Chapter Twenty-One: The Wife

Daniel wasn’t sure what to do with Marissa gone, a part of him hadn’t been too eager to be alone. He had a plan with Olivia last night and hadn’t been sure what would come after. But solitude hadn’t been one of them.

He looked out the window, silently sipping coffee as he watched the city awake and alive. Watching the pale blue morning sky, slightly overcast. The city was awake, with cars buzzing in the distance, and sunlight catching on glass towers.

Last night had been something else. The sex had been… exceptional. That wasn’t even the right word. It was honest. Raw. Something that peeled him open in a way he hadn’t realized he needed. And more than the sex, it was the connection, brief but sharp as lightning. The shared pain. The understanding.

He hadn’t thought about another woman since Samantha. Not seriously. Not in that lingering, body-wants-heart kind of way. Samantha had always felt like the dream—blonde, composed, sharp in all the right places. But beyond her looks, she was kind. Ambitious. Fearless in a way that could knock the wind out of you.

And he’d loved her. He still did, and she had torn his heart out from his chest. She’d scattered the remains of his shattered heart by sleeping with Olivia. Betraying his trust and leaving him unsure of the future.

And Marissa had come and changed something. With her deep brown skin and soft curves and that voice that could both comfort and command. That full, grounded presence. That laugh. God, her laugh. That low, knowing laugh that cut through his bitterness like heat through the ice. She hadn’t just been a comfort. She’d been clarity.

With Sam, sometimes he’d felt like a man constantly adjusting a tie that was too tight. Always smoothing the edges, chasing some invisible standard. Not because she asked him to—but because something in him believed she deserved someone better. Someone shinier. More composed. More sure.

And now here he was, trying to wrap his head around the why of it all. Why she cheated? Why she imploded their life so completely? He hated that his brain kept circling back to what he could have done differently. As if it was his fault. As if betrayal could ever be justified by anything but the betrayer.

He sighed and stood, dragging a hand down his face.

He checked his phone, he’d turned his notifications off the night before. Samantha had sent him another message in the early hours. He should check up on her, on her and their son.

Samantha’s message was short and simple, asking where he was.

Where are you? I just want to know you’re safe.

Sent just before dawn. Around the same time, he and Marissa had been laughing, breathless, tangled in the sheets.

Where are you? I just want to know you’re safe.

Short. No accusations. No dramatics. Just concern.

And somehow, that made it worse.

He stared at the message, thumb hovering. He should respond. Should check in. For their son, if nothing else.

But his chest tightened. That familiar twist of guilt and defiance coiling just beneath his ribs.

She cheated on you, his mind reminded him. She broke it first.

Still, the thought slithered in: Does that justify what you did?

Before he could think about that question he heard a knock on the door.

Daniel froze and then he heard it again.

He moved to the door, each step heavier than the last. When he opened the door he saw her, Samantha.

She stood in the hallway, dressed in a soft gray sweater and dark jeans, blonde hair pulled back into a low, hasty ponytail. No makeup. Her face was pale, her eyes rimmed in red. Not crying. Not anymore. Just… worn. Hollowed out in places.

And somehow, she still looked stunning. That infuriating kind of effortless beauty she’d always carried like her sadness had been curated.

“Hi,” She said quietly. An answer too demure for a woman who had self-destructed their lives.

He swallowed hard, “Hi,” he said back to her.

They stood like that for a moment. No words. Just all the ones they’d never said hanging between them.

Then, without waiting for permission, Samantha stepped past him and into the room.

Of course, she did.

She always moved like the space was hers. Like permission was implied. Like the world belonged to her and she was simply reclaiming it.

Daniel shut the door slowly behind her

They stood there in the common area, he wished he had cleaned up before, the living room of the suite was a bit of a mess. His trousers and other pieces of his clothes were still on the floor, evidence of drinking from the night before on the coffee table. And of course, there was the scent.

If she noticed, she didn’t say anything though. She just stood there not looking at him, as though there was a part of her not ready to face him instead.

“How did you find me?” he asked crossing his arms. For a moment that fury of his from the night before had come back.

She hesitated, her hand finding her hair and fiddling with a loose strand. “Olivia,” she finally answered.

His nostrils flared for a moment. She maybe could tell where it was that he was going, “Sh-she told me you found out. And I asked where you were. I haven’t spoken to her since.” She didn’t mention that she had tried.

Daniel let out a huff, “Go ahead.” His voice was even, unreadable. “Say whatever it is you came here to say.”

She sighed, rubbing her hands over her arms like she was trying to ground herself. “Look, I messed up,” she said.

He scoffed, “Yeah.”

He wanted to ask her why she’d done it, why she’d chosen to break up their marriage, but he didn’t think any answer she gave would be satisfactory to him.

“Look,” she said stepping closer to him. Her voice was weak still small. “I wasn’t looking for it,” she said softly. “I wasn’t planning for it to happen. But Olivia… she’s always been there. She’s always been—” She hesitated. “I don’t know.”

Daniel’s lip twitched, “You don’t know?”

Samantha exhaled shakily. “She made me feel like—” She shook her head, her voice breaking. “Like I could be something else. Like I didn’t have to be perfect all the time.”

Daniel inhaled deeply, trying to keep his anger in check. “So I made you feel trapped? Is that it?”

