“Hey, is everything alright?”
My head shoots up, and Ashley is back in front of me, looking at me with concern.
Why did she have to ask that? I was doing fine, holding everything in. Convincing myself I could get through this without breaking down.
I nod, saying, “Hmm hmm.”
The tears I’ve been desperately fighting to keep in are now burning my eyes. I swallow the lump in my throat and force asmile. It’s no use. I can already feel the tears streaming down my cheeks.
Turning away from her, I wipe my eyes. I take a big breath to stop myself from crying, but it doesn’t help. I can’t catch the tears fast enough, and my back shakes while my head hangs low.
“I’m sorry,” I whisper.
She places a hand on my back. “Don’t be. Do you want to talk about it?”
My shoulders slump forward as I turn around with a small grin, as if that’s going to hide my emotions. “I have a feeling my husband might be cheating on me,” I blurt out before thinking if I should be this honest with my Pilates instructor.
Her eyes widen and her lips part. “Oh no. Do you know for sure?” she asks as she leads me to sit down on a bench.
I shake my head. “It’s mostly a gut feeling. I haven’t found any proof.”
Her brows pinched together in concern. “But something feels off?”
I bite my lip and look down at my hands fidgeting in my lap. I’m kind of embarrassed to be spilling everything to her. Someone I know but don’t. I mean, I see her almost every day. We talk all the time, but it’s not the friendship like I have with Rya. I haven’t even talked to Rya about this. Last time I did, she reassured me he would never cheat on me. But she also made me feel a little stupid for bringing it up.
“Yeah. He’s been distant. Almost like I’m living with a stranger.”
Her hand gently squeezes mine, stopping me from fidgeting.
“I’m so sorry you’re going through this,” she says softly. “Have you talked to him about how you’re feeling?”
I let out a shaky breath and shrug. “I’ve tried. But every time I bring it up, he shuts down. Or he makes me feel like I’m crazy.” I let out a sigh. “It’s making me go crazy.”
She frowns and shakes her head. “You’re not crazy. Sometimes, our gut knows things before our hearts do.”
I look up at her, my eyes glossy, burning from the tears and lack of sleep. But I can’t help but listen to those words that replay in my mind constantly.
Trust your gut.
“I don’t know what to do anymore. I know I need proof and there just hasn’t been any yet, so it’s literally driving me insane.”
She sighs “Give it time. Men are stupid, and they’re bound to slip up eventually. We woman always catch them even if it takes a while. Men think they won’t get caught, but they always do.” She swallows hard. “Trust me. I went through it.”
My eyes widen. “You did?”
Her lips pull together as she nods her head. “Yup, my first husband did a number on me.”
“Was it similar to my situation?”
She squeezes my hand. “Yes, but I don’t want you to think because my ex was the same way that yours is for sure cheating. I had a lot of friends think the same thing after what I went through. But turns out some men are really stressed and going through stuff. They handle it way different then woman do.” She shrugs.
She’s not the only one who suspects he might be cheating because of how he’s been acting. My hairdresser mentioned the same thing. But then again, Zay told me he’s been stressed lately. So, is Ashley, right? I’m so confused. I don’t know what to believe anymore.
The weight on my chest feels a little lighter as her words sink in.
“How did you catch your husband?”
She chuckles. “The idiot went out to lunch with her. Out in the open. One of my friends saw him, approached him, and hesaid she was a coworker.” She scoffs. “She called me right away, and I sped down there as fast as I could.”
