wondering if they could go to marriage counseling. Fix this. But seeing Dan thrusting into Sadie Andersen, doggie style, kept playing through her mind and disrupting those foolish desires.
"How could he!" she exclaimed. It was one thing knowing it, but quite another actually seeing it. God, he wanted that other woman ... not her.
"Why!"
Nia turned and ran upstairs, then ran into the master bathroom. She flipped on all the lights and walked slowly to the large mirror behind the sink, where she stood looking at her image. Judging and comparing.
"I'm younger looking than her, I know I am," she whispered, touching her face, running her fingertips over the small age lines showing.
She and Dan rarely argued. What they did was ignore each other when they were mad. So she couldn't really say, "Oh we had a bad marriage and we were at each other's throats." Plus they had sex and she never said "no" to him. But he didn't ask for it as much as he used to, she realized.
"Why didn't I notice that?" she muttered, dropping her hands and turning from the mirror to walk into the bedroom. "Because he never gives me orgasms," she uttered defensively. She sat on the edge of the bed with her shoulders slumped, wondering if he gave Sadie orgasms.
"He must!" she cried, with jealousy surging through her, hot and heavy.
Sadie was sexier and much sultrier than her. Nia banged her fist on the bed. She hated Sadie. Then she broke down crying, finally. One big sob and it tore free, until she lay on the bed crying.
She must have cried for over an hour before she heard the front door slamming shut downstairs. Her sobs had been slowly dwindling and the moment she heard the sound, she hurriedly sat upright, while sniffling and blowing her nose.
"He's home," she whispered, practically cringing.
Now that they were alone, maybe she could get some answers. Why didn't he come to her—embrace his wife when he was caught cheating, instead of staying by Sadie's side? She knew Dan had been angry. She'd never seen him so furious, and the entire thing had been like watching a man she didn't know.
She got up to hurry downstairs and get her answers. Halfway down the stairs, she halted, staring straight down on Sadie Andersen, who was looking up at her with wary eyes.
Nia's eyes leaped to Dan as she opened her mouth to shout at him, but he stalled her attempt.
"Nia, I'm not leaving my house!" he snapped. "So don't even think of trying that game!"
Game? Nia wondered what game she was supposed to be playing. "What is she doing here?" she demanded, close to shouting. "I want her out of my house!"
Dan cussed foully once, then he stalked up the stairs and grabbed her forearm. "Come with me so we can talk," he ordered with an aggravated tone.
Nia was just ready to pull away from him, but when she heard they might talk, she let Dan pull her past Sadie. She gave Sadie a mean glare, and Sadie had the gall to look put-upon. Dan tugged her into his home office and he pushed the door halfway shut. He let go of her arm and he rounded on her.
"I can't believe you did that, Nia! I'm not giving my permission to that damned TV show. Do you know this could ruin my business and my job?"
Of all the things Nia thought her husband might start out saying, this was not it. She was at a loss at what to say or where to begin. "It's cruel, Dan. Get her out of my house!" she shouted as tears built in her eyes.
"My house!" he shouted back. "And after what you did, having those fucking cameras attack me—"
"They came to me!" she exclaimed over him.
Then he finished," I feel justified in kicking you out!"
Nia gasped as his words fell over her.
"Sadie can't go home. She's got nowhere to go," Dan continued saying, as though he hadn't just said the most awful things to her. "I want her to stay with me," he said, twisting the knife deeper into Nia’s heart. "I'm sorry, but that's just the way I feel."
Nia choked on a thousand words at once, but some self-preservation instincts