To Want Endlessly [18+]

Chapter Two

The walk is short, the drive even shorter. This new key is the one that I'm going to give to Lacey. My plan is probably going to take the longest amount of time. Once I leave Home Depot, I make my way to the nearest flower shop to pick up some white roses which are Lacey's favorite – always have been.

I make my way home so I can scatter the rose petals. This is the same thing I did when I proposed to her, but with a few more elements than just flowers. Grinning, I finished the job quickly. It has to work and I'll sell the idea of moving in just a couple of words.

When I leave the apartment again, it's with the hope that I can get to the grocery store. Tonight, I want to make a candlelit dinner for my wife. It'll be the perfect date night. Dinner at home with the lover, dim lights, candles, a few of those rose petals on the table. It'll be a night to be remembered. Before that, though, I need something sweet or savory.

It doesn't take long to reach since I have my car. Five minutes tops. Plus, the place is new so it's easy to find in a huge crowd. Walking into the shop, I admire the homey feel of the place. With a shake of my head, I look around and smile.

My eyes quickly find a familiar redhead in the sea of sitting patrons. As I go to take a step forward, a man beats me to the punch. Two white mugs are in his hands and he sets them down before taking the seat in front of Lacey. Cocking my head to the side, I watch the two of them converse with each other.

Lacey's smile is bright, much like the ones she's given me throughout the years. Yet, somehow this is different, she's different and I can't describe how. I want to shake this feeling away. I want to trust that this is a colleague of hers and they're discussing business. Maybe Steph will appear and cut through the tension I feel. There's nothing more I want right now than to trust my Lacey, but I can't.

So, I stand and watch. I witness the man reach across the table and grab Lacey's hand. Despite wanting to go over there and pull her away, I can't. I'm frozen as I watch the mysterious guy lean over the table. I'm frozen as Lacey does the same. But I'm heartbroken as their lips meet in a kiss.

Only then am I able to turn and walk out of the coffee shop. I take a moment to stand and catch my breath. Whatever I just saw, I can't believe it. My Lacey would never cheat on me, but the proof is there. I just saw it with my own eyes.

Emotionlessly, I walk to my car and start it up. Everything passes in a blur as I stare forward into an abyss of nothing. Shattered, I'm utterly shattered. The love of my life has just ended thirteen years of happiness. Or maybe she was never happy in the first place. That thought quickly leaves me. If she doesn't love me anymore, then she can end the relationship, not cheat and continue to drag me along. Especially not after seven years of marriage.

It's hours later when Lacey finally comes home. I never started dinner, not after what I saw. The room was meant to be dim with nothing but candles as our source of light. Now, the artificial lighting is giving me a headache and the long, skinny candles lay broken on the table.