Shadow of Death (8 page)

“Yes, he does love the children, but his trust in you has been shaken. I mean, your twins are beautiful, but let's not forget how you tried to prevent them from coming into the world.”

“What are you talking about?”

“The birth control pills,” Cheryl said nonchalantly. “I remember how upset Troy was when you lied to him, saying that you'd stop taking pills when you had not.”

Natalie went from zero to sixty in three-point-five at the thought of her husband sharing intimate details about their relationship with his colleague. Still, it would take more than Cheryl's “confession” to get Natalie to believe that the man whom she loved and married had been unfaithful.

“And then there was that incident at work. It's unfortunate that it took such an embarrassing situation to force you into being the stay-at-home wife and mother that Troy had wanted all along. He's a great provider and it really hurt him that you didn't trust him to provide for you.”

“What do you want, Cheryl? You're too smug to be remorseful, so there's obviously another reason why you wanted to meet. I don't know what went on with you and Troy, but if you think I'm going to throw away my marriage based on your word of a supposed affair, you don't know me at all. Matter of fact, let's call Troy and see what he has to say about this.” With hands trembling from anger, Natalie searched for her cell phone, which she realized she'd left in the car. She called Cheryl's bluff by still pretending to look. “For your sake, you better hope that he's working a case because if Troy knew you were here trying to break up his family, he'd have your head.”

“Before you make that call, I have proof.” Cheryl pulled a manila envelope from her bag. “I dare you to search the news sites and see if there's been a recent triple homicide. Troy lied to you Friday. He didn't come home because of a case; he stayed out all night because he was with me.” She slid the envelope to Natalie. “See for yourself.”

Natalie wanted to take a fork and shove it into Cheryl's esophagus. Maybe then she'd finally shut up! Tears tried to find their way out, but Natalie wouldn't let them. She would not give this woman the satisfaction of seeing her cry. If, what Cheryl was saying was true, Natalie wouldn't give either of them the pleasure. The pain of her new reality was starting to sink in as she began giving more credence to Cheryl's confession. She sat, staring at the envelope, refusing to open it.

“I'm the reason that Troy didn't appreciate that pretty red outfit you put on for him Saturday night. He couldn't get me out of his mind. I'm sorry I had to be the one to break the news to you. Troy didn't know how to do it.” When Cheryl's cell phone chimed, she lit up. “What do you know? It's Troy asking to meet with me.” Cheryl turned the phone so she could see. Natalie's stomach, which was already knotted into a tumor, got even tighter. Sure enough, her husband's name and number appeared on Cheryl's screen with a message that read,
“Sorry 4 such l8 notice. Need 2 c u. Can u meet at the Dublin Entrepreneurial Center?”

“Well, I guess that's my cue to leave.” Cheryl reached into Ebony's plate and grabbed a tiny pit of her pancake making a smacking noise as she brought her finger out of her mouth.
“Mmm…
this is really good. I should have ordered some for myself. Oh, well, maybe next time. I have to go. My man is waiting for me. He may be your husband now, but he'll belong to me eventually.” With a sickeningly sweet smile, she winked as though they had exchanged beauty tips and left.

Natalie managed to keep from falling apart while she got her babies together at the restaurant. She'd given up her job…her independence…her
life
to be Mrs. Troy Jermaine Evans and this is how he repaid her?
“…he'll be mine eventually.”
People thought the former socialite, Betty Broderick, had been crazy when she shot and killed her husband and his new wife—the woman with whom he'd had an affair and divorced Betty after sixteen years and four children to marry. The case made national news in the late '80s when Natalie was in her early teens. It was crazy how the details of such a case came flooding back to her memory as she now found herself having sympathy for the former Mrs. Broderick who had obviously been hurt beyond repair in order to be driven to homicide.

