Things have been weird for a while between them, he stands up and she sits down, he walks in and she walks out, he sneezes and she holds her breathe, that’s what life has being like for a while now. Everything seemed picture perfect from outside but it’s beginning to crumble on the inside.

She has being avoiding him like a plague, every time he looks at her, he knows what she’s thinking but couldn’t bare to say it out loud. She is afraid to look in his eyes because the truth will out and hurt them both, she’s always held her head up high with her shoulders back but this time, she has lost the pride that makes her a virtuous woman and her conscience is eating deep into her soul.

She stood on the stairs of the pent house, looking down at him as he sipped his drink in peace, she had no idea how to break this to him without breaking his heart.

She had a moment of flashback to the day he proposed, his calm voice echoed in her head “it’s always been you Evangeline”.

He knew they were growing apart, he saw the gap of silence and distance between them grow wider and wider each day and he had no idea how to fix this without her walking away.

He grabbed the remote and flipped channels until it got to NBC, it was the Olympics tennis, the Williams sisters had just won the gold for doubles. It made him remember the last time they made love on their tennis court but it seemed like ages ago now.

He gulped down his drink and thought to himself “she’s still the one”.

She summoned all courage and strolled downstairs, she stood between him and the TV then turned it off. He glanced at her and drew her scent in, her beauty is as radiant as ever, the over flowing silver dress on her graciously displayed every inch and curve of her sumptuous body.

She put the remote down then nervously fiddled with her wedding band and her engagement ring, he looked up and quietly pleaded, telling her with his eyes not to say anything.

Her eyes clouded up with tears and fear of the unknown, this man loves her selflessly and there was no way to say this without hurting his pride.

“Todd we need to talk” her voice trembled as the dreaded words rolled out of her tongue, he got up and pulled her by the hand and sat her on his lap “ okay I'm listening” he replied.

He thought knew what she was going to say and he thought was prepared for it, he remembered how many times he messed up and how she dusted and picked him up time after time.

She made a mistake but he won’t let it tear apart the life they’ve built together, he already forgave her and she doesn’t even know it yet.

She got up from his lap and took three steps forward then pulled off the rings on the forth finger of her left hand “ I… I wan….. I want a divorce” she pulled at his right hand which was balled in a fist, she struggled to open it in an attempt to give him the rings but he would not cave in, no, not this time.

“No” he shook his head as he refused to accept their predicament.

He got up and stood behind her, holding her firmly while he buried his head in her neck “Why are you doing this?” he asked with pain in his heart and throat.

She gently released herself from his grip then moved away “I'm not the same woman you married, I don’t deserve you anymore”.

He walked around her then finally stood in front of her “What happened to together forever? I don’t see myself with any one else, it has always been you”. “Our love can get us through anything, please stay and fight for us”.

She raised her head and stared right into his eyes “I am not strong enough to fight for us, it’s for the best that we walk away”.

He held her by the shoulders and shook her vigorously “ The best for whom, how could you do this?”

She whimpered and choked on her tears “I'm sorry, I just can’t hurt you any more”.

He shut his eyes in an attempt to stop his oncoming tears while he still held on to her “Were you ever in love with me?”

“I was, I still am”.

“Then why would you walk away from something great?” he demanded

She pushed his hands away and yelled out loud “ Because I’ve been unfaithful to you”

He looked at her with no surprise in his eyes “I knew you were, I just didn’t say anything”.

She covered her face in remorse and shame and broke down in tears “Oh god, you knew all along!!”

He held her face in his hands and kissed her tears “I should have paid more attention to you, I should have appreciated you more”.

She pushed his hands away again “ you can’t blame yourself for my mistakes”.

He began to sob quietly “We both played a part in it but I am still here and I'm saying we can make this work through couples counseling, therapy, whatever it takes”.

She sat on the floor in the corner of the living room “The guilt has been too much, that’s why I couldn’t let you touch me. I swear to god I came home that day and I scrubbed my skin so hard till it became sore".

Ughhhhh” she screamed

“Say something, scream, yell, call me names, tell me you hate me, tell me you’ll call your attorney in the morning so you can kick me out of your house and your life”.

He walked over to her and sat beside her “I forgave you a long time ago”.

She got up and ran upstairs into the masters bedroom while he followed in pursuit, she pulled out a suitcase and began throwing her cloths into it while he picked each one up and ripped it into two “I won’t let you go without a fight” he said to her.

She threw her rings on the bed and picked up her hand bag then headed for the door but he stood in her way, she pushed against his chest “ you can’t forgive me, there are consequences for everything, you need to exercise the right to not forgive me”.

“Yes, and the punishment for cheating on me is for me to love you till you find it hard to tell me that we don’t stand a chance, till you find it hard to say you don’t love me anymore”.

“what you did was wrong and disgusting and I hate it but I don’t hate you, I still believe in us”.

She shook her head and walked into the bathroom “No. I am not good enough for you Todd”.

He sat on the bed and holler across the room “So what are we suppose to tell Starr, Jack, Sam and Amanda? What are we suppose to tell our kids, that Mom and Dad don’t love each other anymore?” That Mom and Dad are giving up without trying?”

She flushed the toilet and came back into the room, " you know that's not true, I love you".

"Then prove it Evangeline, I am here and I love you too".

 she summoned her strength and pushed him harder, this time he staggered backwards “It’s not okay, common, don’t give me the easy way out, you don’t even look jealous”.

He shook his head and sighed “Do you know why he left the town in such a hurry? Because I sent a message to him, old Todd Manning style”. I am trying to work things out but if you want to complicate things that’s fine, let me make it hard for you”.

“Did you have feeling for him?”

“God no”.

“When you hum…. Were doing it, did you ever think of me?

“yes”.

“Did you like it?”

“No”

“Did it feel good?”

“At first”.

“Was he better than I am?”

“I don’t know”.

He picked up the bedside lamp and threw it against the wall while she trembled and coiled back in fear “You don’t know!!! Are you serious? A guy who isn’t your husband stuck his dick inside you and all you can come up with is you don’t know?”

“It was different” she replied.

“Define different” he barked at her.

She had already cried so hard the tears stopped flowing, she lifted up her tear stain face “It felt wrong”.

“He was on top of me and we ……. You know and I… I know this doesn’t make things right but we just did for like thirty seconds and I pushed him off because he was not you”.

“It was you, I only wanted you and I couldn’t bring myself to tell you because you loved me”.

“I became everything I resented, you trusted me and I betrayed you, you loved me and I ruined it”.

He walked to the bed and picked up the rings then held them in the air “I am still in love with you and I know where my stand is, now my question to you is … are we worth fighting for?”

She turned her face away then slowly sunk to the ground and he knelt beside her and held the rings in her face “Evangeline Wendy Manning, are we worth fighting for?"