Chapter Seven - James
CHAPTER SEVEN
James
The microwave beeped, the sound loud in the quiet kitchen.
James yanked the door open and grabbed the plastic container, the heat stinging his fingers as he fumbled it onto the counter with a muttered curse. Steam hissed out as he peeled the film back, the smell of processed pasta sauce filling the space—cheap, artificial, clinging.
He stared at it.
A soggy, microwaved lasagna for one.
He never used to eat like this. Dinner had always been homemade—Kate’s cooking, something warm and thoughtful, with leftovers tucked neatly into glass containers for his lunch the next day.
Now? Now he was here, eating alone in the silent house where his family used to live. All because Kate was overreacting.
He shoved the fork into the lasagna, the tines scraping too hard against the plastic.
Technically, sure—what he’d done was cheating. Technically.
But he hadn’t been having an affair. It wasn’t emotional. He wasn’t in love with that woman. Hell, he didn’t even remember her name. He hadn’t wanted a relationship.
It was just sex.
A stupid, meaningless hookup.
He’d used that app Nick was always raving about, the one for “no strings attached” encounters. It was practically built for this sort of thing. Everyone understood the rules—clean, simple, anonymous.
And he’d been curious.
That was all.
Any man would feel the same, right? Married at eighteen , one sexual partner his entire life—who wouldn’t wonder what else was out there?
It just...happened. The app had been too easy.
And it wasn’t like he was ever going to see her again.
It was one night. One time.
So why was Kate making it feel like that one time thing was more important than their decades together, their family, their entire life?
James exhaled sharply, dropping the fork with a clatter, his appetite gone.
She’s being dramatic.
Blowing this way out of proportion.
They had a life together. Seventeen years of marriage. Two kids. A house. She wasn’t supposed to walk out over this .
And taking the kids with her? That was just...
Wrong.
He was their father. He had a right to see them. To be in their lives. To tuck Lily in at night, to ask Noah how his grades were doing. To be part of his own family, not exiled from it like some villain in a story where he wasn’t even allowed to defend himself.
Kate was punishing him. For what? For being curious about what he’d missed out on? A stupid, meaningless night?
She was still the woman he’d built his life around. His first love. The mother of his children.
But they’d been kids themselves. They hadn’t known anything but each other.
He raked a hand through his hair, glaring down at the half-eaten dinner like it personally offended him.
Kate was overreacting. It wasn’t like he’d stopped loving her.
She had to see that eventually. She’d cool down. Realize what they had was bigger than one mistake.
She’d come home. She couldn’t leave him. Not really.
James leaned back against the counter, arms crossed, jaw tightening.
The truth was, Kate needed him.
She relied on him.
He paid the mortgage. The utilities. The groceries. He was the one who kept this house standing, who made sure the bills were paid on time, who provided for the life they’d built.
Kate hadn’t worked a day since Noah was born. She didn’t have her own income. She couldn’t afford to leave.
Not unless she wanted to drag the kids through a nasty divorce. Did she really think she could provide the same life on her own? The house, the school tuition, the vacations?
He knew she didn’t want that.
She was being emotional. Irrational.
And when she finally cooled down—when she finally saw sense —she’d realize it too.
They could move past this.
He was sure of it.
All he had to do was wait her out.
She’d come home. Eventually. She had to.
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The bar was loud—too loud. The low hum of voices, the clink of ice in glasses, the dull bass from the speakers overhead.
James stared down at his drink, the amber liquid untouched, ice slowly melting. The noise didn’t matter. He barely heard it over the restless churn in his chest.
Nick sat across from him, relaxed as always, swirling his whiskey like nothing in the world could touch him. The picture of a man who didn’t have obligations. Who didn’t have a wife giving him the silent treatment. Or a house full of echoing, empty rooms.
James cleared his throat, grip tightening around the glass.
“I had sex with someone else.”
Nick blinked, whatever easygoing energy he’d been carrying evaporating instantly.
“What?”
James exhaled hard, jaw clenching as he forced the words out. “I screwed up. Used that app you kept talking about. It was just...one night. It didn’t mean anything.”
Nick leaned forward, eyes narrowing. “Hold on. That app? Jesus, James, what were you thinking?”
James’s stomach twisted, heat flaring in his chest—but not shame. Anger.
“You’re the one who kept going on and on about how great it was. No strings, no consequences, just fun, right? You made it sound like it was nothing. Like it was just... normal. ”
Nick’s expression darkened. “Don’t put this on me. I never told you to cheat on your wife, man. I use the app because I’m single. You—”
“You made it sound so easy,” James cut him off, voice tight. “You kept bragging about your hookups. And you know what? I was curious . Can you really blame me for wondering what it would be like? I’ve been with one woman since I was eighteen, Nick. One.”
Nick shook his head, disbelief written all over his face. “Yeah. Kate . The woman you married. The woman who’s been raising your kids while you work late every night.”
James’s jaw flexed. He felt it—his pulse kicking faster, the tension winding tighter—but he couldn’t stop the words now. “Kate’s left me.”
Nick’s eyes narrowed, anger flashing across his face. “What the hell were you expecting to happen, James? That you’d cheat on her and she’d bake you a damn pie to celebrate? Jesus Christ.”
“I wasn’t expecting anything! I thought—” He broke off, running a hand through his hair. “I thought it would get it out of my system. One night. Just sex. And she’s blowing it way out of proportion.”
Nick leaned back in his chair, shaking his head slowly. “Blowing it out of proportion? James, you cheated on her.”
James clenched his jaw, the anger simmering hotter as he replayed it all in his mind. Nick was the one always talking about his hookups, bragging about how easy it was. Every guy deserved to feel that kind of freedom once in a while. How was he supposed to not wonder what it felt like after all these years with only one woman?
And Kate—God, he’d told her not to come to New York. If she’d just listened, stayed home where she was supposed to be, she never would have seen anything. They’d still be fine. She was the one who had turned a stupid mistake into this entire mess.
James snapped, voice sharp and low. “It had nothing to do with her. And you know what? She’ll have to get over it because she doesn’t exactly have a choice.”
Nick’s face twisted, his mouth parting like he couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “What the hell does that mean?”
James scoffed, leaning back in his seat, arms crossing tightly over his chest.
“She doesn’t work, Nick. Never has. I’m the one who’s kept this whole life running. The house, the bills, the tuition—all of it. She can be mad, fine. But she literally can’t leave me. She needs me.”
Nick blinked, stunned. “James, are you even listening to yourself, man?”
James lifted his drink, the bitterness burning in his throat.
“That’s how the world works, Nick. You think she’s gonna figure out how to keep that house on her own? Support two kids? Come on. She’ll cool down. She has to.”
Nick stared at him for a long, silent beat. Then he shook his head, voice quieter but cutting.
“Jesus, James. You’re trying to control her. Like she’s some...property you think you own.”
James slammed the glass down harder than he meant to, the sound echoing between them.
“I gave her this life!” he snapped. “She doesn’t get to throw it all away over one stupid night that didn’t even matter .”
Nick’s face hardened, jaw tight. “It mattered to her .”
Silence.
Thick. Heavy. Unforgiving.
James looked away first, but the words still clung to him, raw and relentless.
It mattered to her.
But she still needed him.
Didn’t she?