Flashback
"Jacob, I'm home," I said, excited to show him how the new lemon meringue pie recipe I tried came out and tell him about all the people that loved it.
"That's weird. He's usually on the couch playing a video game or something when I come back from the bakery," I thought to myself.
But as I moved closer, the voices became louder— the panting becoming erratic and heavy. I swung the door open and let out a scream at the sight in front of me.
My husband naked on our bed and a woman I had never seen before straddling him.
I stood there my heart hammering in my chest as I tried to understand what I just saw, transfixed to one spot as she gathered her clothes frantically, the sound of her fumbling with the lock on the door ringing in my ears.
My pulse throbbed at the base of my throat, resounding in my ears as I stared at him, his hair glistening with sweat as he tried to avoid my eyes, saying nothing until I broke the silence.
"Why, Jacob? Wasn't I enough?" I demanded, wanting to know why he would do this to me after all these years.
"Why?" I screamed at him, tears streaming down my face.
"Andrea, calm down," he sighed, like I was the one overreacting.
"You're making this a bigger deal than it is." he said as he stood up and started putting his clothes back on like I wasn't even there, totally ignoring my presence.
I sank to the floor in soft sobs. My chest felt like someone was pressing hard on it, my breath coming out in strained gasps.
"You knew this was always going to happen," he said, pulling his shirt over his head as he started stuffing his clothes into a duffel bag.
"Did you think I married you because I loved you?," he laughed as he stood over me, his breath fanning my face.
He whispered into my ear. "No one will ever love a pathetic worthless bitch like you,"
"Get out of my house" I spat in his face, not being able to stomach the sight of him.
"Your house?"he laughed hysterically like I just made a joke.
"My lawyer will contact you soon to sign the divorce papers," he said before he left, his eyes so dark they were almost unrecognizable. It was at that moment, on my bedroom floor.
I realized that I had indeed been living with the devil this entire time.
And somehow I was the one that just lost everything.
Andrea?" a shrill voice called from downstairs. I knew that voice anywhere.
Six year old me felt the same way then as I felt now when I heard that voice. Always telling me how she was happy before she had me and that there was a reason my dad left us, and that reason was me.
I felt tiny and truly worthless, like I was the weight dragging down the world, and truth be told I still feel that now, but I guess I was better at masking than I did at six years old.
It's been three months since my divorce from my ex-husband; Adam, and I have been staying with my mother since he kicked me out claiming the house was his and that the papers were in his name.
She was so shocked and actually pretended to care about me when I came here that evening. Drenched in my own tears and snot, whimpering when I knocked on her door and ran into her arms, explaining to her what had happened.
What I saw in my home.
In my bed.
But over the last few months, she had slowly shown her true colors, making little comments here and there about how it was probably my fault that he cheated on me.
I opened the curtains, as the first rays of the sun spilled into the room, the cafe across the street was already open with a long line of people waiting to purchase overpriced coffee. I closed the curtains back and put on my robe heading downstairs.
The smell of eggs in the air telling me that she had somewhere early to be this morning, as she didn't usually go to work this early.
Her makeup was way too heavy for her age, like she was trying so hard to look young but failing miserably. It didn't help that she was wearing a blouse of mine . I would tell her that, but it really wasn't my place.
"Good morning, Mother," I said to her, her back facing me as she was frying some eggs for breakfast.
"You would think, if you were staying at someone's house," she paused to face me, "you would at least offer to help them make breakfast," she said, her voice laced with a pure sarcasm and a little bit of annoyance.
"I'm sorry...I'll help make dinner," I said with my sweetest voice, attempting to pull out a seat in front of an empty plate.
"What do you think you're doing?" she spat out.
"I th-thought you made breakfast for us," I stuttered, wondering why it was suddenly a problem for me to eat breakfast.
"When are you getting your own place, Andrea?" she asked as she ran her hand through her hair, not even bothering to hide the fact that I wasn't welcome here.
"I'm working on it," I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding in wondering why she was doing this now. "Can I please have some breakfast?" I pleaded as I pulled the chair out.
She sighed as she scooped a spoonful of eggs onto my plate, her wrinkled hand holding the spoon a little too tightly.
The more time I spent here, the more I realized how old she was getting. Her usual black and bouncy curls were now fully taken over by grays and didn't have the usual shine they once had. The dark circles under her brown eyes that used to be so vibrant and full of life, an indication that she wasn't getting enough sleep.
"Maybe if you had learned how to cook, he would have stayed," she declared loud enough for me to hear, But like I always did when I was young, I didn't respond. I kept it to myself because it would only make it worse.
I took the bread out as the toaster went off and stuffed the food into my mouth as fast as I could incase she changed her mind. She took her coat off the hanger putting her keys in her pocket and her bus pass in her bag, signaling that she was about to leave.
"I'll be back by dinner," she started. "And she called again for her money for the month," she added as she slammed the door. I gripped the table as the door shook against its hinges.
I already sent her money for this month, I thought to myself. It had been a while since I had seen her.
It was a pretty chilly day, so I had to wait a while for the shower to get scalding hot before I went in. Picking a basic top and my blue Levis baggy jeans
The floorboards of the stairs thudded as I walked down, ever since I was a kid the thudding was always scary to me, but now I just didn't really think much of it
I put my shoes and my coat on, locking the house before shoving the keys into my bag.
I finally got to my shop, and the person standing at the counter made me sick to my stomach.
Why was he here?
"I just need to speak to her." he said