Samantha’s face crumpled slightly. “No—no, Daniel, that’s not what I’m saying.”

“Then what are you saying, Sam?” His voice was low, quiet, but sharp. “Because from where I’m standing, it sounds like you needed an escape, and you picked my least favorite person to do it with.”

Samantha winced, he’d never spoken to her like that. Never had an edge in his voice or a sharpness. He’d always been sweet, and this was something else. “I made a mistake,” she said to him. “But …” she took another step closer to him. “I love you,” she took another step.

She reached out, “Forgive me,” she said stepping closer again.

“Anything to prove I still want you. That I still love you.”

Daniel stiffened. “Sam—”

But before he could stop her, she dropped to her knees. “Please,” she said. “I can fix it,” her hands went to his belt.

She was already reaching for his belt, her hands clumsy and frantic. “Please,” she whispered, her voice cracking. “Let me show you. I can fix it.”

“Sam.” His voice was firmer now. “Stop.”

She didn’t. Her fingers fumbled with the buckle. Her eyes wouldn’t meet his. She wasn’t seducing him, she was breaking in front of him.

And still, some foolish part of him wanted to let her. Because he loved her. Even now. Even after everything.

But this?

This wasn’t love. It was desperation. And he couldn’t let her do that.

That was the difference between last night and tonight. He wasn’t full of a quiet seething rage that demanded ****. And he saw Sam as more **** than before.

Daniel caught her wrists, gently but firmly.

“Sam,” he said, voice tight. “Stop.”

She froze.

“This… this isn’t how you fix things. This isn’t how you prove love.”

Tears welled in her eyes, her body sagging with the weight of rejection, of regret. “I just wanted to make it right.”

Her eyes were pleading.

“Sex won’t fix this.” His voice was quiet, raw.

Samantha exhaled shakily.

“I know.”

Daniel swallowed. “But God, I still want you.”

Her hands fisted against his chest.

“Then take me back.”

“I can’t,” he said.

She nodded her head slowly trying to lift herself, and he helped her.

“I still love you,” he said finally. “But I don’t know if I can trust you. And that’s not something you can fix in a night.”

And for the first time, maybe ever, Samantha looked small. Not composed. Not poised. Just… human. And she looked up at him, shattered. “So what now?”

“I think …” what he said next took quite a bit of strength from him. “I think we need some time apart,”

“Daniel…”

He sighed, pulling back just enough to look her in the eyes.

“I need space, Sam.”

She swallowed hard, nodding. “I understand.”

Daniel exhaled, running a hand through his hair.

“I don’t think you do.” His gaze was firm but not unkind. “You don’t get to decide how I heal from this. You don’t get to rush this just because you’re ready to move past it.”

Samantha’s eyes shimmered with unshed tears.

“I just thought…” She bit her lip. “I thought maybe we could fix this.”

Daniel’s expression softened, but he didn’t waver.

“Maybe we can.”

Her eyes flickered with hope.

But then—

“But not so easily.”

The hope in her expression dimmed.

Because she knew.

She knew this wasn’t something a few apologies and a **** night in a hotel room could undo.

Samantha nodded slowly, accepting the weight of his words.

She turned toward the door, ready to leave, ready to give him space—

But Daniel wasn’t finished.

“Wait.”

She turned back, her eyes questioning.

Daniel exhaled deeply, rubbing his face. “Before you go, there’s something else you should know.”

Samantha frowned. “What?”

Daniel let out a slow breath.

Then he looked her straight in the eyes.

“I slept with Marissa.”

Samantha didn’t move. Didn’t blink. Didn’t even breathe, suddenly she looked around the room, and suddenly it all made sense.

“You-“ her voice broke.

Daniel watched her carefully. “You can ask me anything. I’ll tell you the truth.”

Samantha scoffed and closed her eyes for a brief moment, “You didn’t waste any time, huh?” It was as if trying to steel herself. “How many times?”

Daniel hesitated.

Then, with quiet honesty, “I lost count.”

Samantha let out a breathless, bitter laugh.

“God, Daniel.”

Daniel tilted his head slightly. “You’re upset.”

Samantha scoffed, running a shaking hand through her hair.

“Of course I’m upset! Marissa? My best friend’s wife?”

“You don’t get to be angry at me. I’m not telling you this to hurt you, Sam.”

“Fuck off Daniel,” she said. “Is this whole break thing just an excuse for you to fuck other women?”

“Seriously? After everything you did, you act like you’re the one who got hurt?”

“Is that why you told me? To hurt me?”

“No,” his voice was firm.

“Then why are you telling me?” She looked at him, her blue eyes brimming with frustration, hurt, something close to regret.

“Because you didn’t give me that same honesty. And I won’t make the same mistake.”

Samantha exhaled sharply, looking away.

She was processing, trying to find the words.

Daniel let her.

A tear slipped down her cheek. She wiped it away quickly, as if embarrassed to show weakness.

Daniel sighed, stepping forward. “Sam—”

“I should go.” Her voice was tight, controlled.

“Yeah,” he said not stopping her. As she walked towards the door he said, “I’ll call you tonight.”

She stopped her hand on the door handle. “Yeah,” she answered.

“Call me please, if anything happens, with you or Noah,” he said about their son.

She didn’t say anything, she just quietly exited the hotel room. And once again he was alone.