2 Days until The Unforgiving Wife
Nina's been warned to stay away from Juliette. Does she listen?
Confession time, I love Nina who was The Unfaithful Wife. But that was when we saw everything through her eyes. Now we know Juliette, and things have changed. This isn't the first time wife confronts mistress, but if you want more, you'll have to get The Unforgiving Wife.
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Juliette
The first glass went straight to her head, while she listened to her friends guess how she found out.
“Was it his emails?” Laughing, she smiled and shook her head, in this case, truth was far better than fiction and she knew it would take far more than twenty questions for anyone to guess. How could they when she still didn’t believe it herself.
“No? Then it had to be his phone.”
“Why would she be checking his phone, unless she suspected.” Another sip of her wine, feeling the warmth as it went straight to her head. She shrugged off her jacket in the afternoon sun, giggling as her best friends tried to guess how twenty years of marriage could explode. Even the most outrageous ideas didn’t come close, as she and Brynne shared a knowing smile.
“There’s no way – Roland is always so …” Christie struggled to find words that wouldn’t be insulting.
“I think what you are trying to say, is Roland James is the last person any of you would even think of having an affair, or even having an affair with.” Juliette sniggered, “I mean, my charming husband still wears a full suit in the Sydney summer heat and he thinks that dressing down is wearing one of his polo shirts and trousers. He works hard and is too bland and boring for any other woman to be interested in him …”
Juliette trailed off as she spied a woman walking towards them.
Subconsciously, her whole body stiffened, jaw clenched and knuckles whitened around the stem of the slender wine glass as she straightened her shoulders and steeled herself for impact. One by one, her friends followed her glance and collectively inhaled.
For the briefest moment, the woman slightly stumbled as if struck across the face by the glares. Heels far higher than Juliette would ever wear. Dress far shorter and more fitted. All things she could easily address with an afternoon shopping spree with friends. If she wanted to look like a glamorous whore dressing half her age.
“More nerve than class,” she muttered.
“Do you want me to call club security and have her thrown out,” Brynne asked, a gentle arm on hers. “Whatever you want, babe. Name it.”
“How dare she,” the united gasps from the table. All looking for Juliette’s reaction, their strength fuelled her readiness to face her best friend and greatest enemy.
“No one touches her! If anyone is going to have the pleasure of throwing her out, it’ll be me.”
Time stood still as she waited for Nina to join them. Dining on the patio of her tennis club, she had no doubt that any of her friends, security or wait staff would take the greatest pleasure in coming to her aid. Rumors about her marriage had circulated, inflamed by Derek’s need for vengeance. She guessed that most people would have paid serious money to watch this confrontation, but they would all be out to support her.
It was either guts or stupidity for Nina to track her down here on her home ground. Perhaps the bitch thought Juliette would crumble under the pressure or would stay silent out of social nicety.
Juliette expected to be underestimated as a doormat because of her reputation for caring, having a sweet and bubbly nature. None of her friends knew exactly how tough she could be. She squared her shoulders, the last nineteen years flashing before her.
Being rushed to hospital in an ambulance, hearing the paramedics talk about time being of the essence, asking Roland who he would choose to save if it could be only one of them.
Screaming out to save their baby at the same time Roland’s normal calm composure gave way to crying desperation as he pleaded with them to ignore her wishes and save his wife.
In the midst of chaos she remembered his cries, “I’d be lost without her, I’m nothing without her. Life is nothing without her.” If only he still felt that way twenty years later, she bitterly thought as the repressed tears burned behind her eyes.
Her beautiful baby daughter pushed and pulled her way into the world still ten minutes out from the hospital. One paramedic bringing her back to life after what seemed an eternity but were anxious seconds of silence.
Only after the ambulance arrived and she was being transferred past accident and emergency direct to surgery, did the damage to Juliette become apparent.
They saved her life.
They couldn’t save her ability to be a wife. Not in the ways that could give them more children. Not in any of the ways that mattered to her as a woman.
Her injuries too severe and even by the time she healed physically, she couldn’t bare for Roland to touch her.
She lived. She learned to love Cat and bury any resentment as she lived for every sunny smile. Her best friend, Nina, helped her and the kids as she recovered. Always there, willing to do anything Juliette needed.
At times, Jules even talked to Nina about leaving Roland so he could find someone else. Not only did her friend counsel her against being a martyr, Roland was so in tune with her, he always guessed when she tried to emotionally push him away. Time and time again he held her tightly, doing anything to convince her that for him, sex didn’t matter, that they could live without it and still have a marriage.
“You don’t get to do that. I married you for better and for worse,” he told her whenever she tried to start a marriage-ending fight about nothing.
“You married a wife, and I can’t be that for you.”
“I don’t care. I’d rather have a loving marriage with you than all the sex in a brothel.”
“I guess, you have a credit card,” their private joke.
“I’m never going to use it.” His standard reply.
She survived childbirth.
She survived the destruction of her marriage.
She could face her bitch best friend.
“Juliette, do you mind if I join you?” Nina didn’t even have the grace to wait a moment before taking the only spare seat at the far end of the table. Perfect to face her, but far enough away for everyone to be safe.
“Christie, what was your question again, I’m sorry I was distracted for a moment.”
Luckily, Christie caught on. Juliette felt the tone around the table change. No longer were they looking for juicy gossip. Her good friends smelt a blood bath and were happy to help her out.
“I asked how you found out about Roland.”
“Nina, did you hear,” she could always trust Brynne. “Juliette found out her husband has been having an affair! You must know how she feels, after all hasn’t Derek screwed his way around town for years? You should be able to help Jules, after all how did you cope knowing the man you married was kissing, touching and making love to other women?”
