In Your Arms

Chap. 91: Katie Knows Chris's Secret

(GIF of Chris below)
*Katie's POV*

Earlier today, when we left the restaurant, Chris began to act strange. When we arrived home, Chris played outside with Chloe in her playhouse on the back porch before coming inside to watch a Disney movie. Chloe fell asleep on his stomach and I laid beside him. Chris kept looking down at us and stroking our hair.
Then a few hours ago, when I finally got Chloe down for bed, we had sex. Which isn't abnormal, but Chris did a few things that he hadn't done since—well, I don't know when. But after what Chris did, my butt is going to be bruised and sore for a couple days.
I know that doesn't sound strange or weird, but something feels off. Like the answer is right in front of my nose and I'm supposed to get it. I feel like it had to do with that Rachael person. Is Chris acting strange because of her? If so, why? Does he still have feelings for her? Should I be worried? Is Chris cheating on me? Or am I just being paranoid?

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The sound of the loose bolts in the fan squeak above Chris and I. His muscular arms are wrapped around my waist, his head resting on my side. This vibe I'm getting from Chris's off behavior is making me suspicious. Has Chris done something that he cannot tell me about? Obviously, him being clinging and random acts of affection are a sign of guilt. Ha, watching all those episodes of Criminal Minds is finally pulling off! Wait! Is he having an affair? No, Chris can't be. Could he?
I've went through each step from the time it all started to now. First, Rachael and Jason appears. Chris verbally fought Jason and his former friends who was openly bashing me. Even though Jason is an odd person, that I remember, Jason did something that was even more odd. At the restaurant, he kissed Rachael while staring Chris down. Then Rachael—Rachel? What did Rachael do? Rachael was smiling and warm when she made a statement "I'm sorry about him. He's just jealous from, well, you know". Ugh, no Rachael, I don't know! Chris said they hooked up once at a campaign in New York. I think back to all the campaigns Chris has done in the past few years. He mainly arranges local campaigns or ones in Texas so Chloe and I can be with my family. The last time, that I can remember, that Chris had a campaign in New York was—
         Shock and boiling anger fills me quickly. My nails begin to dig into Chris's muscular arms, automatically waking him up. Chris screams, releasing me from his grasp and scoots away from me. I automatically grab my pillow and begin to beat Chris in the face. He falls off the bed onto the floor, blinded by the dark room. I continue to beat him as hard as I can with my pillow.
          Chris somehow manages to escape from me and makes it to the other side of the room. The bright light blinds me for a few seconds but I can still see naked Chris with bright pink cheeks across the room.
            "What the hell, Bebe?" Chris says with the stupidest face I've ever seen!
            "I want a divorce." I say coldly.
            Chris goes pale, his face pure terror.
             "Why—"  He starts towards me but I back him up against the bedroom door.
            "You cheated on me!" I spit in his face, "And with that slut Rachael!"
             Chris's face tells me everything I need to know. He DID have an affair with Rachael and he DID hide it from me. HE PROBABLY STILL IS! Oh, I could kill Chris.
             No, I can't kill Chris. That's too easy and he doesn't deserve to get off that easy. I have to get out of here. If I don't, I'll say and do things I'll regret later. I turn and go to the dresser, grabbing a bra and panties. I quickly slip them on and go to my closet.
"Katie, what are you doing?" Chris says nervously, "Bebe, take those off."
I grab the first thing I see on my side of the closet, quickly slipping them on. I grab a few more clothes and shoes. My mind is racing and I can't breathe. I want to scream. How could Chris do this to me? After all did for him! After all we've been through and he's going to throw it away for a slut with perky breast. AHHHHHHH!God, why is this happening to me? I am a good wife! I have never done anything to deserve anything so horrible! I guess it's true what they say, never marry a rich man. Especially if he's good looking. AHHHHHHH!
Butt-naked Chris stands on the side of the closet, his face pale as I pass him. I grab the duffle bag underneath the bed, quickly unzipping the bad and stuffing it with clothes.
"No!" Chris says in a whiny voice behind me, "No no no no no!"
Chris is at my side, grabbing at my duffle. I shove him away with all my might, my anger giving me the most strength. I go into my bathroom and grab my perfume, deodorant, shampoo, new bar if soap, and razor.
As I start towards the bedroom door, Chris stands in front of me. He is slipping in a pair of shorts. Anger roars in my veins, making me want to rip him in two with my bare hands.
"Bebe, don't do this." Chris puts a hand out in front of him, his face full of panic. "Please let me explain myself. Please, Bebe."
"SHUT UP!" I scream at him angrily, making him jump. "SHUT UP SHUT UP SHUT UP!"
My head jerks from side to side. I can't stand him calling me Bebe anymore! It's all an act! Chris doesn't love me and he never did. He trapped me and he knows it. If Chris thinks he can use Chloe to keep us together, he's got another thing coming! All my life, I've had friends whose parents went through this. Whose parents went through a cheating scandal because the couldn't keep it in their pants or couldn't keep their legs closed. AHHHHHHH!
"Get out of my way!" I growl at him angrily, ready to physically fight him.
"Bebe—" Chris starts.
"DON'T CALL ME THAT! DON'T CALL ME THAT EVER AGAIN!" I spit in his face, jabbing a finger at him. "You are a lying piece of shit! You hear me? You lied to me. You lied to me and—OH GOD! What if I have an STD?"
Chris gives me a look, his hands moving to my hips. I forcefully shove him aside and unlock the bedroom door. I march down the hallway to Chloe's room with my heavy duffle in my hands. I flip the light on and immediately begin to pack Chloe's things.
Chloe's little eyes open. "Mama?"
