Unfriended - Epilogue

Some who read Unfriended felt the story wasn't finished, so I decided to put an end cap on it.

I would like to thank my proofreader MrsIntJ and editor Headitor. They worked hard to improve the quality of this story. I am forever in their debt.

As always, comments are welcome.

*****

Brenda's story -

My God! What a fucking nightmare. Stuck on that boat with my world falling down around me. I was out on the balcony of my room, standing next to the rail and looking across the ocean. I could see we were moving. I could see the wake created as the cruise ship cut through the water, but it still felt like we were standing still. This goddamn boat is going to take forever to get back to Miami.

It's still hard to believe that Don had not only found out about my affair, but had exposed it to everyone via the internet. I always loved Facebook and my social connections, but Don had used it against me to get retribution for cheating on him. He had made me look like a total slut who didn't give a shit about her husband and family. I know cheating on him was wrong but it was just... I don't know, just having an adventure. I did still love Don and my kids.

George and I had been followed by private investigators who took clandestine pictures and even a video of us in the most compromising situations. And that message Don had written on Facebook, making it look like I had written it myself. It made me seem like a heartless bitch.

How could I have been so stupid? I thought about what George and I had been doing for the past year. We had sex at least once most weeks and had connected on a couple of business trips. What was I thinking? How did I honestly believe that Don wouldn't find out? First George seduces me, and we start sleeping together, then we go on business trips together and finally this stupid cruise.

I looked down at the water again. Same water, same wake. And it still felt like the boat wasn't moving. Now I was stuck in this room with the last man on earth I wanted to see. George. Ah! I knew this nightmare was just beginning. I knew it would hit full force when I arrived home, but I wanted to be there so badly. This slow return trip was just killing me.

--*--

Though it was difficult to think logically, I knew I needed to use this time wisely, to start thinking of what I was going to say to Don and how I could salvage my marriage. God, Don must be pissed. He put that shit on Facebook and now the whole world knows. That fucker should have just confronted me. He obviously knew what was going on. He should have kept me from going on this stupid trip. Instead, he hires a private investigator to follow me around and get pictures.

He just wanted to show me he was in control and to get revenge for what I have been doing. Fuck, I wanted to kill him, but my thoughts kept going back to the reality of what I had done. My stupid behavior wasn't Don's fault. Finding out I was having an affair must have really been terrible for him.

Now I needed to get home and repair the damage. I needed to get that shit off of Facebook and then make sure Don knows this was all a big mistake. I need to persuade him this would never happen again. I know it was going to take a long time to repair the damage, but I will endure it because I do love Don and I want to keep our family intact.

But this nightmare was even bigger than just the damage to my marriage. Everyone knows: family, friends, everyone. What am I going to tell them? There's not much I can do to explain my actions, but I did want them to know I didn't post that shit.

And here I am, stuck on this cruise ship. My life feels like a slow motion disaster.

--*--

The cruise ship finally crawled back to Miami, and we grabbed our luggage and headed to the airport. I tried calling Don again, but it went straight to voicemail.

"What time does the flight arrive, George?" We had hardly spoken in the past couple of hours, both of us lost in our thoughts and just doing what we had to do to make our way back home. I don't think either of us wanted to talk about the sense of dread we felt enveloping our worlds. I so wanted to be home, but the closer we got, the more I dreaded what was to come.

"Do you think your marriage will survive this, George?"

"Yeah, I think so. It's the only time I've ever cheated on Terry."

When he said the word 'cheated', I realized just how terrible it sounded. Previously I had thought of my actions as just a little sex. Maybe even calling it an affair? But cheating? Yeah, I was a cheater. I had cheated, and there was no going back on that.

"I'm not sure my marriage will survive. Oh, I think Don will give me a chance, but he's not the type of person to get over things easily. Hell, he's still pissed at his older brother for going after his girlfriend in high school."

"We have to hope for the best, Brenda. I know I will be doing everything in my power to hold on to Terry."

"So, I guess that means you and I are through?"

