Wicked

Chapter 29

Faith POV: 

Tim leans back in his chair as he takes a drink from his beer. He hasn't stopped smiling since the moment I laid eyes on him. He cocks his head at me, before his eyes start to show his deep crowsfeet. 

"So you come here, you drink, and you write?" He says, setting his bottle on the table. I nod as I take a drink from mine. He looks out at the view, while he seems at peace for the first time in a long time. "I will say, it's pretty peaceful." He adds, as I smile at the view. I turn toward him, before noticing his eyes are on me once more. 

"What brought you here, of all places?" I ask, watching him smile at the bottle on the table. He adjusts in his chair, laughing to himself a little. 

"Well, I just finalized my divorce and decided to take a drive to clear my head. Something just drew me here, so I stopped in for a well deserved drink, and saw a pretty little blonde hiding out in the back." He remarks, as I catch on part of his statement. 

"You divorced Kristine?" I question, as he nods, taking another drink. "What happened?" I press, feeling my chest ache. He shrugs, before his smile fades a little. He taps his ring finger against his bottle, although where a ring should sit, there's only a tan line. 

"She did some things behind my back, and I found out, which led to the dissolution of our marriage." He says vaguely as I narrow my eyes at him. He laughs, before shaking his head. "You're not going to take that as an answer, are you?" He asks as I nod, hearing him laugh once more. "She felt threatened by you, and took actions to make sure you would not be a threat." He explains while exhaling deeply, some stress still present on him. 

"What actions?" I let out curiously, watching him shrug. 

"I only found out a few, but I know she blocked your number on my phone and she intercepted any messages you sent. Grant wound up finding a picture of us that you sent me hidden in a box of Tug's things. She assumed that'd be the one place I wouldn't touch." He says, wincing slightly as my stomach sinks. His smile that was present moments ago has now fled into a bittersweet sadness. "I found out, and called the phone company to get your number unblocked. Then I got your calls and voicemails, and I tried to call but the number was disconnected." He admits as I shut my eyes. I hang my head, feeling my eyes start to well up. I clear my throat, before standing up, unable to sit still any longer. 

"I've got to run to the restroom." I croak out, watching his eyes follow me as I rush inside. I plow into the stall, locking it behind me before grasping my chest. My hands grow clammy as I feel my mind battle once more. Tears start to pour out, as the voices start to scream. 

He played you, Faith. He got what he wanted from you, and then went home to his happy little family and left you here, looking like a damn fool... I tried to call... You were his mistress and nothing more.

"Shit!" I shout, as I struggle to catch my breath. I lean my back against the wall, feeling my legs tremble under me. He could be lying... He could've been the one who pushed me away, and then he just blamed it on Kris. He could be lying about the divorce. He could still be with her. 

Or even more terrifying, he could be telling the truth... 

"Faith?" I hear his voice release as footsteps sound in the small bathroom. He walks up to the stall, a thin metal swinging door dividing he and I. I see his brown dress shoes from under the stall door, as his dark jeans loosely hug them. I hear myself sniffle, cringing at how loud it is. His feet shift slightly, before I hear him sigh. "Are you okay?" He asks softly, the question catching me off guard. I stare at the stall graffiti, seeing initials in a heart next to the toilet paper dispenser. "Faith?" He calls once more, reclaiming my attention. "You can't hide in there all day... I mean you can, but... that's no fun." He remarks, trying to make me laugh. I watch the little lock slide, before the door starts to swing open. "Are you decent?" He asks, making me laugh before he pushes the door open gently. 

"You pick stall locks often?" I remark, wiping my tears. He spares me a small smile, laughing a little to himself. 

"When you've had two kids who seem to lock themselves in bathrooms nonstop, you learn pretty quickly. Plus, it's cleaner than crawling under." He justifies, before leaning against the door. We stand for a moment in silence before he sighs once more. "I've been spending the last twenty years saying what if... and to know that she stood in the way of... us..." He stumbles through, before looking down at the floor. "When I got the voicemails eleven years later... Faith I... I crumbled. Mentally, physically, as a father and husband, I..." He struggles to explain. "You called me for help, and I didn't get it for over a decade, and that destroyed me, Faith." He says, as his words pile on my chest like bricks. 

You were his mistress and nothing more.

"I should've known that you wouldn't have just dropped off like that. I should've known better, but I didn't think twice and that haunts me." He admits, as I struggle for air. I shut my eyes for a moment, hearing him try to catch his breath too. "Is he still... Does he still..." He fumbles his words, as I nod, running my thumb across my wedding ring. 

"He is mostly verbal or psychological, but sometimes he can be physically..." I let out, seeing pain coat his eyes. "He's never hurt Grace physically though. I'd be gone if he ever..." I start, noticing emotion in his eyes. 

"You know that I know, right?" He says, cocking his head slightly. I stare, feeling frozen. He notices my shock, laughing a little to himself as his moist eyes soften on me. "I mean, he's sterile and I was the only other man you saw at that time period. Not to mention the brown eyes were kind of a dead giveaway." He continues, as my tears flow faster. 

"I didn't know." I confess, hanging my head for a moment. 

"That's what started the fight backstage a few years ago. I told him I knew and he wasn't exactly thrilled about it." He releases, before stepping toward me. He wraps his arms around me, embracing me as my mind runs rapid. "I'm thinking we might need a little hard liquor..." He remarks, making me laugh into his chest.