The Con

Part 9/9

Here's the last part.  Thanks for reading and for your response. Hope you like the end! ~Steph
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Rule #9: Rules were made to be broken.

Three months passed. Emma tried to get Killian out of her heart and mind, but it was an exercise in futility. Sometimes she'd go almost a whole day without thinking about him, but then someone would say or do something that reminded her of him. She wanted to move on, but she was starting to wonder if that was even possible.

"Your 3 o'clock is here," Belle said, snapping Emma from her thoughts.

"Thank you. Send her in."

Emma looked down at the file on her desk. This was always the worst part. She hated having to confirm a spouse's suspicions of an affair. She hated removing that last shred of hope from their eyes.

Kylie Geiger sat down across from her. She was close to Emma's age, but had been married ten years and had two kids with one on the way. She was beautiful, with fair skin and red hair. She sat down in front of Emma, her fingers on one hand tapping nervously on her knee, while the other rested on her growing belly.

"Mrs. Geiger, so nice to see you again," Emma said.

She laughed nervously. "Wish I could say the same. I know if you found nothing then you probably would have said so over the phone."

Emma grimaced. She had hired her to investigate whether her husband was having an affair with his legal assistant. He kept working late and canceling plans. His shirts sometimes smelled of perfume. She confronted him about her suspicions, but he told her they were simply working closely on a big case.

"I'm afraid you're right," Emma said.

She leaned forward and handed her some photos she had taken. Some were of them kissing in his car. Then holding hands on their way into a motel."

Kylie's eyes filled with tears as she stared at the photos. "I think I had convinced myself that he was telling the truth."

Emma sighed. She understood that need to protect herself. If she hadn't caught Neal red handed then she would have done the same. When she realized Killian's betrayal, deep down she wanted to believe there was another explanation.

"I'm sorry."

Kylie stared at her with tears streaming down her face.

"What am I supposed to do? I'm a stay-at-home mom. This baby is due in a month. I can't do this all on my own."

Emma nodded. "Give yourself some time to process the information."

Kylie's eyes flashed with anger. "It won't change anything. I can't believe this. We were college sweethearts. We met as freshman and married the year after graduation. We were so happy. How did we end up here?"

"It's not your fault," Emma said. "You love him. You trusted him."

"I don't know what to do," she repeated. "What would you do?"

Emma's eyes widened. "It's not my place to say."

"I'm asking your opinion. I'm assuming I'm still being charged for your time, so I think I'm entitled. Have you ever been betrayed?"

Emma swallowed hard. "Yes, I have. Twice in different ways. But I wasn't married. I didn't have children to consider."

Kylie wiped at a tear on her cheek. "I think the worst part is I still love him."

Emma stood up and came around her desk. She sat down beside her and took her hands in hers.

"Listen, a lot of women would say there is no choice. Your husband has cheated on you, he's broken your trust, you have to leave him. But I know that's not so simple when you love someone, when you have a family with them. You need to speak to your husband and decide if there's anything left to save. Decide if you can forgive him and trust him again. Decide if he still loves you. And then you need to do what's best for you and your children."