George's head turned quickly, and he looked into my eyes with a shocked expression. Then he saw that I wasn't serious and relief came to his face. We both tried to laugh at that, but neither of us was in a playful mood, so our conversation fell flat again.

--*--

I was jolted awake by our plane touching down. I don't usually sleep on planes but the anxiety of the past 36 hours had me exhausted. As George and I got up and grabbed the luggage from the overhead, we just stared at each other. It was like we had arrived at our reckoning and there just wasn't much to say anymore.

"Brenda, I only hope the next few days go well for you, or, at least as well as can be expected. Just try to make Don understand you still love him and maybe you can fix this. That is what I'm going to do with Terry. It's the first time for both of us, so hopefully, our spouses can forgive us."

I looked into George's eyes. I didn't know what to say. My vision became blurry, and then tears started running down both cheeks.

"I just don't know how I can even face him. He knows what we've done, and I've hurt such a good man. It still pisses me off that he had to expose us to the whole world, but maybe I would have done the same thing, given the opportunity?"

"He probably did exactly what I would've done in the same circumstances. We can't blame them for our indiscretions. My advice to you is to not even mention the Facebook postings. You can't blame him for anything. Just try to recover your marriage."

The plane had emptied of the people in front of us, and we walked down the aisle and off the plane.

As we exited the concourse and headed down the escalator towards baggage claim, all those guys looking to provide transportation to business people were holding up their signs. Neither George nor I were paying any attention to them. We both had cars in the parking lots of the airport. Then we heard a couple of the men calling our names. I was confused. Did Don send someone to fetch me? As the men approached us, they confirmed our identity and then handed each of us an envelope.

"You have been served," they said, almost simultaneously. I looked at them with a blank expression on my face. I was confused as to what they were saying. As the men started to walk away, George looked at me. I could see the deep sadness in his eyes. He wasn't confused, he knew exactly what was happening.

"They are divorcing us, Brenda. These are divorce papers."

I felt my legs go weak. It was like the joints of my knees had turned into jelly and could no longer support my body. I just dropped to the floor. I was numb all over and could feel the tears streaming down my face. I was sobbing loudly. Everyone around was looking at me with concern. After a moment I looked up, and George was no longer standing there. I looked down the hallway and could see him slowly walking away.

--*--

Forty-five minutes later, I had retrieved my car, and was driving intently to my house. I sent a text to Don letting him know I was on the way. I'm sure he needed to prepare just as I was doing. Earlier, George had advised me to recover my marriage, but now it looked like Don was headed straight for divorce. That didn't mean that there wasn't still a chance. I was going to give everything I had in the hope it wasn't too late.

I barely remember the drive home. My mind was racing, but I couldn't put a coherent strategy together. All I knew was I needed to get back and talk to Don. All this fucking waiting on the return trip and I was finally on the street where I lived.

It was early evening, but the sun hadn't set. Don always parked his car in the garage so I couldn't tell if anyone was home. Judgment day for me was about to begin, and I felt a wave of nausea wash through my stomach. Maybe he had changed the locks and wouldn't let me in? I didn't know what was in store for me, but I had finally arrived home.

As I got to the door, I stopped for a second and listened. I couldn't hear any sounds coming from inside. I grabbed the knob and twisted, it was locked. Was I right? Had he changed the locks and wasn't going to let me in? I put my key in the door, and it easily turned the lock. I pushed the door open and could immediately tell nobody was home. In the evening light, the house was dark. No Don, no kids running to greet me. I pulled my luggage in and flipped on the hall light. "Hello? Is anybody home?" My voice was loud in the quiet house. "Fuck, they're not here," I mumbled to myself.

I left the luggage at the door and started walking around. Nothing was out of place, but the quiet made me uneasy. At least Don hadn't packed up and left me already. I went up the stairs walking towards our bedroom. When I reached the kid's bedroom, I turned and looked in. The beds weren't made, and toys were scattered around the room.

