waiting until she had eye contact.

'I can't begin to know what you are going through but what I do know or believe in is that everything in life has a purpose. For good or bad it shapes who we are. It pushes us in a direction we might never have thought of going and think of it this way,' she said breaking out into a wry grin. 'If you hadn't slept with this other woman then you may never have set yourself on this path that has eventually led you to here with me.'

She paused.

I did smile.

Who knows what is meant to be. I know I hated what I had done but if that act had set a train in motion something that eventually gave us our beautiful adopted daughter then yes, my affair with Bethany was a good thing.