Jealousy (21 page)

Heather
put her hand on Kenny’s knee and rested her head on his shoulder.  He gently stroked her arm and it made her feel a little better.  She realized that this was the first time anyone other than Justin had comforted her. She slowly looked up into Kenny’s soft green eyes and smiled ever so slightly.

Justin returned, holding her cell phone out in front of him. 
“He’s coming over.  But I can get rid of him if you want me to.”

She really didn
’t want to see Peter.  Not now, maybe not ever, but she needed to decide what to do about the future of her marriage.  The only way she could know how she really felt was to talk to Peter face to face.  She wondered if there was still a visible mark on her cheek.  She stared at her reflection in the bathroom mirror.  Her dark eyes were bloodshot and swollen from crying, and she had a small red mark on her cheekbone.  She turned her face to the side and lifted her chin so she could study it better under the unforgiving light in the bathroom. It wasn’t so bad.  It wasn’t really a bruise, it was more like a rug burn, but still a harsh reminder of the violent side of Peter she never knew existed, until last night.

The chime of the doorbell startled her
, and she froze.  For a second, she thought about hiding in the bathroom, but reconsidered.  When she opened the bathroom door, Justin was waiting for her.

“
Are you sure you want to do this?” he asked.

“
I have to.  I need to get this over with.”

Justin answered the door and blocked Peter
’s path.

“
Are you going to let me in?” Peter asked.

“
You better behave yourself, or I’ll throw you out on your fuckin’ ass.”

Peter stepped into the apartment and Heather stared at his bruised left eye, courtesy of Justin.
  Kenny waved Justin into the next room to give them some privacy, but Justin didn’t move and Kenny had to physically pull him into the bedroom.

“
I’m sorry,” Peter said.  “It was the alcohol.  You know that’s not me.  I love you, Heather.  I would never hurt you.”

“
But you did,” she replied, softly.

Peter forced a hug on her, even though she resisted by bracin
g her hands against his chest.

“
I promise it’ll never happen again,” he said.  He sounded sincere, or maybe it was wishful thinking on her part.  “I’ve been a jerk lately and I’m sorry.  Give me another chance, Heather.  Please.”

She wanted to push him away.  She wanted to tell him to leave and never come back, but she was afraid.  She hated the idea of being divorced, and she was slowly starting to collapse.  The tears spilled down her cheeks, and she returned Peter
’s hug.  That’s when she knew she would give him another chance.  “If you ever hit me again,” she said, “I’ll leave you.”

“
I won’t.  I promise.”  He kissed her tenderly on the lips, then motioned towards the bedroom with his chin.  “What about him?”

She let out a deep breath. 
“I’ll talk to Justin.”  She knew he was going to give her hell for taking Peter back, but he was going to have to accept it.  Everyone was entitled to one mistake.

Her affair with Dominick crept back into her mind once again.  She hated that she could never fully get him out of her head, no matter how hard she tried.  First the accident, now this.  How long did she have to pay for that mistake?  Hasn
’t she been vindicated yet?  Maybe she needed to be honest with Peter about it.  No.  She couldn’t tell Peter.

#

As soon as Heather entered the bedroom, Justin knew she forgave Peter.  He sighed.  “Heather . . .”

“
Please don’t say anything, just be there for me.”

“
You know I’m always there for you, sweetie.  I’m just worried about you.  That prick doesn’t deserve you.”

“
He’s my husband, Justin, you need to respect that.”

He respected her decision, but he would never agree with it, and he
would never trust Peter again.  Justin walked past Heather and into the living room.  He needed to set Peter straight.  “I need to talk to you. Outside.”

“
Look, Justin,” Peter replied, “if you want to fight, we’ll fight, but it’s just going to make matters worse.”

“
I said talk, not fight.”  He led Peter into the courtyard outside his apartment. “When you married Heather, I told you that you better take care of her . . . that you better do right by her.”

“
I have.”

“
Shut the fuck up and listen to me.  You did one of the two worst possible things you could do to her.  She should have kicked you to the curb, and I told her that.  I told her to throw you out and get a divorce. But she wants to give you a second chance, so I have to stand by her.”  He narrowed his eyes and leaned closer to Peter.  “I think you’re a piece of fuckin’ shit for hitting her, but as long as she’s married to you, we need to be civil to one another.”  He pointed his index finger at Peter and lightly touched his chest.  “I want to make something perfectly clear.  If you ever lay your hands on her again, I will personally rip your fuckin’ head off of your shoulders.”

Peter grew agitated and shifted his weight from foot to foot. 
“Don’t fuckin’ threaten me, Justin.  Don’t . . .”

“
Don’t threaten you?”  He flung his hand toward his apartment.  “You fucking hit her!  Touch her again, lay one fucking finger on her, and I’ll tear your fucking heart out!”

Peter
’s eyes blazed wide open and he stared at Justin for a long time without blinking.  Peter was furious.  You could see it in his eyes, but he remained silent.  He took a deep breath and slowly offered his hand as a sign of a truce.  Justin wanted to slap it away.  After another long pause, he took hold of Peter’s hand.  Not in a handshake, but gripped it firmly and held it.  “Don’t fuck up, because if you do, I’m comin’ after you.”

Chapter Forty-Four:

For the next few weeks, Peter was the doting husband.  It reminded Heather
of when they were first married and she began to think he changed.  At least, that’s what she tried to tell herself, but deep down she knew that it was all pretense.  It was only a matter of time before his resentment made a nasty and unwelcomed return.

