Page 8 of Marriage & Mockery

We talked about the hotel for a little longer. When we finally hung up, my chest didn’t feel quite as tight as it had before. The pain was still there, but I didn’t feel like I was completely alone in this anymore.

5

BENNETT

The other side of the bed was cold and untouched when I woke up after managing to get another hour of sleep. I’d been checking my phone every hour in case Laina reached out. But the only message I’d gotten was a reply around midnight.

I opened our thread again, staring at the two words she’d finally sent after my twentieth text.

Laina

I’m safe.

She’d only given me that much after I pleaded with her to let me know she was okay. My overactive imagination had come up with too many scary scenarios for what might’ve happened to her after she left our home. Those two words hadn’t been enough to let me sleep while she was out there somewhere, devastated because of my words.

I needed to make this up to my wife, but I couldn’t do that if I didn’t know where she was.

After scrubbing my palm down my face, I tried calling her again. It went straight to voicemail, so I hung up and typed another message.

Me

Can we please talk?

I sat on the edge of the mattress, staring down at my phone as though I could will her to reply. When it stayed on delivered for five minutes, I finally gave up.

Forcing myself to stand, I headed into the bathroom to brush my teeth and take a quick shower. It didn’t wake me up much, and I desperately needed coffee. Which only made me miss Laina more because she’d normally be downstairs in the kitchen grinding beans to brew an espresso.

I had to pull up a step-by-step video online to walk myself through how to make my own cup, and it made me want to kick my ass even more. Laina was so damn sweet and thoughtful. She’d spent every day since we met doing whatever she could to make my life easier, and I’d repaid her devotion by hurting her so much that she’d fled our home to avoid seeing me.

While I let my shot of espresso cool, I scrolled on my phone. The headlines on my feed made me cringe.

Bennett Parker’s awards speech under fire

Fans react to Sally inspiration reveal

Is the internet’s favorite sitcom character based on a real person?

The memes using Laina’s expression, frozen in that exact moment of realization, were even worse. And the comments were downright cruel.

Beyond pissed off, I locked the phone and set it face-down on the counter before I threw it against the wall. The bullshit I’d told myself last night about misunderstandings and talking this through with my wife felt ridiculous now. So much damage had been done, and it was all my fault.

Lucy came into the kitchen a few minutes later. She headed straight for the fridge like it was any other Monday, completely unaware of the damage I’d done.

“Morning.” She pulled the orange juice from the fridge and glanced at the empty stove. “Mom hasn’t made breakfast yet?”

I leaned against the counter, weighing how much to share with my daughter. She was fourteen, not a little kid, but I still didn’t want her carrying more of this than was necessary.

“Your mom’s not here. She’s taking some time to herself after last night.”

Lucy paused with the juice carton in her hand. “Oh.”

She grabbed a yogurt from the fridge and a spoon from the drawer, then sat at the island like the conversation was already over. After a couple of bites, she shrugged. “I’m sure she’ll be back soon. It wasn’t that deep.”

I set my cup down. “Don’t do that.”

She looked up, surprised. “Do what?”

“Minimize what happened to your mother.”