“Wait!” I pushed my foot into the doorway before she could finish closing it, and pushed my way into the small room with her. I locked the door behind me just as Griffin started to pound on it.
“Open the fucking door, Ben.” He demanded, and I rolled my eyes.
“Fuck off.” I yelled back and then leaned against the door with my hands up.
Melanie was glaring at me from her position on the floor, where she had just finished dry heaving into the toilet.
“Morning sickness?” I asked, cautiously.
“Yes.” She snapped.
I could hear Frank and Griffin arguing on the other side of the door and knew that it wouldn’t be long before they forced him to find the bathroom key.
“I’m sorry that he said I wanted a paternity test. I never thought you cheated on me.” I assured her.
“Of course not, I was the naïve, good little wifey.” Her self-deprecating tone startled me.
“Being a good wife isn’t a bad thing.” I said softly and took a tentative step towards her. I offered my hand to help her to her feet, and she glared at it. “It doesn’t bite.” I joked and then recoiled when I saw the disgust in her eyes.
“You should open the door.” She slowly pulled herself to her feet and flushed the toilet. “I want a divorce. You get to decide how ugly it’s going to be… but you don’t get to decide I can’t leave.”
My head started to spin with panic. Once we left this room, my marriage was over.
“Melanie—” I choked out and felt a tear roll down my cheek.
“I wish you had cared this much when we were married.” She shook her head, “I don’t like hurting you, I thought I would— but it turns out I don’t.”
“I did care. I was just, I was just stupid. And I swear I can be better.” I pleaded.
“I hope you will be… for the next woman.” Melanie finished washing her hands and turned to face me with her arms crossed. “Open the door.”
I could still hear Frank and Griffin arguing and knew that I had a few more seconds before they destroyed the fragile bubble Melanie and I were in.
Before I realized what I was doing, I had placed both hands on either side of Melanie's face and crushed my lips to hers.
What am I doing?!
Reminding her of how good we are together.
For a second, Mel’s lips softened against mine. I brushed my tongue against them and breathed in her familiar scent. Then I felt a sharp sting on my tongue, followed by crushing pain in my balls.
Melanie had bitten me and then kneed me in the nuts. As I sank to my knees and gasped for air, I tried to make out what she was screaming at me.
“Lost your fucking mind!”
The bathroom door swung open at that moment, and Griffin charged in with wild eyes. He took in the scene before him and then, to my horror, started to laugh.
“Guess you didn’t need saving after all.” He chuckled and pulled my wife into his arms, “That’s the last time you’ll touch her.” All the warmth that had been in his voice when he spoketo my wife had frozen over when he turned his attention to me.
“This meeting is obviously over.” Ms. Yang added. “We are going to let a judge decide on this. And we will be filing for a restraining order.” She sounded oddly excited.
I tried to find words as I stared up at my beautiful wife and couldn’t.
I had lost her.
· · - ·?· - · ·
“You said it was an emergency?” Kellie asked as I sat down on her couch.
