"We need to talk." Chelsea looked at her husband directly and tried not to sound wimpy or nervous. They did need to talk. Their marriage was on the line and Chelsea needed to know what was going to happen next. It occurred to her that with Ron Schuyler dead, Peter might just decide that he wanted a divorce so he could marry Ron's widow.
The thought made her sick. They had been married for almost twenty years and up until this whole Mavis-Peter debacle, Chelsea had thought they'd had a pretty good marriage. Maybe not fireworks and the Fourth of July every single night but pleasant enough. Her stomach turned at the thought that "pleasant enough" wasn't nearly enough for Peter. But what could she do? She couldn't turn herself into a pampered, wealthy princess overnight. And she wouldn't compete for her own husband.
Peter squirmed in his chair at the breakfast table. "I'm pretty exhausted, Chelsea. Can we talk later?"
"I don't think so. I've been putting this conversation off for a long time but I have that it's-now-or-never feeling."
"I really have no idea what you're talking about."
"I think you do. Peter, I know about you and Mavis Schuyler. It makes me sick and I'm not at all sure if I can ever forgive you but what I want to know now is what do you plan to do next?"
Peter looked as if he'd just been hit by a two by four. "You know about Mavis?"
"The check out clerk at Cashwise knows about you and Mavis," Chelsea told him. "You two weren't exactly discreet."
"But why didn't you say anything? Why didn't you let me know that you knew?"
"Would you have stopped?"
Peter's face turned a deep shade of red that almost matched Chelsea's freshly dyed hair. "I don't think so, Chelsea. I am sorry. Sorry I hurt you and sorry that everyone knows."
Chelsea felt her eyes fill with tears. "So what now? Are you going to keep seeing her?"
"I don't know. She was kidnapped and she needs someone to look after her. She doesn't have Ron anymore."
Revulsion made Chelsea's throat tighten. "And I suppose you think that you're that someone."
"She doesn't have anyone else, Chelsea. She needs me."
"I need you! I can't believe you're going to actually leave me for her--she'll never marry you, Peter. You're just another fling. Plus you're a civil servant. People like Mavis Schuyler may go to bed with civil servants but they never marry them. How can you do this to us?"
Peter looked miserable. "Maybe we could work something out--"
"Like you could stay married to me and date Mavis Schuyler at the same time? I don't think so, big boy. This isn't a reality show. This is real life and you're going to have to make a choice."
"I know that. And I think we both know what my choice is going to be."
Chelsea felt like the floor had just dropped out from beneath her. She should have known that money and glamour would beat out what she had to offer--a clean house and hot meals. What she hadn't known was that her husband was just as big of a rat as the late Ron Schuyler. "Get out."
"What?"
"I said get out. Go stay at Schuyler Manor because you sure as hell aren't staying here."
Peter rose from the table. "I'll be gone by the end of the weekend," he replied.
Chelsea remained at the table for a long time wondering how twenty years of marriage could vanish without a trace.
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