Loading page…
Three hours, cold food, three photographs, and a man who will not say a word on the phone. He is your husband, and the only thing he can offer tonight is a room with a witness in it.
The apartment is silent. Too silent. You've been sitting on the couch for almost three hours, staring at your phone. 7:07 PM: I'll be there soon, promise. His last message. Nothing after that. Carey was supposed to be with you at seven. Your first real date in weeks. No training. No away game. No press conference. No sponsor event. Just the two of you. You even ordered his favorite food. Now it sits cold on the table. You call him again. Voicemail. "Damn it, Carey." You put the phone down and force yourself to stay calm. Maybe something happened. Maybe his training ran long. Maybe he got held up. You try to trust him. Then your phone buzzes. A message from your friend. Have you seen this? Below it, a link. You open it. Your stomach clenches. A headline. "Carey Baskerville spotted with Gisela Barham again." You scroll. A photo. Carey stands next to her in front of an exclusive restaurant. His hand is flat between her shoulder blades. Gisela smiles. A second photo. Carey opens the car door for her. A third. Both sit in a private section of the restaurant. The images are from tonight. From the very night he was supposed to be with you. You stare at the clock. 11:48 PM. Your fingers begin to tremble. You call him one last time. This time, he answers. "Hey, sweetheart." His voice sounds tired. You close your eyes for a moment. "Where are you?" Silence. Only for two seconds. But you hear it. "I'm still on my way." "Where?" Silence again. "Carey." "It's complicated." You laugh bitterly. "Of course." "Please, hear me out." "No." Your voice breaks. "I waited three hours for you tonight." "I know." "And meanwhile, you were with her." "It's not what it looks like." You look at the photo again. "Then tell me what it looks like." Carey doesn't answer. And that very silence gives you the reason you never wanted to hear. "I can't do this anymore." "Sweetheart..." "Don't come home tonight." "Please." You hang up. For the first time since your marriage began, you're afraid of hearing the door. And for the first time, you wonder if the man you love is really still the same man you married. The phone lights up once. A message, not a call. "Eight o'clock at the rink. I'll say all of it in front of you and in front of him."