I'd put my selfish desires before my family and now I may have lost all of this. Seeing the kid's bedroom, toys scattered on the floor, Chelsea's pink blankets and Trever's Transformers sheet all seemed surreal to me. Could I really be losing this reality? My family? Was I even welcome here anymore? I felt my legs betraying me again, and I grabbed the door frame for support. Sobbing overtook me once more.

I don't know how long I stood there and cried, but eventually, I realized, I needed to see if Don had packed and was gone. Maybe he had taken the kids to his parents' and then packed his things and left? I walked down the hall and into our bedroom. Looking around it appeared nothing had been disturbed. Don hadn't taken any of his clothes. I felt a glimmer of hope that maybe this was a positive sign.

I finally made my way back down the stairs and into the kitchen. I hadn't eaten much in the past two days and thought food may help clear my thoughts. On the table was a folded note from Don.

OK, here it is. At least I would know what was happening. The note was short and to the point. Don said he and the kids were at his parent's house. Tomorrow was Sunday, and he said that he would come over in the morning so we could talk, then I could see the kids in the afternoon.

Oh, my God. I had to wait even longer. Why was Don doing this to me? It felt like this punishment was unending, though in my heart I knew it was probably just beginning. I knew our conversation was going to be brutal, but I was determined to take it and let him know that I still loved him. I had never quit loving Don but had somehow got sucked into George's advances.

I knew I needed to get that shit off of Facebook, so I went into our home office and logged into my account. Looking at what Don had posted, making it look like I had written it, I was beside myself. I knew I had hurt him, but fuck, he had all but destroyed me with his postings. It made me look like a total uncaring slut.

I deleted the post and decided I needed to post an explanation.

[Facebook post]

I justed wanted everyone to know that I didn't make the recent posts you may have seen from me. My account was hacked. Yes, I've done a terrible thing, I did have an affair with a man, and I'm not proud of it, but I certainly didn't post the evidence for the world to see. I'm sorry you had to witness it.

[End of Facebook post]

I logged off the computer and walked back up the stairs to my bedroom. I didn't even have the strength to pull my luggage up with me. I fell on the bed, still in my clothes and began to cry again until, eventually, I somehow fell asleep.

--*--

I woke up the next morning still in my clothes but had found my way under the covers during the night. The clock said it was only 7 am, but I didn't know what time Don was coming over, so I pushed myself out of bed. It was only then that I realized still had yesterday's clothes on. I undressed and went to the bathroom. Everything felt strange. Being in my house alone. Taking a shower in my empty house on a Sunday morning.

The sinking feeling that I had fucked up my life returned, but I wasn't crying now. I felt more in shock that Don would be here soon, and I had no idea what I was going to say or, more importantly, what he was going to say. Would he even consider not divorcing me? I realized that I hadn't yet looked at the papers I had been served. What were his terms? I needed to at least review them before he showed up. That thought gave me a purpose for the morning.

After my shower, I made my way down to the kitchen and made coffee and toast. Butter and strawberry jelly on my toast has always been my favorite and, having failed to eat again last night, I almost inhaled the food. I pulled out the papers and began my review of what might become of my life.

--*--

I'm not a lawyer and there was a lot of legal mumbo jumbo in the documents but it looked like he wanted joint 50/50 custody of the kids. We would split the proceeds of the house. Fuck, this is what 9 years of marriage had come down to I guess. It felt like I was reading my death certificate. I knew I needed to find a way to slow down Don's assault somehow. I would probably need to get a lawyer to look at these documents. I started to go back over them, to look at them in more detail, when I heard Don coming in the front door.

I pushed back from the table and rushed to the living room. "Don, you're here." I couldn't think of anything else to say. We just looked at each other as I moved towards him and opened my arms. I wanted a hug. I had never needed a hug from anyone, anymore, in my life. He was looking at me expressionless and didn't say anything. As I got close to him, he held out his arm and pointed the palm of his hand at me. He was pushing me back, and the hug was not to be. I stopped about three feet in front of him, looking him right in the eyes, I began to cry. "Don, I am so very sorry for what has happened."

