“Mark… you can’t…”
“Hold out your left hand. I’m taking back my rings.”
She held it to her chest. “No! You can’t… I’m your wife…”
“In name only. You haven’t lived up to your vows for a very long time. Part of me wants to ask why? What did I do wrong? But you know what? I don’t care anymore. I stopped loving you a long time ago.”
“But… we still had sex…”
I laughed at her. “Yes, exactly, sex. A purely physical act between two people. You think what we do is intimate? When was the last time I actually kissed you passionately? When was the last time you could say we made love? All I’ve done is fuck my wife since the day I found out because it was better than jerking off. A simple vessel for me to cum in. I’m surprised you never wondered why I preferred nailing you from behind. It was so I didn’t have to see your face.” I glanced across the table. “Sorry, girls. Too much information.”
“We learn all about that in sex education at school, Daddy,” Hannah replied.
“Either give me the rings or I’ll rip them off your fucking finger, Claire.” It must have been something in my tone, as she looked at me for a few seconds, gazing into my eyes, and she rather easily slid them off. “I have a feeling you’ve been doing that quite often as they slid off far too easily.”
“Can we talk about this?” she asked quietly.
“Me and you? No. This marriage is over, Claire. Done like a dog’s dinner, and you are the one that killed it. Everything that is about to happen is your fault entirely. Get your phone, talk to your lawyer. But my advice? Sign it now. Ask your lawyer who Melissa Bonny is while you’re on the phone. Trust me, Claire, I’m letting you off easy.”
“Though if you want to take it to court, Claire, I’ve advised my client to take everything you hold dear,” Melissa added.
I took out my phone and called another number. “Hello, Mark. Is the slut there?”
“That she is, Suzy. I’ve just shown her all the evidence and served her the divorce agreement.”
“Good. Just so you know, Claire, you’re dead to all of us. Everyone now knows what you’ve been doing to that man. How could you just throw him aside like you have? Someone is going to snap him up so quickly… That reminds me, are we still on for drinks on Saturday, Mark?”
“I’ll be single and available by then. I’ll give you a call Saturday morning. But I won’t be having any night visitors until I’m actually divorced. I do have some sort of moral fibre unlike other people I know.”
Claire’s mouth opened and closed like a fish. “And us on Friday, Mark?” Tanya asked, “I really want to see this big dick I’ve heard about. Can always fuck me in my car.” My girls giggled. “Oops, sorry.”
“You’re already… you’re going to…”
I glared at my wife. “I wouldn’t fucking dare. I really wouldn’t fucking dare. Call your lawyer.”
She could barely stand up, taking the paperwork and walking through to the living room in a daze. I heard her on the phone, though she wisely kept her voice down. She was back within half an hour, her eyes already red, her cheeks wet from tears. I had a heart of ice when it came to her. No empathy whatsoever. She’d made the bed she was now lying in.
“The locks will be changed once you’re gone tomorrow. Remember, no contact with myself or my kids from Saturday,” I said. I took the pen from my pocket and slammed it on the table. “Now sign the fucking paperwork!” I growled.
She started to cry. That’s when Katie spoke up. “Oh please, spare us the crocodile tears, Claire. You’ve been doing daddy dirty for years. You’ve never loved him. Just like you never really loved us.”
“That’s not true!” she sobbed, “I’m your mother! I carried you within me!”
“If it was true, you wouldn’t have cheated on him,” Hannah retorted, “And you’re just the woman who gave birth to us. That’s where your role as mother ended. Daddy has always cared for us, loved us. Do you even know when we got our first period? We had to go to daddy about it. Daddy! He had to deal with two frightened daughters who didn’t quite understand what was going on.”
“He had to take us to get the birth control pill to help regulate it,” Katie added, “And he’s had to do so many other things that our mother should have been helping us with too. But you’re too busy getting fucked by some other guy.”
I let it go. The girls were getting what they wanted off their chest. And it wasn’t everything to do with the affair. Kids are smart and they can see the truth of things. “Once you’re gone, you won’t be seeing us, Claire,” Hannah warned, “The court might say there will be visitation, but we won’t be coming to see you. You can’t force us to see you. We don’t want to see you, and certainly want nothing to do with the dickhead you’re going to shack up with. But you’re an idiot. Daddy is a great man. Your loss will be someone else’s gain. Although Katie and I hope daddy has some fun. He’s been loyal all this time despite all the mum’s at netball practically throwing themselves at him. It’s quite funny! Three years he’s tolerated your bullshit. Thankfully, it’s over now.”
