"I guess that's it." Peter Van Husen looked around the bedroom that he'd shared with Mavis Schuyler for the past few months, his eyes searching for a sweater or stray sock that he might have left behind. He didn't see anything. The room looked perfect, just as it always did, thanks to Rosanne and her constant cleaning.
"I suppose it is," Mavis agreed. Mavis was sitting on the edge of the bed watching Peter pack. Peter wasn't sure if that was her way of saying good-bye or if she was making sure that he didn't steal anything that didn't belong to him. "Does Chelsea know that you're coming back to her?"
"Of course she does. I wouldn't do something as major as return to my wife without giving her some kind of advance warning."
"Don't get all huffy, Peter. I'm simply asking if your wife is prepared for your homecoming."
"How could that possibly be any of your business?"
"Well, I am the woman who stole you away from her. Naturally I'm interested in what happens to your marriage now."
"Why?"
Mavis looked flustered. "Because I care about you, Peter!"
Peter zipped up his suitcase and picked it up. He believed that Mavis cared about him--probably a little more than she cared about the new boots she'd bought the day before and slightly less than the new car that was sitting in her driveway. After far too long, Peter had finally figured out that Mavis Schuyler had the same amount of depth as a bird bath. He sighed. What an idiot he'd been. "I appreciate that, Mavis."
"You don't sound like you believe me."
"Oh, I do." Peter carried the suitcase to the bedroom door. "I guess I'll see you around."
"Don't I get a kiss good-bye?"
Peter looked at Mavis, his former mistress, the woman he thought he'd love forever, and saw a pretty, surgically enhanced middle-aged woman who was possibly the most selfish person he'd ever encountered in his entire life. "I don't think so." Nodding politely, he left Mavis alone. It was time to go home and fix all the things he'd broken over the past year, starting with his wife's heart.
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