She had never driven so fast before. The engine roared beneath her but her thoughts were louder. Those pictures… they burned in her mind. He' s been cheating on her. That much was clear.
The realization felt like a punch but she swallowed it whole. No. She would not cry. She did not come all this way only to crumble because of some bastard. She was above this. She would see the reason and logic behind this fucking situation. She would handle this like a mature person.
The tyres screeched as she pulled into her driveway. She barged in anger, not holding anything back, "You fucking bastard! Where are you?!"
Seconds passed. Then, he came strolling down the stairs, a towel around his neck as he watched her in bewilderment. Kassandra marched up the remaining stairs towards him and he exclaimed, taken aback, "Woah hun, what' s wrong?"
She raised her hand and before she could slap him, he caught her wrist mid-air and stared at her in outrage, "Kassie?"
Her eyes narrowed. She gritted her teeth, her fist curling tightly and with her left hand she aggressively punched him on his jaw. He released her, letting out a sharp yelp as he staggered back. He reeled, one hand flying to his face, "The fuck is wrong with you, goddammit!"
She grabbed his shoulder, her nails digging into his skin, "Get. Out. Expect the divorce papers in a week. Asshole."
He widened his eyes, dazed, "Wait… what?! Why?"
"You cheated." She flatly said, folding her arms across her chest, trying to maintain her cool.
He scowled, internally shaking at her revelation, his jaw contorting in disbelief, "The fuck. It was long ago, Kassie. I swear!"
Enough. She raised her hand, taking him aback as she slapped him so hard across his face that he lost his footing and fell, rolling down the stairs. "Fuck!" He cursed a long trail of words as he tried to get up, staring at the floor, feeling the aches all over.
She raked her hand through her hair, calming herself. What a bother. She coldly said, descending the steps to stand right beside him, "Get out or I' m calling the police for property trespassing."
He grabbed on her waist, raised his head and looked at her through burning eyes, "Don' t you dare. You have no fucking right to treat me like this! I' m your husband!"
She was tempted to just kick him away right now but she couldn' t allow something like murder to ruin her career, "And this is my fucking house. Get the fuck out." She moved away from him as he slowly stood again. He realized this was getting out of hand and he reasoned, "Wait… calm down… we can… we can talk about this. You know me, Kassie. You know how much I love you right?"
She chuckled at his words and then broke into a sarcastic laugh. She grabbed his arm, shoving him towards the door, "You think blackmail works on me, Jason? I didn' t make it so far to have a fucking idiot bring me down like this. Look at me. You think I give a damn?! The moment you broke my trust, all you became is irrelevant to me. I can stand on my feet. Can you?"
"Where the fuck will I stay for God' s sake?!"
"That' s not my problem." She pushed him outside and he instantly brought his arms around himself, the wind blowing against his bare chest. He begged, "Let me pack first." She arched an eyebrow, wondering if he was joking, "No."
She was about to close the door when he held the frame, threatening her, "You' ll regret this, Kassie. I swear you will." She raised her chin, harshly saying, "You should be grateful I don' t give a fucking damn, you piece of shit."
She slammed the door so hard it rattled in its frame. Without hesitation, she bolted the two locks, her hands shaking. Damn it.
Once the silence settled, she felt the dull throbbing in her head. She leaned back against the door, sliding down until she sat against it on the cold floor. She scooped her knees close to her chest and took a long breath. She massaged her temples, easing the headache away. Everything went so fast. She believed a stranger. That woman. And she didn' t let Jason explain himself. She rested her chin on the palm on her hand. Has she been too rash?
She tsked, feeling irritated, annoyed at that thought. What could he have possibly even said in his defense? She already saw the cold hard facts in that woman' s phone. Sighing, she pushed herself up, smoothed her clothes and made her way to the living room. She plopped down onto the settee amidst the cushions and switched on the TV. As expected, the evening news started playing, flooding the room with echoes of the international headlines. This would be distraction enough from this mess.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
It wasn' t. She couldn' t really lie to herself, could she? The car rolled down the road in silence, headlights cutting through the haze. She pulled over outside the closest bar she saw, tyres crunching softly against gravel. Her hands remained on the wheel for a moment.
She paused. She might not have loved Jason or particularly cared about him but something gnawed at her. She couldn' t exactly place what though.
