You Watching Me

Escapism

"Okay... now it sounds like we can make a deal." Jillian stood up and poured another glass of wine.

Patrick looked at her with a little hope. He was completely exhausted of this battle he was going through with his wife and also with Ellen. He closed his eyes for a second and ran his hand over his face in attempt to wash away all the stress and pain but obivously, it didn't help at all.

"What do you want?" Patrick whispered, not daring to look at her. He was staring at his hands, at the golden ring on his left hand, slowly turning it around his finger. He could hear Jillian sitting down opposite him into the luxurious armchair he had to buy her for last Christmas.

Jillian crossed her legs and with wide smile, she took another sip of her wine. She felt the victory on her side.

"You know... as you said, I am seeing someone, it's been almost two years, to be exact." In that moment, Patrick looked up at her in a big surprise, and also with a slight hint of amusement.

"Are you kidding me?" He couldn't believe it. It wasn't like he was jealous or angry, just surprised. Not that she was seeing someone but that she got so mad about Ellen and they weren't even a thing! "Can you repeat that?" He needed to reassure himself that he had heard her correctly.

"Yeah... two years. I remember the day you came home from your first day filming with Ellen and I immediately knew I lost you. Since that day, you weren't my husband. I was on the second place. And I want you to feel the same pain I used to." She put her glass on the coffee table in front of her and stood up to go to the window. She took a deep breath.

"I want to sell this house, I will take the money from the sale and for two years from the divorce, you will pay me every month, like pocket money, you know. I paid for two years being fooled by you, so now it's your turn to pay." She turned to him, dead serious. "And during those two years, you won't be seeing anyone. And by anyone, I mean literally anyone."

The silence in the room was unbearable. Patrick still wasn't sure if this was really happening or not. If this was some kind of dream, or a nightmare. The clock stopped, his breath got caught somewhere in the middle of its way to his lungs, his heartbeat raced up. His jaw dropped and he felt like he had to be in some kind of bad movie. This was too much for him.

"I... I need to absorb all of this... We will talk tomorrow." And with that, he stood up, grabbed his keys and wallet and headed to his car for a ride.

The moment he got into his car, he felt better. It was like his escapism. He started the engine and got away from the driveway. He was driving through the city in the dark night and he thought it couldn't be any better. He was thinking about his life, he asked himself if he achieved something big, something people will always remember. He was thinking about his family life and the only person that came up his mind was Ellen. He could picture them having big family, nice house. He smiled to himself. He loved her with every fibre he had in his body. And that was the moment he felt like he found a new source of energy to get what he wants. He was determined to get Ellen, to be with her and to make her happy. That was all that mattered to him.