Not What I Expected

Part 1

Nicole sat in the spare room with the blankets pulled up to her chin. She hadn't slept in days and she could feel the exhaustion beginning to kick in, but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't make herself sleep. She had just been hurt in the worst possible way and she was so angry and sad.

She looked over at the bedside table and groaned in disgust. There were three empty wine bottles and a half emptied bottle of tequila sitting there taunting her. She thought the anger and heartbreak would fade if she drowned it away with alcohol. But it's true, it takes away the pain for a short time before it all comes flooding back to you at break neck speeds and you are powerless to stop it.

She must have been completely consumed with thinking that her marriage was perfect, because she had no idea that her husband had wanted out. He had told her two days prior that he no longer wanted to be married to her, that after eight years of marriage and four years, before that, of dating, he was no longer in love with her. He said he couldn't explain it, but the spark he felt for her had been extinguished and no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't get it back.

She knew there was more to the story and she had every intention of finding out what it was as he denied that this sudden change had been provoked by anything else.

She was confused. Up until two weeks ago everything between them had been perfect. There had been no indication that he wanted a divorce, in fact, they had been talking about the possibility of having another child. There was absolutely no sign that their marriage was coming to an abrupt end.

Her heart couldn't take it anymore. She had to try and think about something else and she had no idea how to do that. For the first time in two days she let the angry tears fall from her eyes. She curled up in the fetal position in bed and cried herself to sleep.

Nicole opened her eyes and saw her best friend, Beth sitting on the side of her bed looking down at her. She hadn't talked to Beth since Chad had broken the news to her and she definitely wasn't ready to tell her now. Nicole pulled the blanket over her head and tried to will Beth to leave, but to her dismay, her friend was still sitting there when she peeked over the covers.

"Why was I not invited to your little bender?" Beth asked with a little grin.

"It's not a party I wanted you to be a part of," Nicole mumbled, "I wasn't even expecting the party to take place."

Beth gave Nicole a look that could only be described as the "there is something you aren't telling me and you better tell me soon" look. Nicole propped herself up against the head board and looked her best friend in the eye. She did not want to tell her best friend of 15 years that her husband had given up on her. She had been there when Nicole had first started dating Chad and Beth was her Maid of Honor at their wedding and she was there for the birth of their son Hudson. Beth had been there for all the major life events that her and Chad had celebrated. Now he had taken their marriage and crumpled it up in a ball and lit it on fire.

"Do you know if Chad is having an affair?" Nicole whispered in a voice so quiet that Beth had to crane her neck in order to hear it.

The room went completely quiet and all you could hear was the sound when Beth gasped loudly. She was unable to respond to this.

"Chad wants a divorce," Nicole continued, acting like it wasn't a big deal, "He swears up and down that there is nothing that provoked this except for the fact that he is no longer in love with me. He feels nothing for me, but funny enough, two weeks ago he wanted to try for a second child. I think he is lying to me."

"How are you acting like this news isn't bothering you?" Beth questioned incredulously, "Chad is the love of your life, your soul mate and you are brushing this aside like it never mattered much to you."