His expression was one I couldn't understand. He looked angry, but he looked more confused. What had he expected me to say? Did he think that I didn't still want him? Oh god, I felt terrible for this man, and I had fucked up his world. I felt like the scum of the earth. I had damaged a good man, and now he stood here and didn't know how to deal with his cheating wife.

I was standing there looking at the person that had shamed me in front of my family and friends, but I couldn't hold a negative feeling for him. I was the one who had fucked everything up, and I needed to find a way to fix it.

"Don, say something. Call me a name. Tell me how bad I fucked up. But, please, just speak to me."

"Brenda, how could you... how could you just throw our marriage away? I thought you loved me." He stopped talking and just stared into my eyes. I could see real confusion in his face. He was asking a question, and he expected real answers, but I had no idea how to answer those questions.

"I'm so sorry, Don."

"What about me?" he said. "I thought you loved me and it never entered my mind that you would fuck around on me. I mean never. I thought we had something great going."

I stood frozen then blurted out, "I don't know Don. I would like to give you answers, but somehow I just let him seduce me and things got out of hand. I didn't feel like I needed anyone else but when George started flirting with me, I became hooked on the feeling. I let it go way too far."

"Yeah, Brenda. That's the understatement of the year. You blew up our marriage. I mean, what the fuck. Did you need a different cock? Mine wasn't good enough? Were you so horny that you just had to fuck someone else?"

I just looked at him. I could feel the tears rolling straight down my cheeks. What could I say? So he continued. "And what about the kids? You don't give a fuck what happens to them? Now they are going to grow up in two different households."

"Oh my God, Don. Please, you have to reconsider. Please don't divorce me. I never had feelings for George; it was just; well just me being stupid. I don't want a divorce. I love you and promise, with all my heart to find a way to make this up to you. Could you please just put the divorce on hold and let me prove to you that I love you and I will never do anything like this again. Please, if you can't do it for me, please do it for the kids.

"Fuck you, Brenda. Now you are trying to put this on me. If I don't take you back, then I fuck up our household. I'll be responsible for putting the kids in a broken home? No, Brenda, there is no going back here. You need to get your shit and leave. I'll bring the kids over this afternoon. You can be with them this evening and sleep on the couch tonight. Tomorrow, after I go to work, you need to pack up what you need to get by, then be gone before I get home.

"No, please Don. Don't make me leave." Tears were streaming down my face, and the moisture in my mouth felt like it had turned into glue. I was sobbing, and my voice was raspy.

"I'm so sorry Don. Please give us another chance." I had been looking down, and my eyes were thick with tears. When I looked up, he was at the door, then gone. I fell back onto the couch and just sobbed.

--*--

About an hour later Don was back with the kids. They were happy to see me and rushed into my arms. I hugged them and looked up at Don with sad eyes. He just looked at me with a blank expression and walked past us and into our home office. I was trying not to cry, but the kids could tell I was upset. I just hugged them like I never wanted to let them go then realized it must be upsetting them.

I had to compose myself for the kids' sake. I made them dinner, and we cuddled on the couch and watched TV. Then, around 9, I put them to bed. I didn't see Don the entire evening until about 10 pm when he walked from our office and up to bed.

--*--

I could hear the alarm on my phone going off, and it took me a minute to realize I was on the couch. To my surprise, I had slept like a log and felt refreshed. Getting the kids up for school I prepared their cereal and made some coffee. They were eating happily, and I headed up to our bedroom. As I suspected, Don was gone. He had set two of our large suitcases on the bed. Damn thoughtful of him.

I drove the kids to school and returned to the house. Maybe I wouldn't pack and leave? After all, this is my house, too. But I realized that I needed to let Don have his space and his control. I would let him lead. I would continue to let him know I still loved him and that we need to raise the kids together. I knew he still loved me, in spite of all the pain I had caused. We just needed some time, and I was sure his heart would soften.

I called my sister. She was still single and lived alone. "Brenda, what's going on? Are you back in town?"

"Yeah, I got back yesterday. Don didn't waste any time, Carla. He had me served at the fucking airport. I still think we can work things out, but he is very, very angry. He wants me out of the house. Can I come to stay with you for a while?"