"Bebe, can you get dressed for me? We're going on a ride." I say softly, "Just you and me."
"Katie!" Chris appears in the room, his face going from panicked to dark. "YOU ARE NOT TAKING MY CHILD AWAY FROM ME!"
"Watch me." I say calmly, surprising myself. "Chloe, go get dressed Bebe."
Chloe starts to walk out but Chris grabs her and props her on his hip. He stares at me with sad eyes. But they won't fool me. My mother warned me of men like Chris, I should have listened. DAMN YOU, CHRIS, FOR MAKING MY MOTHER RIGHT!
"Katie, please listen to me." Chris says plea fully. "How did you—"
I whip around at him angrily. " What? You didn't think I wouldn't figure it out? Because I'm not as stupid as you think I am, Chris!"
Chloe is crying in Chris's arms. Copper appears barking happily as he licks Chris's leg. Chris continues to stare at me with sad eyes, tearful. Pathetic!
"Mama, why are you yelling at Papa?" Chloe says in her small baby voice, crying.
"Shhh, it's okay Bebe." Chris kisses her temple, "Mama is just mad because—"
"Your Papa is a lying, no good SON OF A B*TCH!" I say angrily, my voice starting to break "He jeopardized everything he had for a nobody."
"Katie." Chris says once again, "It was before we ever became serious."
"Ha!" I laugh angrily, continuing to stuff Chloe's clothes into her customized suitcase Lauren got her last Christmas. "You're just like your mother, Chris."
"What did you say?" Chris says in a small voice.
I whip around to him angrily. "You are JUST like your mother. You're never satisfied with what you got. You have to go out and find whatever you wish you had because you trapped yourself and everybody else around you! That's why you messed up every relationship you ever had, Chris. You're sick and sad and lonely and you like what you can get. Anything to feel good. And I'm not sticking around to be your door mat! I deserve better than you!"
Chris stands there staring at me with drooping eyes, his chest rising heavily. What? Is it not true? Is this all a sick joke? Because I don't play games, not anymore. I'm done being lied to. I deserve better than that.
I grab the duffle and suitcase, walking past Chris. I hurriedly walk to the garage and put the luggage into the trunk. When I go inside, Chris is standing in the middle of the kitchen with Chloe in his arms. She isn't dressed. She can use my things to get clean. I walk over and pry her out of Chris's arms, turning and quickly walking out. Chris follows me on my heels.
"KATIE!" Chris shouts as he stays right on me heels, "KATIE LISTEN TO ME DAMMIT!"
I strap Chloe down in her car seat, shutting the car door. Chris opens the car door and immediately unbuckles Chloe's seatbelt. I rush over and begin to fight Chris. He smacks my hands away as he grabs Chloe, pulling her into his arms. Chloe begins to bawl, screaming as she cries. She rest her head into the crook of his neck, crying.
Chris pats her back and shushes her, holding her close to him. He bounces her as he holds her head and bottom, kissing her head.
"Chris, we're leaving!" I say angrily, "You jeopardized everything you have! You jeopardized me and Chloe and everything you're going to wish you still had!"
"Katie!" Chris begins to cry, tears streaming down his face. "Please, let me explain."
"EXPLAIN WHAT?!" I scream at the top of my lungs.
"Yes, I slept with Rachael." Chris wipes his eyes while holding Chloe, "Yes, I didn't tell you. But Katie, you don't understand—"
"I don't understand what? That you had to sleep with one more girl before you had to settle on me for the rest of your life?" I shout at him angrily, "Tell me Chris! What don't I understand?"
"I thought you were going to cheat on me with Ian!" Chris's voice breaks, tears streaming down his cheeks. "I did the wrong thing, I know that! Don't you think I know that? Why do you think I didn't tell you?"
"Because you're making up excuses!" I spat at him.
"We had barely started dating!" Chris says as he bounces crying Chloe, "I wanted you so bad and I was expecting you to go with me to New York. But when you told you you couldn't, I thought that it was so odd. Then I wondered if you were going to Ian's party because of how flirtatious he was being with you a few nights before."
I cross my arms, shaking my head. "It's lies. All lies!"
"I was so jealous and scared that the perfect girl that I found was playing me!" Chris screams, his voice continuing to break. "So I got shit-faced drunk and hooked up with Rachael that night. Andrew had my phone. You can ask him! He knows about everything too!"
"You're a d*ck!" I scream at him, shaking my head angrily.
"The next morning, Andrew showed me the videos you sent me late the night before." Chris says with tears in his eyes, "I felt so low and so bad, Katie. I knew I screwed up bad. But I couldn't lose you. Not when you were so innocent and you needed me."
I scoff. "You're sick!"
"I have never cheated since then!" Chris says, "I have been loyal to you moment to moment. Don't you think it kills me everyday? Lying to you about it?"
"I guess not because you've done it for the past 5 years!" I scream at him.
"I wanted you to be mine!" Chris shouts at me, "I wanted to spend the rest of my life with you!"
"Yeah, well, I'm not yours anymore!" I say in a small voice, tears swelling up in my eyes. "You should have told me! You should have been honest with me, Chris! If there's no trust in a relationship, there is no relationship!"
"Katie, please, we can work this out." Chris begs me.
I walk over and grab Chloe our of his arms. She screams, reaching for her Papa. I strap her down into her car seat before locking the car. So Chris won't get her out of her car seat again. I walk around and quickly get in. I wipe my eyes before putting the keys in the ignition.
Chris walks around to my window. Mouthing 'please' to me. I push the garage door open and back out. I unlock the gate and drive away from the house. Tears finally emerge from my breaking heart.

Guys, as I was writing this, I had flash backs to when I was around Chloe's age and my parents would do this. I didn't realize that I wrote EXACTLY what my mom used to do to my dad when she got mad at his attitude or him choosing yo spend time and forgive his previous family over us. This broke me 😭💔