David
David sat in his car, parked in the driveway, the engine ticking softly as it cooled. He gripped the steering
wheel, staring at the darkened windows of the house he used to call home, steeling himself to walk inside,
knowing full well that Lena wouldn’t be there. The phone sat dark and silent in the cup holder beside him,
mocking him with the unanswered calls he’d made to Lena. He had tried all day, his messages growing more
desperate, but she hadn’t responded once. It wasn’t just frustrating—it was infuriating. She was his wife,
dammit. Didn’t he deserve at least the courtesy of a conversation? His chest tightened as he thought of the last
time they had spoken. The coldness in her voice, the distance in her eyes—it made his stomach churn. This
wasn’t how things were supposed to be. He hadn’t meant for things with Natalia to go as far as they did. That
much he knew. It had started innocently, hadn’t it? A few too many late nights, moments where Lena was too
distracted by her work to even notice him, and then Natalia... noticing everything. She wasn’t just young and
attractive; Natalia was sharp, driven—a career woman in the same mold as Lena. That was the embarrassing
part. The fact that she reminded him so much of his wife, her boss. It was like some twisted irony, the way he
had gravitated toward someone so similar. He knew how it looked, how it would look, but he hadn’t sought her
out to disrupt Lena’s professional world. He hadn’t planned for it to happen. It just... did.
A flicker of guilt clawed at his chest, but he shoved it aside, his jaw tightening. What had he been supposed to
do? He’d felt invisible for months, like a piece of furniture Lena walked past without a second glance. Natalia
made him feel seen again, like he was still worth something. Was that such a terrible thing? To want to feel
desired, appreciated, even just for a moment? David leaned his head back against the seat, closing his eyes. His
thoughts churned, guilt and indignation warring within him. He hadn’t done it to Lena; he’d done it because of
her—or at least, because of how she made him feel. Always second place to her career, her ambitions. He’d
tried to be supportive, to understand, but how long was a man supposed to wait before his wife finally noticed
him? And now here he was, locked out of her life, vilified without so much as a chance to explain himself. It
wasn’t fair. He’d made a mistake, sure, but wasn’t a marriage supposed to weather that? Wasn’t Lena supposed
to fight for them, like he was trying to now? His phone buzzed, snapping him out of his thoughts. For a split
second, hope flared in his chest, but it deflated just as quickly when he saw it wasn’t her. He swiped the
notification away, frustration bubbling to the surface. “Come on, Lena,” he muttered under his breath, glaring at
the phone. “Talk to me. Yell at me, scream at me, anything. Just don’t shut me out.” The weight of his guilt
pressed harder against his chest, but he deflected it with a fresh surge of indignation. He wasn’t the only one
who’d failed here. She had made him feel like he wasn’t enough, like no matter what he did, it would never
compare to her job, her endless deadlines, her perfect r eputation. All he had wanted was to feel good enough for
his wife again. Was that really so unforgivable? Exhaling sharply, David shoved open the car door and st epped
out, the crisp evening air hitting his skin as he strode toward the house. Each
st ep felt heavier than the last as he pulled his keys from his pocket, hesitating for a moment before unlocking
the door. The familiar creak of the hinges greeted him as he st epped inside, the quiet emptiness of the house
amplifying the echo of his footst eps. The faint scent of her perfume still lingered in the air, a cruel reminder of
her absence. David dropped his keys onto the entryway table and stood there for a moment, his hands resting on
the surface as he fought the ache building in his chest. The silence in the house wasn’t peaceful—it was
suffocating, a stark contrast to the warmth it once held when Lena was here. He straightened, his jaw tightening
as he moved into the living room, scanning the space as though expecting some sign of her, some evidence that
she hadn’t completely left his world. But it was just him and the void she’d left behind. And the guilt, gnawing
at him like a wound he couldn’t ignore.