Less than three months later, she showed up on Justin
’s doorstep, suitcase in hand.  She was more upset about how he was going to react than about her failed marriage.  Or maybe it just didn’t sink in yet.  Justin opened the door, and she looked away.  She was too embarrassed to look him in the eye or say anything.  He glanced down at the suitcase by her feet and back up at her face.  She continued to look off to the side, so he could only see her profile.  Her silhouette amplified the movement in her throat, as she swallowed hard and pursed her lips together.

“
I left Peter,” she said, in a steady voice.

Justin strained to see the other side of her face, but she remained with her body positioned three-quarters away from him, so he couldn
’t see it.

“
Heather,” he said cautiously, “turn around.”

Her mouth bowed into a deep frown, but she had no tears
left.  She hung her head into her chest, before she slowly turned and looked up at him.

Justin
’s hands flew to his mouth.  “OH MY GOD!”

This time, Peter hit her with a closed fist.  It left her eye bright pink
and swollen completely shut.  Peter had been out drinking again and came home ranting about Justin.  He said he was tired of their farce of a marriage and said horrible, hateful things.  Maybe if she wasn’t so defensive, maybe if she just kept her mouth shut, he wouldn’t have hit her.  But she couldn’t keep quiet – not when it came to Justin.

Justin wrapped his arms tightly around her, and she clung to him for reassurance and security. 
His heart pounded in his chest and his arms trembled around her back.  The pressure of his embrace made the left side of her face throb, and she cringed.

Kenny slowly peered around Justin to get a better look at her. 
“Jesus Christ!” he exclaimed, raising his voice several octaves.

“
It’s not as bad as it looks.”  She was uncharacteristically calm, and she knew it unnerved Justin.

He stared at her for several seconds with his mouth open
.  He looked like he was trying to say something, but the words wouldn’t come out.  He slowly shook his head from side to side, and tears filled his eyes.  “I never should’ve let you go back to him.  I’m so sorry, sweetie.  He’s not gonna get away with this.”

“
He’s not getting away with anything.” Kenny held the phone to his ear and spoke to the voice on the other end.  “We need an ambulance, and I want to report an assault and battery.”

“
No!” Heather just wanted to forget about the incident.  “I’m OK,” she said.  “I don’t need to go to the hospital, and I’m not pressing charges.”

“
You’re going to the hospital,” Justin said, “and you’re telling the police what happened, but first, I need to have a word with Peter.”  He started for the door, but Kenny caught him by the arm.

“
Stop.  Don’t do anything,” Kenny said.  “You’re gonna get yourself arrested!”

Justin shook himself free and reached for the doorknob again.

Kenny grabbed him by both arms and pulled him away from the door.  “You need to think about Heather.”

“
I am thinking about Heather and what the fuck he did to her.  Let me go!”  He pushed Kenny aside, and Kenny stumbled and fell to one knee.

He jumped up, lunged at Justin and pinned him against the wall. 
“Stop it!  If you go to jail, what’s gonna happen to Heather?  She needs you here, with her!”

“
He’s right,” Heather said.  “I couldn’t live with myself if you went to jail because of me.  Please, let the police handle this.  I’ll file a report.  I’ll press charges against Peter.  I’ll do whatever I have to.  Please don’t go over there, Justin.  I need you.  I can’t go through this alone.”

Justin clos
ed his eyes and let out a heavy distressed sigh.  His face started to twitch with emotion, and he abruptly threw his arms around Kenny.  “I’m so sorry.  I didn’t mean to push you.  I was just trying to get out the door.  Are you alright?  Did you get hurt?  I’m sorry, baby.  I’m sorry.”

Kenny put his hand on Justin
’s cheek. “I’m fine, honey.”

“
I love you, baby.  I’m so sorry.  Please forgive me.  I feel horrible.”

“
I understand, honey.  Don’t worry.  It’s not your fault.  There was no way I was letting you leave this apartment.”

The guilt overwhelmed Heather, and she sat down on the couch.  It was all her fault.  She brought this on herself, and now she involved Justin and Kenny.  She wanted to cry, but she couldn
’t.  She wondered if, maybe finally, this was the ultimate price for her sins, and she was now free to leave her past indiscretions behind her and move forward with her life.  She hoped so, because she didn’t know how much more she could take.

Chapter Forty-Five:

“
She’s finally asleep.” Justin closed the bedroom door behind him.  It was a long night.  He collapsed on the couch and into Kenny’s arms.  “She’s such a good-hearted person and so much fucked up shit always happens to her.  She’s had a hard life.  She deserves better.  I wish I could make her life easier . . . happier.”

“
I’m proud of you, honey.”

“
Me?  What did I do?  I couldn’t even protect her from that fuckin’ prick.”

“
You were being strong for her.  I know how hard that was for you.  I saw how scared you were.”

“
Strong?  I was a fuckin’ mess.”

“
No, you weren’t.  You held it together.  She couldn’t have gone through all that questioning from the police without you.  I can only do so much.  It’s you she needs.”

Justin leaned forward and held his head in his hands.  He blamed himself.
Heather always protected him. She would never let anyone hurt him.  He couldn’t do the same. He failed her. “I knew this was gonna happen,” he said.  “I knew he would hit her again, and I knew it was gonna be bad.  I tried to tell her, but she wouldn’t listen to me.  She can be so stubborn sometimes.  I feel guilty for letting this happen to her.  I feel responsible.  I could have prevented it.  I could have done something.  It’s my fault.”

“
Shhhhh.”  Kenny put his arms around Justin and stroked his hair, the same way Heather always did when he was upset.  “It’s not your fault, honey.  She’s gonna be OK.”

Justin felt comforted in Kenny
’s arms.  Until now, Heather was the only one who consoled him, and he was the one who consoled Kenny – not the other way around.  This felt different but in a good way, and he loved Kenny all the more for offering him solace when he needed it the most.