The twins screamed at the top of their lungs when Natalie took their plates away from them. All eyes were on her. Though it was only her imagination, Natalie sensed that everyone could see how empty and raw she felt inside like her pain had been exposed. They were looking at her, secretly laughing at the fact that Cheryl and Troy's relationship had done to her marriage what she had done to so many others.
This is what you get when you trust men. What goes around comes around. You thought your marriage was so good and Troy is just like everyone else. He didn't want to be with you Saturday because he left to be with her,
were some of the things that went through her mind. How could she have been so stupid! How could Troy do this to her? To their family?

“Do you need some help, ma'am?” an older lady said to her.

Natalie wasn't keen on strangers around her children, but she gladly accepted the woman's assistance to her car, making sure to take the envelope with her. Its contents had disturbed her much more than the elderly lady seeing the filthy back seat of her car. Natalie didn't have to open it to know what was inside. She didn't leave it there simply because she didn't want anyone else to know either. She wasn't sure why she cared. It was Troy's reputation, not hers. At least for now, he was still her husband.

C
heryl had delivered a blow that Natalie hadn't seen coming. As she left SuperChef's, she drove aimlessly, unsure of what to make of her emotions as they toggled between the likes of homicidal Betty Broderick and the love-blinded Dottie Sandusky who, to this day, stood by her convicted child-molesting husband. Two cheating men. Two very different circumstances. One choice for Natalie to make—to believe in Troy and their marriage despite the damage he'd ultimately done to it or to give up and let go.

She called Troy, but hung up without leaving a message when he didn't answer. She'd rather scream and yell at him in person rather than appear to be a raving lunatic by doing so on his voicemail. It's funny how he had time to text Cheryl, but not to answer a phone call from her. Natalie searched her mind for a scripture, desperate for anything that could guide her. At first nothing came to her. Then she thought of the words of the psalmist,
“weeping may endure for the night, but joy comes in the morning.”
As much as she was hurting, it would be a
long
time before morning came.

Natalie's pain was numbing. She cried without tears…screamed without sound…bled profusely without being cut open. How could Troy do this to her? She'd known a lot of cheating men in her day and Troy didn't fit the profile. Then, again, perhaps he did. He had a job with varying hours, a wife who foolishly believed that he was working when he came home all hours of the night, and sometimes, he expressed his love so openly that Natalie felt it was too good to be true. Obviously, it was. Cheating husbands often overshowered their wives with affection to keep them from suspecting infidelity!

Natalie needed to be alone right now in order to get her thoughts together, but there were two little ones in the back depending on her. She'd give her life for them and Nate and yet she didn't have the mental or emotional strength to care for the twins at the moment. Natalie needed time to herself and she reached out to another stay-at-home mom and friend for help.

“Hey, Natalie, what's up?” Lisa answered sounding short of breath.

“Did I catch you at a bad time?”

“No. Girl, I'm glad you called. It gave me an excuse to put Chalene on pause. She was kicking my butt.” Lisa was no doubt referring to Chalene Johnson, an author, entrepreneur, and creator of Turbo Fire and other workout DVDs, and by far, both Lisa's and Natalie's favorite video instructor. Each spoke of Chalene like she was a personal friend, saying things like, “Chalene and I are about to work out” as if the fitness instructor would actually appear next to them in person. “What's on your agenda today? Do you want to hook up with the kids?” Lisa's question wasn't abnormal. She and Natalie sometimes planned outings together for their little ones and even took turns babysitting for each other occasionally when the moms needed a break.

“I'm sorry to call at such short notice. I need a favor. Is there any way you can keep Ean and Ebony for me today? I'll see if Aneetra will be able to pick them up later. It's been a rough morning and I'm at my wits' end.”

It must have been the desperation in Natalie's voice because Lisa quickly responded “yes,” asking if they were on their way now.

“No. I have to go home first. I need to clean them up and pack their diaper bag. I should be there in about an hour.”

“I'll tell you what…I'll come get them from you. I can probably be there in the next thirty or forty minutes. Chandler's already dressed. Let me jump in the shower and I'll be there soon.”