She stepped out of her car, eyeing the two drunk men sitting near the entrance and cackling to themselves. The bar looked rustic, like an old tavern. She walked in the interior warmth, the strong scent of alcohol instantly hitting her nose. Yes, that was where she needed to be. Drunkards dancing to the slow music. Men playing poker in a corner as they watched strippers dancing. She needed a cut from reality.
She made her way to the bartender, sliding onto a barstool, barely meeting his gaze. The beared man commented with a small grin, "You look like shit, doc."
"Then you know what you have to do."
He barked out a laugh and poured her a round of his strongest. As she sipped through her drinks, she watched the people dancing. Jason. Pfff. She was going to erase him from her mind. She never needed him. He had been more like a clingy little shit to her than anything else.
She could feel the alcohol slowly kicking in, the liquor burning down her throat. The bartender kept graciously refilling her shots. He eventually put the whiskey bottle aside, pursed his lips as she drained them rapidly now, throwing back shot after shot, "Something wrong? Wanna talk to me?"
"Just tired, pop. Just tired." He groaned, patting her hand, "You work too much, sweetheart. Told you to give yourself a damn break." She tsked, looking towards the dance area.
Her eyes widened amidst the faint wooziness she felt. Her gaze caught on something that sobered her just slightly. She must be dreaming. Amid the spinning lights and drifting bodies, a familiar figure swayed drunkenly on the dance floor. Blonde. In jeans. Laughing too hard with a ragged man gripping her waist.
Jason' s mistress.
Of all the goddamn places… It was clear that she was completely drunk.
"Hey, Pop. That girl—blonde, jeans. Who is she?"
He glanced over without much interest, observing the woman she mentioned. He shrugged, wiping a glass with a white cloth, "No clue. Never seen her around here. Was already drunk when she came in. Rambled something about her boyfriend cheating on her."
"Yeah right." Kassandra wanted to laugh as she gulped down a few more shots. She was the one who had been betrayed here. That woman didn' t deserve any sympathy.
She pressed her hand against her forehead. Damn it. How could she be so blind? Jason was an asshole. And this woman… well, she was a bitch. His mistress. How dare she be here out of all the fucking places?
She hated the sight of her. She didn't want to be here anymore. She angrily finished her drink, slapped some banknotes beside the glasses and her father asked in surprise, "You' re already leaving?"
"Yeah. Sorry. Just wanted a drink." She leaned over the counter, lightly kissing him on his cheek.
He hopefully asked, "Not gonna meet your momma once?"
"I have work tomorrow."
He grumbled disapprovingly, "Heartless girl. You sure you' re okay to drive? You can always stay."
She smiled, "I' m fine. I promise."
He shook his head, gathering the small glasses, "Hmpf, be careful on the road, eh?"
"Yeah, yeah."
As she made her way out, trying not to let the dizziness consume her, she looked at the woman once again and saw the drunkard she was dancing with, groping her inappropriately.
She shouldn' t care. She was about to leave when she saw her pushing against him, struggling weakly, faintly muttering words about not touching her.
To her annoyance, she realized that the people were too wasted to even notice. Goddammit.
She marched to them, her hand instantly shooting out, clamping the man' s shoulder in a firm grip. She irately said, shoving him off the girl, "Back off, asshole. She' s with me."
"Who the hell you' re calling asshole, bitch?" He threatened her, wobbling in front of her, "You jealous? Won' t mind having a feel of you too—"
Before he could finish, Kassandra looped her arm firmly around the woman' s waist, drawing her gently away. Serena flung an arm around her shoulder, shrieking when the man started cursing loudly.
Harlan York whistled, barked some orders and three men stood from a corner and shouted, "Hey that sonofabitch is messing with the doctor." In a matter of seconds, they grabbed the man, dragged and dumped him in the street, tossing him out of the bar like vulgar trash.
Kassandra bit her lips as she dragged the woman behind the bar counter, reaching for the back door leading to her parents' house, "Thanks pop."
He laughed, "Anytime, honey."
Faintly aware of what the doctor did for her, Serena forced herself to look at her, "I' m sorry."
"Don' t talk. You reek of alcohol."
She laughed, throwing her head back so suddenly that she tripped and slipped, taking Kassandra down with her. They both hit the ground with a loud thump. Kassandra groaned in pain, barely registering what just happened.
She inhaled sharply as the woman rolled on her, bringing her head down so close that it took her aback. Serena gazed at her, their faces inches apart, "No wonder he married you…" She briefly touched her lips with her finger and said, tears forming in her eyes, "You' re so beautiful and I don' t compare."
