Page 5 of Marriage & Mockery

“Pretty sure she left.”

My brows drew together as my head jerked back. “What do you mean she left?”

Reid glanced toward the stage, then back at me. The commercial break was still running, but the clock was under a minute now.

“The room didn’t take the end of your speech the way I’m hoping you meant it. Shit got awkward fast. She walked out right after.”

I stared at him, not understanding how the night had gone so wrong. “I was thanking her.”

Reid shook his head. “Bennett, you told everyone the most mocked character on television right now was based on your wife.”

I opened my mouth, then closed it again, at a loss for words, which was unheard of for me. Around us, people were starting to shift back toward their seats. The break was almost over.

Reid continued to his own table, leaving me standing there wondering how I could’ve fucked up one of the best nights of my life so badly.

There was no time to spare, with only seconds to go until the commercial break ended. I quickly turned away from the table and headed for the nearest exit. I didn’t stop for the people who tried to catch my eye or offer another round of congratulations. I just kept moving.

Once I was in the hallway, I pulled out my phone and called Laina. It rang through to voicemail. “You’ve reached Laina. Leave a message if you feel like it, but texting me is the only way this is getting seen anytime soon. Okay, bye.”

I hung up and tried again but got the same result. I typed out a quick text as I walked toward the Town Cars waiting in front.

Me

Where are you?

She didn’t reply by the time I climbed into the back seat of the car, so I sent another message.

Me

Please answer my call, baby. Or call me back. I’m worried.

Both texts still said delivered, not read. Dammit.

“Home,” I told the driver. “As fast as you can.”

He nodded and pulled away from the curb. I sat forward in the seat, my phone still in my hand, checking for a reply from Laina every few seconds even though the screen stayed dark.

I couldn’t believe the speech I’d agonized over had been taken the completely wrong way. All I’d wanted to do was thank my wife for her years of unwavering support and belief in me. But what Reid had said made it clear the audience had heard something very different.

I still didn’t fully understand how the line had landed that badly. Laina knew me better than everyone else in the audience, though. She’d understand my intent had been the furthest thing from hurting her. She might’ve left because things were tense at our table, but I hoped that we could laugh about the misunderstanding after we talked things through. We had a long-standing rule about never going to bed angry, so odds were good she was taking a shower since she hated wearing so much makeup and took it off as soon as she could whenever we attended an industry event where she had to get glammed up.

I was glad the drive was relatively short for LA. Every minute felt like too long when I needed to get to my wife and make this right. I watched the streets blur past and willed the car to move faster.

When we finally pulled into the driveway, I stretched my arm out to give the guy a tip for driving so quickly. “Thanks.”

Then I climbed out and rushed through the front door, calling her name as I stepped inside. “Laina?”

Lucy was in the living room, sitting on the couch with her phone. She glanced up when I came in, then looked back down at the screen.

“Where’s your mom?” I asked.

She shrugged without looking at me. “She seemed upset when she went upstairs earlier.”

I headed for the stairs and went up them two at a time. Our bedroom door was open, and the lights were on, giving me hope that I’d find my wife in there.

Instead, the bed was still made from this morning, and there was a piece of paper on my pillow. I walked over and picked it up, my breath catching in my lungs as I read the four words she’d written. It was nothing like the usual playful tone in the notes she’d given me over the years. Even worse, she hadn’t signed it with her love, like she always did.

I sat down on the edge of the bed, clutching the paper in my hand, and felt the full weight of the night settle over me for the first time. Laina hadn’t stayed to talk it through. She’d packed a bag and left.