Nina sat, eyes locked onto Juliette. Even confronted by her accusers, she still had the perfect calmness. Was that what Roland saw in her? Along with the perfect body, hair and eyes?
“I understand Juliette is angry and upset, perhaps we shouldn’t air the dirty laundry in public,” the calming tones that had soothed her children to sleep and seduced her husband to bed made Juliette want to throw up or throw a glass.
About time the bitch realized, her club, her friends, her terms.
“We’re all friends here Nina, and I was trying to explain what happened but it was so quick and my memory is a bit fuzzy,” time to invite the lamb to the slaughter. “Can you remember how the afternoon played out?”
Juliette knew if anyone was watching her face, they would see a caring friend wanting to support another friend unburden themselves. To her pleasant surprise, Nina called her bluff.
“My husband invited my lover and I to our house. He was still in shock that I had dared to be unfaithful,” On any other day, Juliette would have felt sorry for Nina as she looked around for unforthcoming support. “It’s not as if he could ever say ‘no’ to a pretty face.”
Juliette smiled through the pain, Derek had invited her over to share in a surprise for his beloved wife. In his anger, the surprise was on her.
“Juliette, what’s going on here? I expected to hear about your husband, not Nina and her marriage problems.” Christie interrupted, squeezing her hand. “Should we get another bottle while Nina gets to the point?”
“It would be an ironic coincidence if two couples, long time friends, both had marriage problems at the same time,” Juliette gave Nina her warmest smile. “How are you going, Nina? Do you think Derek will ever forgive you?”
“Probably not but at least he is willing to try,” Nina clearly thought Juliette had softened towards her. “I’m happy to buy the next bottle, if you want.”
“How appropriate,” with the spider in her trap, Juliette didn’t have to hide her scorn. “Here we go, ladies, I’ll speed things up. Here we have an old-fashioned love story. Girl meets two men and marries one. Man cheats on wife who then cheats with his best friend who she probably regrets not picking first time around. Then again, why stop at one when you can have two, right Nina?”
“That’s horrible!” Brynne again with her mock horror.
“It gets worse,” Nina interrupted now pleading with Juliette. “The wife was best friends with her lover’s wife. Completely unforgivable.”
What the hell was Nina playing at? Juliette couldn’t believe Nina would turn this into playing the victim – the wife doesn’t forgive her!
“Enough with the games, Nina. Are you telling me that even though and in your words, it was unforgivable, the cheating wife and best friend wants forgiveness?” She needed more wine to numb the rage, yet less wine so she could actually make sense. Not just of the situation but to be very clear to Nina how completely messed up her life had become – all because of her so called best friend.
“The wife isn’t looking for forgiveness from her best friend. She is wanting to lay it on the line. Say that she is sorry,” Juliette glared at what had to be insincerity. “Juliette, listen to me, I’m that wife and I’m sorry. I promise you, if we had been able to go the rest of our lives without you ever finding out, ever hurting you, we would have.”
“Nice, not sorry for sleeping with my husband, only because I found out.”
“Juliette, please. You want me to say it here, in front of your friends and anyone else who is listening?” As Juliette looked around the crowded outside bar, she welcomed Nina laying out all her sins with a nod.
“Okay, I was sorry after the first kiss. We both were. It happened, we didn’t mean to and we made sure we were never alone again.”
“You poor dears. Couldn’t trust yourselves.”
“You don’t understand, Derek had all those women …”
“Of course, your husband couldn’t keep it zipped so you had to unzip my husband.” The laughter wasn’t confined to her table. Encouraged, Juliette raised her voice to silence the rumor with the truth.
“Let me get this right, your husband cheated on you and you felt used, discarded and a little less like the love of his life. So you turned around and instead of finding some young hot random guy online, you thought about your husband’s friends. Oh, no. Derek Casbar doesn’t have male friends – other than good, old, reliable Roland.”
“It wasn’t like that.”
“I call bullshit. You wanted to hurt Derek, and the best way was to pick Roland. Forget that you and I were friends. Once upon a time you had to choose between two friends and then suddenly you didn’t have to choose anymore.”
The longest pause, before Nina stood.
“You’re right. I wanted to hurt Derek and from the first time I kissed Roland, I knew exactly what I was doing. You know why he didn’t stand a chance when I wanted him. I’m sorry you were in the way. I’m sorry that once it was over, that you ever found out. I don’t ask you for forgiveness for me, but I want you to think about all those years you had with him and not throw them away.”
“Nina, sweetheart,” there was an icy bitterness to Juliette’s voice that few had heard, “Believe me when I say that you don’t get to come here and give me marriage advice.”
Not to be stopped, Nina continued, “I do, when there were three in your marriage for over ten years. He loves you, never stopped loving you. Right now, he is hurting and alone. I know that deep down in places you won’t admit to your fine friends here, you’re looking for a reason to forgive him. Forgive him for never, and I mean not ever did he stop loving you. Forgive him because no matter what we did or what we were, he always wanted to go home, to you.”
Juliette wanted to throw the platter of food across the perfect face, see a sticky prawn stuck in the perfect blonde bob. Slash a glass across the perfect Scandinavian cheekbones and watch her bleed out to a slow and painful death.
Instead, the anger subsided and the pain returned. “Go, just go.”
After Nina left and all tables returned to their own conversation, she turned to Brynne and Christy, “If there’s still room for me on the tennis team for the Masters games, count me in.”
“We’ll have to find you a mixed doubles partner.”
“Make sure he is young and hot,” she really shouldn’t drink.
Would you have thrown the glass? A knife? More insults? Or would the sadness of losing your husband and best friend be overwhelming?
Tomorrow we meet Juliette's new mixed doubles partner!
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