* * *
David’s heart leapt at the sound of the knock. For a brief, foolish moment, he thought it might be Lena. He
imagined her standing on the other side of the door, willing to talk, to give their marriage a chance. He
practically ran to the door, the sliver of hope carrying him forward. But as he opened it and saw Natalia
standing there, her coy smile firmly in place, the illusion shattered. His stomach dropped, and a cold wave of
reality hit him. Of course, it wasn’t Lena. She wouldn’t knock. This was her home, she had a key. “What are
you doing here?” he asked, the disappointment and frustration leaking into his voice as his hand tightened on
the doorknob. Natalia tilted her head, her polished facade perfectly intact. She held up a bottle of wine, the kind
they’d shared once in the weeks of his affair. “I thought you might need some company,” she said lightly,
brushing past him to st ep inside before he could protest.
He stood frozen for a moment, the realization of her presence hitting him like a bucket of cold water. She set the
wine bottle down on the kitchen counter, her movements casual, as if she had every right to be there. “Natalia,”
he started, his voice strained, “you shouldn’t be here.” She turned to face him, her brow arching in mock
surprise. “Why not? It’s not like we haven’t done this before.” Her lips curved into a smirk, her confidence
grating against his raw nerves. “I figured you could use a distraction. Things must be tense with Lena.”
Natalia’s air of familiarity that turned David’s stomach but it was her mention of Lena’s name that snapped
something inside him. “Get out,” he said, his voice low but firm. Natalia’s smile faltered for a fraction of a
second before she laughed, a soft, amused sound. “Oh, come on, David. Don’t act like you didn’t enjoy it. We
had fun, didn’t we? Why let a little drama ruin that?” David clenched his fists, his jaw tightening as he fought to
control the flood of emotions surging through him. “Fun?” he echoed bitterly. “You think this was fun? You
ruined my marriage, my life, and you think this was just some game?” Her smile widened. “I ruined your
marriage?” she r epeated, her tone laced with incredulity. “I didn’t ruin your marriage, David. You did. I was
simply an interested third party. Don’t pretend you’re some victim.” “I didn’t choose this,” he snapped, the
words spilling out before he could stop them. “You came onto me—” “Oh, give me a break,” Natalia cut in, her
eyes narrowing. “You knew exactly what you were doing every time you called me, every time you touched
me. Don’t blame me because you’re too much of a coward to take responsibility for your own actions.”
David’s chest tightened, her words cutting through his defenses with brutal precision. He opened his mouth to
respond, but she k ept going, her voice cold and sharp. “Face it, David. We both know why this happened. You
resent Lena’s success, her ambition. She doesn’t have time for you because she’s too busy being brilliant, and
you can’t stand it. I don’t mind that. I get it. That’s why we worked so well together, isn’t it? We both know
what it’s like to live in her shadow.” David recoiled, the disgust on his face clear as he stared at her. “No,” he
said, his voice trembling with fury. “That’s not true. I don’t resent Lena. I love her. And whatever this was—”
he gestured between them, his voice thick with contempt, “it’s over. It was a mistake. A disgusting, thoughtless
mistake.” Natalia took a st ep toward him, her smile returning, though it was sharper now, colder. “If it was so
disgusting, why did you ke ep coming back?” she asked softly. “You wanted me, David. Admit it.” He shook his
head, backing away from her. “It’s over. It never should’ve happened in the first place.” For a moment, Natalia
simply stared at him, her expression unreadable. Then she laughed again, a short, bitter sound. “You really are
pathetic,” she said, turning to grab her coat. “But don’t fool yourself into thinking you’re any better than me.
You made your choices. Own them.” With that, she strode to the door, her heels clicking against the floor. She
paused in the doorway, glancing back at him one last time. “Good luck trying to fix your perfect marriage with
your perfect wife,” she said, her voice dripping with disdain. “But something tells me you’re going to be on
your own for a long time.” The door closed behind her, and David stood there, the silence pressing in around
him like a crushing weight. Her words echoed in his mind, each one a sharp reminder of how far he had fallen.
He sank onto the couch, his head falling into his hands. Lena would get over it. She had to. They were married.
This was simply a rough patch, he told himself. Something that time could smooth out, something they could
move past. She’d see it wasn’t that big of a deal in the grand scheme of things.