Natalie tried to tell Lisa it wasn't necessary, but her friend insisted, saying that it would be easier on them all since she had a few errands to run near Natalie's house anyhow. Natalie wasn't sure if Lisa was being truthful or simply going the extra mile to accommodate her. In the end, it proved to be the best option for Natalie. After she got home, she quickly cleaned the twins and put them in their playpen, and then got their diaper bag together. Natalie, in a daze, sat at the kitchen island waiting for Lisa while staring at the manila envelope, frozen by the fear of its contents and reliving those horrific few moments with Cheryl.

“Troy and I have been having an affair.”

“Your husband and I have been involved ever since we reconnected on that case a couple of years ago.”

“His trust in you has been shaken.”

“And then there was that incident at work.”

“Troy lied to you Friday. He didn't come home because of a case; he stayed out all night because he was with me.”

Natalie picked up the envelope and twirled it around. She could still hear Cheryl's wicked laugh. It was all that Natalie could do to keep it together. According to Cheryl, the contents of the envelope contained undeniable proof of her affair with Troy.
“See for yourself.”
Did Natalie really need to see it in order to believe it? What about the text message Troy had sent Cheryl? Wasn't that proof enough? Did she really have to torture herself more with what was inside the envelope? Before she could think about her actions any further, Natalie ripped it open and her already shattered heart was crushed even more. Inside were dozens of images of Cheryl and Troy naked in bed. There was no denying it was him. She'd recognize those dark chocolate brown cheeks anywhere.

Natalie threw the photos aside, knocking a glass off the island. It fell to the floor into tiny shards. It startled the twins and they started crying. Natalie couldn't even muster the strength to see about them and so they all sat in tears—the twins in their playpen in the living room doorway and Natalie in the kitchen. They were still crying when Lisa came.

“Are you okay?” Lisa asked when she answered the front door.

Natalie couldn't speak. She shook her head no and when Lisa embraced her, she cried harder. This was awkward for Natalie for several reasons. For starters, Natalie was a few inches taller than Lisa so it was uncomfortable to bend down on her shoulder. Plus, Lisa's long, dark hair was down and made its way into Natalie's mouth and it had more of a Chalene sweat workout smell than it did shampoo. Lisa, herself, didn't stink, but obviously her hair had not gotten the water attention that her body had gotten. Those things were all superficial, but what really made this moment unusual was that Natalie was not the one to cry in anyone's arms. Though she and Lisa had a budding friendship, Natalie wasn't one to let people see her in such a broken state. Very few had been able to witness her vulnerability. Troy was one of them.

Ebony and Ean had stopped crying, thanks to Lisa's little one who filled in for Nate by entertaining them and making them laugh. The screams had been replaced with joyful shrills. When Natalie finally got herself together, she let go of Lisa. “Thank you,” she said after finding her voice.

“Do you want to talk?” Lisa wasn't oblivious to the broken glass. She may have even seen the pictures as well, but at that point, Natalie didn't care.

“No.” Had Lisa asked if she
needed
to talk, Natalie's answer should have been different. Talking might have done her good, at least that's what the therapist she'd seen as a teen after having Corrine would have suggested. Natalie had been used to isolating herself during the most tumultuous times in her life and old habits were hard to break, so even if Lisa had said the magic word, Natalie would have likely responded the same. She wanted to be alone even if she didn't need to be. “You taking them for a few hours while I get my head on straight is more help than you will ever know.”

Lisa didn't press the issue of talking. She simply helped get the twins situated and in the car and gave Natalie a long hug. “About what time will Aneetra be coming?”

Shoot!
Natalie had forgotten to call her. “I don't know. I'm sure it won't be until after she gets off of work around four or four-thirty. If that's too long, please let me know.”

“Oh, that's not why I was asking. I only wanted to make sure I would be there. She doesn't have to come at all if she doesn't want to. I'm willing to keep them for as long as you need me to do so. What about Nate? I take it he's at school?”