Kassandra hastily pushed her off and heatedly spat, her heart thumping loudly in her chest, "How dare you pretend that you had no idea that he was marr—"
"Good lord! Kassandra! What are you doing on the floor!?" She looked up at the woman who just came running. "Hi mom," she sighed, "Can you take care of her? She's wasted and I need to head back."
She gratefully took her mother' s hand to stand up, listening to the taunts that she knew was coming, "Look at you! You' re a wreck!" She pulled her in her arms into a tight embrace and Kassandra returned the hug, admitting over her shoulder, patting her back gently, "I' m sorry. I should visit more, I know. Just… not tonight. I really have to go."
"Nay. You look terrible. Come eat something first. You' ve become thin." She then glanced towards the wooden parquet, "Who' s that gal anyway?" To Kass' surprise, Serena was already passed out. Oh bother.
She carefully slid her hand around the woman' s back and placed her other hand under her legs, raising her up. She paused, feeling suddenly uncomfortable when Serena nuzzled her head against her chest. Her mother teased, "Cute couple." She furiously looked at her, "Mom, I' m marr— hell. Forget it."
She walked in the direction of her old bedroom, her mother opening the door for them. She gently placed her on the bed and instinctively pressed her hand against her forehead as Serena mumbled incoherently. Her face felt hot.
She frowned, "She' s burning up. Mild fever. Get a compress for her and have her eat some soup when she wakes up."
"You sure you don' t know her, love?"
She whispered, her eyes not leaving the woman lying in her childhood bed, "I don' t and I think I' m hungry."
Her mother excitedly said, tapping her hands excitedly, "Ooh, let me get her a damp cloth and we' ll have dinner. I' ll call your pop."
For five solid minutes, Kassandra sat beside her, not knowing what to think of her. She tsked, muttering under her breath, "Fuck you."
Serena weakly responded, raising her hand slowly to show her the middle finger, "Fuck you... too." She opened her eyes as they adjusted to the light, her vision blurry. She gazed at the doctor for a few seconds and immediately turned her back to her, protesting, "You' re not willing to listen to me."
There she started again.
Kassandra stood, "Can you blame me? I hate him and I hate you. You' re both free to do whatever the fuck you want now. You can fuck him all you want. There' s no need to hide anymore. I' m filing for divorce."
Serena creased the sheet under her fists before aggressively sitting up, reaching out to grab at her blouse, pulling her close, "How dare you think so lowly of me?! I' m as much a victim as you are."
Kassandra held her wrists tightly, forcing her to loosen her grip. "Do not call me victim..." She pushed her back and stood straight, "…I refuse to be one. You can stay tonight but I want you gone the next morning."
Serena put her feet down right before hers, "Why won' t you just listen to me? I want to talk to you."
"Why, damn it?!"
She stood, her chest brushing against hers as she held her waist, wanting her to understand, "Because I hate how all of this is making me feel! I hate it. I never knew he was—"
There was a knock on the door and Kassandra' s mom came in, looking concerned, "Take the compress, love. I' ll just… um, prepare the soup."
Kassandra pulled herself away from her, grabbed the damp cloth from her mother and muttered, reassuring her, "Don' t worry. Everything' s fine." The latter looked at Serena for a moment before nodding and walking away.
Serena wiped the tears from her eyes with the back of her hand, not wanting to stay here. Her voice broke as she made the way to the door, "I don' t need your sympathy."
"This is not sympathy." Kassandra seized her arm and slammed the warm cloth against her forehead, "You have fever and I' m a doctor. I can' t just ignore you despite everything you' ve done. Get on the bed now and rest."
"I did nothing wrong."
Kassandra rolled her eyes, gently tugging her towards the bed, "You destroyed a marriage. I blame Jason but I also blame you. You played your part as a mistress."
She yelled, her body hitting the mattress again, "Don' t call me like that!"
"Well, that' s what you are." Kassandra coldly said, turning back to the door, so done with her.
Serena watched her and before she could leave, she asked, wiping her tears with the back of her hand, "Do you... do you have kids?"
Kassandra paused, wondering what kind of question that was. She grumbled, wondering why she should even care and bluntly said, "Two little boys and a girl."
She then warned, looking at her one last time, ignoring the shock in her eyes, "And not a word of all of this to my parents. I won't tolerate you contacting me or them ever again. And if you do… I won' t be kind."
~ ~ ~ ~ ~