I finished applying my make-up, which was very little, because I liked the natural look, not the painted faces of many girls I knew. Then I ran my comb through my straightened hair, thankful I straightened it for easy management compared to my extremely chaotic curls. I walked out of my bathroom and zipped up my boots and grabbed my purse. I was thankful I clarified with my friend that if I wore my favorite boots that had a 3 inch heel I would not be towering over my date. I am a tall girl, but my ideal guy also needed to be taller than my 5 ft 8 in frame. My friend laughed, “You have nothing to worry about. In fact, he will still be taller than you in those heels.”
We walked into the bar we were meeting our dates at. It seems tacky, I know, but we live in a town that has minimal options for nightlife. My friend picked a bar that had a good DJ at least and a few pool tables if we chose to partake. Mark was shooting pool with my friend’s date and I could see them laughing and some of the dread I felt started to melt away. We walked up and Amy’s date immediately saw us and walked up to her and lifted her in the air, giving her a big kiss. The look in their eyes and the smiles on their faces made my heart melt. I could see how much he was smitten with her. I laughed at their actions and stepped to the side to give them space.
I didn’t see Mark at first sneak over to where I was standing. “Dean seems happy to see your friend I think.” I looked over at him and smiled, “Apparently so it would seem. My name is Jessie Vaughn, by the way, Amy speaks highly of you and wanted to introduce me to you, but apparently she is a bit busy.” I held out my hand awkwardly to shake hands since I have never been on a blind date.
Mark humored me and grabbed my hand for a handshake, “Mark Bern, Dean’s best friend and partner in crime, nice to meet you.” He said with a smirk, then added, “While they are preoccupied can I grab you a drink?” We both laughed and hit it off and spent the remainder of the evening talking and were disappointed when the night ended.
That was the start of our 8 years together. We dated, spent time with each other every moment that we could, and introduced each other to our families. Everything seemed perfect at the time, never in my life did I see today happening……..
I just sat in my car, just staring out the windshield at the serenity in front of me, but feeling nothing but emptiness inside of me. How did the total happiness I have felt for the last 8 years come crashing down like this? What did I do wrong? Was there something I missed? He never told me there was anyone in his past that there were any unresolved feelings for, so where did this come from? I had all of these thoughts just rotating through my head and I knew I needed to decide what to do for tonight. I knew I could not stay in that house tonight, but I also didn’t want to answer any questions from anyone either. Being around other people was not an option, but staying in the home we formed together was not an option tonight either.
I sighed and stopped myself from reaching out to Amy to talk about this. It would not be fair to her, since she married Dean and they seemed happy. Why burden her with this and put her in an awkward place with Dean when this is my problem to work through? I started wondering. Did Dean know about Mark’s activities? Did Amy? How many people knew about his extracurricular activities and am I that oblivious that I had no clue he was doing this? As I was contemplating where to go from here, my phone started ringing. I looked over and saw our wedding photo come up with his incoming call. I silenced my ringer and shoved my phone in my purse and started my car and started back towards our home.
While there was no way in hell I was staying in our apartment tonight, I still needed my clothes and bathroom supplies until I decided on my next steps. I pulled up to our apartment, walked into our kitchen and dropped my purse and keys on the table by the door. “Jessie, where have you been? I tried calling you when I got home and didn’t see you here.” Mark stated as he walked towards me with a look I would have seen as concern before, now all that I hear in my head as he speaks is “LIES!” He tried to come up to give me a kiss and I ducked him as I walked towards the staircase and ran up the stairs. My goal was to get in and out of this situation as quickly as I could because being in our bedroom sickened me. How many other times did he have women here and I did not know about? Was there really ever any love between us? Did he bring any diseases to me when we made love? The a*****e even thought making our bed would hide his deceit!!
I need to stop these thoughts or I will go crazy, but I really do need to make an appointment to get tested for any STI’s. I walked to my side of the closet and grabbed a suitcase and opened it right by the closet, not even daring to put anything on the bed. I never had a huge wardrobe because I liked keeping it simple, so I just threw everything I could in the suitcase. “What’s going on Jessie? Do you have a trip I forgot about?” I heard Mark ask from the doorway. I looked at the man I spent 8 years getting to know and building a life with and it was killing me that it was all lies. I don’t think I have the energy to deal with him right now. I just rolled my eyes and walked right by him and into our bathroom. I grabbed all my personal hygiene products and shoved them into a separate bag and then looked at my bed stand. There stood our wedding photo, it was almost a kick to the gut. I saw my bright happy smile, I glowed on our wedding day because I thought I was marrying my soulmate (or so I thought). I walked to my side of the bed and grabbed the charge cords, any books I was reading, my journal, and something else that I didn’t want to leave behind for right now. I made a mental note to return when he was not home to clear out the rest of my things.
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.