P.O.V Paige
Mason tells me he has a business trip, and I don't ask him anything. He knows what he's doing, and he doesn't owe me any explanations. Besides, I have classes and, most importantly, I need to take care of my baby.
I came up with the idea of inviting Riley to spend the night. She's still single and loves Simba. She claims he's her nephew and brings him toys that he loves.
Mason thinks it's a good idea for a girls' night and says his goodbyes. The trip is important, and he can't afford to miss it.
"Don't worry, I'll be fine. I have Riley, Simba, and if something happens, I'll call your mom," I say, crossing my arms as I notice guilt in his eyes.
"If you need anything, you can call me. If I don't answer, it means I'm in a meeting or..." he begins to say for the tenth time.
"Just go already, you'll be late for your flight," I say, pushing him towards the exit.
Once we're alone, my friend takes off her shoes and calls Simba to join her on the couch. I watch them and smile; it's as if they were both little kids.
The sad part is that we both have pending university assignments. We have a beer while focusing on our tasks. Time feels like it's passing slower since Mason left. I'm definitely going crazy.
Around two hours later, during a break, I find myself in the kitchen arranging the snacks. Riley comes in looking worried.
"What happened?" I ask, looking at her.
"You won't believe it, but I'm so absent-minded," she says, hitting her forehead with her palm.
"I already knew that since I met you," I reply, laughing. As a result, I receive a hit on my arm. "Ouch, which hurt."
"It's not that, you idiot. I left my laptop charger at home, and I have very little battery left. So, I emailed everything to myself to figure out where to continue working," she nervously explains.
“It's okay, try using my charger or Mason's. I'll get his for you," I say as I head to his office.
I remember that I didn't bring it, so if neither of them works, she can use mine to continue her work. It's pretty fast; I've used it on a few occasions when she needed help with certain things. To save myself from making another trip, I grab the notebook and charger. That way, if the cable doesn't work, she can use this computer.
"Alright, I brought you the computer, so in case the charger doesn't work, you can use this one," I say with a smile that fades as I see her expression. "Now what?" I ask, sighing.
"Actually, why don't you use that one and lend me yours?" she suggests, and I squint my eyes at her.
"What aren't you telling me?" I ask, sitting down next to her.
"It's just that I have the password for that email on your notebook. You know I have a terrible memory, and I can't remember everything," she justifies herself like a little child.
"Of course, Dory, I remember your bad memory," I say, shaking my head.
"Dory?" she repeats, confused.
"The fish from Finding Nemo that can't remember anything after a few minutes. Ha ha ha," I respond, laughing out loud.
"Very funny," she mutters under her breath.
Her seriousness doesn't last long as she joins in the laughter. We stay like that for a few minutes before returning to the seriousness of our university work.
I turn on Mason's computer, and everything seems normal until I open the email. Well, I didn't even get to open mine because when I touch Gmail, I see that there's an email open, and it's not from the company. I usually check that email for him when he asks for help. This is another one, and it's only filled with emails from someone named Peyton. My hands tremble, my mind tells me not to read any of the emails, but curiosity gets the better of me, and I read the latest one.
"Darling, I'll be arriving in the early morning. I'm traveling tonight to see you. I can't stand being without you anymore. See you soon."
I read the email more than once, as if that would somehow change the words into something else and make me imagine something different, but none of that happens. He didn't go on a business trip. That's why he had guilt in his eyes, and stupid me, thinking it was because he left me alone with Simba. When will I understand that he doesn't feel anything for me and that all those displays of affection are fake? I'm an idiot for thinking otherwise, for developing feelings for him, while he's doing a good job of making me not suspect his relationship with the other person.
My mind is going a mile a minute, I want to cry, I have anger, rage, jealousy, pain, a mixture that I can't explain well. The strongest I feel is fury, I am really furious for believing that I did not have a fixed lover as we had agreed in the contract. That we would be sincere if we found our love while married, where were those promises? I recently had the opportunity to be unfaithful to him and like an idiot I said no, in college if I wanted to, I would have already done it, but I thought he was behaving excellent and did not deserve me to do the same to him, how deluded I was.
All this time by his side has been a lie, who knows how long he has been with her, could it be the same Peyton I saw him with at the cafe when we were getting to know each other before we got married, of course it's the same one! Stop looking for the good side in people when they aren't.
Riley notices my freeze in my work writing and has to look at the screen, I quickly close that email and open mine. I smile like the good actress I'm becoming lately.
"Everything okay? "I nod without saying anything because it showed in my voice how I really feel "You don't look good, did the beer and junk mix make you sick? "he asks again and it's my perfect excuse.
I nod again and get up to go to the bathroom, I walk as fast as I can to the nearest bathroom, lock myself in, then lean my hands on the sink to look at myself in the mirror. I watch as some tears run down my cheeks and my fists turn white from the pressure, I put on the sink from the rage I feel.
I don't let the tears be too many, no one deserves that I cried for something that hurts me, I am better than this and I will be able to overcome this and more, you just have to endure two more years and this end.
I wipe the tears with my hands and look at myself in the mirror, just to say to myself.
"From tomorrow nothing will be the same, while everything will remain the same in public in the house you won't be the mass you were before, think about you and not him, stop seeing him as a good man when he has been lying to you who knows for who knows how long. Now worry about you and your needs, you and Simba are the important people in your life."