I smiled. My girls almost worshipped me at times. It was nice to be loved so much by them. Shame my wife didn’t share that same love. Claire eventually settled down and picked up the pen, signing her name. Taking the three folders, I handed them back to Melissa. Bill stood up. “Come on, Claire. I’ll help you get a bag ready.”
She looked at me, pleading with her eyes. I looked at the girls. “Show’s over, girls. Go have a shower and get ready for bed. I’ll be up to say goodnight later.”
They smiled at me, slid past their mother, and wandered towards their end of the house. Claire tried one last time. “Please, Mark…”
“Three years, Claire. Three years you’ve lied to myself and my kids. Melissa is right about one thing. I could take you for so much, it’ll make your head spin. Melissa hates spouses who cheat and the laws here are not kind to adulterers. If I wanted to, I could go after lover boy as well. Hell, I could even go after the very company you work for. There are laws that protect jilted spouses.” Then I met her eyes and ensured my grin was the same as the first one. “Cassandra knows. If you do anything, and I mean anything, to stop this going through, I am going scorched fucking earth on your arse. Your entire family will see and know everything. So will our friends. And Tanya will ensure everyone at work knows what you’ve been up to.” I stood up and glared down at her. “Do not fuck with me on this, Claire. Stand up, go grab a bag of your shit, and get the fuck out of my house. You come back on Saturday and grab whatever is left. Melissa and Bill will be here to ensure you don’t take anything that isn’t yours. After that, I don’t want to hear from you and nor do the girls. I despise the very fucking ground you walk on. The girls? As far as they’re concerned, they don’t have a mother. Now get up and fuck off!”
I’d never shouted at her in such a manner. Never cursed at her either. She finally saw how angry I was and, rather wisely, stood up and scampered through to the lounge room where Bill was waiting. Turning to Melissa, she smiled at me. “I’ll ensure these are filed first thing.”
“Thanks.” I looked down at my left hand, third finger. “You know, I haven’t taken this off in all the time we’ve been married.” Taking it off was more difficult than I imagined. Took a couple of minutes to finally twist it up over the knuckle before it finally slid off. Resting on the table next to her rings, that’s when it hit as I sighed. “This will be over quick, right?”
“Everything is signed. Her lawyer isn’t an idiot. He won’t fight this. Adultery and all the other evidence that could burn her? She’s not a complete idiot. You will keep the house and you will keep the kids. Considering her wage is far superior, child support will be good. Sure you don’t…”
“Her money is tainted. I could be a prick, take what I’m owed, but I did all this for my girls. They’re all that matters now. They’re acting brave, but they’re hurting, just like their father.”
Melissa stayed until Claire had a bag packed. Standing near the door, I held out my hand. She knew what I wanted, smart enough to hand over the keys for the house. “One question. Did you ever bring him here?”
“No,” she whispered.
“Not sure whether to believe you or not, but it doesn’t really matter. I won’t be here Saturday. The girls play netball, if you remember or even care. Bill and Melissa will be here to let you in, take what you need, and then you can go. I’m sure your lawyer will keep you up to date otherwise.” I stood aside and allowed her to walk past. “One last thing. I would advise you tell the truth to your family. As I said, Cassandra already knows. I hear a single word…”
“You told…”
“Just Cassandra. She knows everything. And if you even think about backsliding on the agreement, she is going to burn your name in the family and with everyone you know and perhaps hold dear. Imagine what your father would think, knowing what a massive slut his daughter is. Funny that, your sister seems to love me more than you do.”
“I do love you,” she said, choking back a sob.
I snorted. “Funny fucking way of showing it. Fuck off, Claire. Fuck off out of this house, fuck off out of my life. My kids and I will be better off without you.”
With a sigh, she lifted her bag and headed towards her car. After throwing it in the boot, she got behind the wheel. I watched her start crying again, so I just shut the front door and switched off the outside light. I didn’t care how long she stayed there. Bill already had two beers in hand, giving me one as Melissa got off the phone to Claire’s lawyer. “He’s not going to fight it. He knows what will happen if he does. I’ll bend him over and… well, you can imagine.”
I took a sip of my beer to cover my grin. “Thanks, Mel. You’re a life saver.”
She stood up, grabbing her case, walking towards me. To my surprise, she kissed my cheek. “Your daughter and friends were right about one thing. Your wife is a fucking idiot. I’ll talk to you later.”