Author's Note: Apologize for the long intro but felt it was necessary. This is a tribute piece to one of the authors on Lit whose works, years ago, inspired me to stop lurking and try to write something. "One Slip," by patricia51, is a story that has stuck in my head ever since I first came to Lit. Patricia left it open-ended and encouraged other authors to submit their own endings. This is my take.
It's intended to be more of a tribute than an alternative ending so I tried to stay consistent with the original storyline and author's style. While there are several very good alternate endings already out there, I felt most, if not all, either added a huge background plot twist or altered the original characters. I tried not to add any earth shattering-back stories like past affairs, get out of jail passes, mind control, or the main characters suddenly being very open to alternate forms of marriage. Nothing against those, it's just the original story never hinted at them.
There were two things that seemed to be forgotten. The first was that in the original Donna took full responsibility for her actions but was a strong, mostly unemotional woman, at least publicly. She never openly ranted nor raved, neither begged nor cried. The second was that her husband, Steve, was referred to as a strait-laced, Old Testament kinda husband.
That begs two questions. How does an intelligent strong woman show great remorse without publicly falling apart and crying and begging for forgiveness? Also, how does a fair hardline husband take back a cheating wife? Since every alternative ending to this story I've ever read has ended in reconciliation, those two obstacles needed to be addressed. Hopefully, they have been explored in this story, at least somewhat believably. If you haven't figured it out yet, this is a RAAC type story. Although who pays, well... lol.
I need to thank blackrandl1958 for her editing and outofshadows, kimi1990 and the late Mostera1 for their beta reading and input. RIP my friend. Also, a very special thanks to patricia51 for her wonderful story and feedback.
BTW an obvious statement... this is a continuation of patricia51's "One Slip;" you need to read that one first to understand this one... duh!
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Donna took a deep breath. She straightened her shoulders, blinked back a threatened tear from her eye and reached deep inside herself to a reservoir of strength she had never known she had. With her head held high, in spite of the guilt and anguish in her heart, she opened the door and marched inside.
- patricia51, One Slip
The Sacrifice
As she walked into his office, her husband looked up from his desk. His obvious joy at seeing her made her pause. He was a good-looking man, not the movie star looks like Gil, but still ruggedly handsome. He also had something Gil didn't, character. Those traits, combined with the love he had for her and their children, made him so much more desirable than any man she'd ever met... except for a single slip.
One slip, and now everything was about to change. Those she loved would be hurt. Her marriage was damaged by her own hand and her family was in jeopardy of being torn apart.
"What was I thinking?" she whispered. "Of course, I wasn't!"
With a calmness that belied the hurricane of emotions brewing inside her, she addressed her husband. She was determined not to cry, knowing he couldn't bear to see her tears and it might confuse an already hard to explain situation. She needed to be open and honest with him, not manipulate his feelings.
"Honey, we need to talk."
It wasn't original, but it was a start.
"I need to tell you some things that are going to hurt and make you very angry. First, I need to ask you to indulge me. I need you to give me your gun that you keep in your desk."
"The Cannon?"
She nodded and took a deep breath.
Steve flopped back into his chair; his look of surprise obvious. Slowly, he unlocked his desk drawer and removed the huge gun. Without his eyes ever leaving her, he handed her his Smith and Wesson Model 29 .44 Magnum. She blanched for a moment before taking it from him.
He'd told her several times before what it was called, but she could never remember so they usually just referred to it as the Cannon. She stared at it as if it was a snake just waiting for it to strike. She'd forgotten how big and heavy it was as she struggled to fit it into her oversized purse.
"Now, do you mind telling me," her husband said in a low, guarded voice, "what could be so bad that you're afraid I might shoot someone with that thing?"
She looked at him as studied his face. His concern was evident. It was mixed with love along with something else... fear. He tried to hide it but it was in his voice.
"I'm... I'm sorry, Steve," she said softly, her voice failing, "but it might be. I wish there was another way to say this but... I... I cheated on you."
She nearly choked on the words, and the turning of her stomach caused her to pause. She knew that the pain she felt couldn't compare with the incredible hurt she could see in her husband's eyes.
She watched as his heart broke. His eyes began to fill with tears and his jaw tightened. Then his face slowly lost all expression, as if turning to stone. She prayed the death she was witnessing was only his trust in her and not his love.
"When" he croaked. "And more importantly, why?"
"Last weekend at Gil's party. As to the why... I'm not fully sure. I know that's not the answer either of us want to hear, but it's the most honest."
The air filled with an eerie silence as she initially stared at her husband, trying to read his reactions. He sat almost motionless as he tried to process her confession.
"I'd been drinking but not enough to excuse my actions," she began softly. "All I can think of is that I was too comfortable and let my guard down. I was around people I trusted, had drunk just enough to feel at ease and let myself walk into a situation that turned horribly wrong in seconds. I don't know how it happened, but I was in his arms before I realized it."
"Whose arms?" her husband growled.
"Gil's," she responded flatly. "I'm so sorry, Steve, but it was with Gil. He wanted me to see his new office..."
She watched as her husband flinched. She knew he would gather as much information as possible before he reacted.
"When we got there, he put his arm around me. I don't know, Steve. I can't explain it. He's always been a flirt, but he's that way with all women. I guess I trusted him. I thought the situation was harmless, and worst of all I believed that I'd always be able to handle anything if something ever did.
"I was obviously wrong. The next thing I knew, he was kissing me. It may have been the suddenness of it or maybe I was just stunned, but I didn't fight it."
"You said you'd been drinking. Could someone have put something in your drink?"
She shook her head sadly.
"I wish I could say I was drunk or drugged, but I can't. I should've just slapped him and walked away. Maybe if I had I wouldn't have betrayed you and our family. Instead it took less than twenty minutes to ruin everything."
"Twenty minutes?"
Donna felt her face flush.
"He took me... no... I let him take me right there in his office. I slipped and ended up falling off the side of the cliff. Just one careless slip."
"Maybe you shouldn't have been so close to the edge."
"That's not fair. I've been alone with Gil many times and nothing even close to this has ever happened."
"So you say."
"I realize why you have trouble believing me right now, but it really was a one-time mistake. If it'd happened more than once, I'd be an even bigger fool to come in here and confess, knowing it was a lie. Steve, I swear to you I never dreamed Gil would ever physically make a pass at me."
"And I would've never imagined my wife would give herself to another man like some dog in heat!"
Donna felt her heart stop. His reaction wasn't unexpected, but she'd prayed it wouldn't be so harsh. Slowly she began to breathe again, realizing her worst fears were becoming reality.
"You're right. I can't tell you how ashamed I am. After it happened, I went home and took a shower. I tried to wash away any traces of him, but I was still haunted by the memories of my infidelity."
"I guess that answers another of my questions," Steve growled.
"What?"
"No condom."
She shook her head and looked down.
"It was a slip, Steve. I'm not trying to make it less than the horrible betrayal it was, but it wasn't planned. There was no conscious thought. It happened so quickly that I never stopped to think. If I had, I wouldn't have done it.
"I went to the clinic and was tested earlier this week. I also got a Morning After kit. I know I'm still on the pill, but I was so terrified that I had to make sure."
"So why did it take you so long to talk to me about it? Or were you ever going to?"
Donna took a deep breath and began.
"To answer your first question, I was struggling with my guilt and fears. I was ashamed of myself and I felt guilty, not having a clear reason for why I did what I did. I was also afraid. I was afraid that what I'd done would destroy our family. My actions had hurt our marriage and I was trying to come to grips with the possibility that you would throw me out.
"As to would I have ever told you, I think I would have... eventually, I was trying to think of a way to talk to you about it tomorrow night. But I hadn't decided as of yesterday, and then something happened just a little while ago that made my confession necessary."
"What? Did he give you a STD?"
"No, the results said I was clean. At least physically."
She looked at her husband with dread. His response to her confession had been expected, but how he'd react to this next part scared her.
"I just came from having lunch with Gil."
"Setting up your next
slip
," Steve growled.
"He called me," she replied quietly, ignoring his dig, "and said he needed to talk about what happened. I told him no, but he said there was much more to it and we needed to meet. I finally agreed and met him at Sanderson's. I planned on making sure he realized that it had been a mistake and would never happen again. When I got there, I was the one who was surprised, no... shocked!
"Steve, he tried to blackmail me. He tried to turn me into his company whore!"
Donna highlighted to her husband what was said at their meeting. She recounted Gil's threats and his demand she be available that evening to entertain his clients. Donna also shared her suspicions that she hadn't been the first Gil had tried to blackmail. She watched with concern as he stoically gathered the information. When she finished, he sat back and was silent for a few seconds. When he finally spoke, it was with a coldness that made her shiver.
