Capri (Meadows Sisters)

Prologue

PROLOGUE

CAPRI

“Mom, I’m sorry. You know I wish things were different.” I close the front door behind me, shuffling two grocery bags in my arms and bringing them into the kitchen.

Where is he? His car isn’t in the driveway, and it’s almost ten o’clock.

“I just don’t understand, honey. That’s all. He’s never home. You always come to visit alone, and for God’s sake, Capri, he missed his own birthday dinner.”

Yeah, that one hurt like a bitch. Drew misses everything because he’s “working and really needs this big promotion.”

I believe it less and less every time.

No need to worry, husband. I’ll just teach all day, come home to an empty house at night, and make sure everything you need is ready for you when you decide to finally show up.

That’s if he shows up.

I go to bed…he’s gone. I wake up…he’s gone. The only evidence I have of Drew’s presence in our home is an empty coffee cup in the sink and his dirty suit in a pile on the floor of our bedroom.

Nothing more, nothing less.

“I don’t know what you want me to say,” I tell her calmly, feeling numb at this point. “I’m used to it.”

“Well, you shouldn’t be. Your father and I expect more from him and the way he treats our daughter. It’s inexcusable. He’s your husband,” Mom rants, as if I don’t already know that. “In my day, that used to mean something.”

It means something to me. That might be why I’ve stayed all this time.

So, I pack his lunches, drop his clothes at the dry cleaner, and leave his side of the bed ready for him until I don’t have the liberty to anymore.

It doesn’t stop my heart from breaking, though.

“I gave up hope years ago, Mom. When I was alone through the darkest time of my life.”

“I know, honey. I know, and my heart breaks all over again for you because of that.”

When Drew and I got married five years ago, I thought I found my person. The man I would spend forever with. Little did I know, I’d be spending these five years alone.

In fact, I’m more alone now than I was before we were married. The walls of our half-million-dollar home don’t speak, dinner doesn’t make itself, and the intimacy that typically comes with a married partnership is nonexistent.

The times when it is, I feel nothing. I will say, it’s been longer than I can even remember, but when we are intimate, I lay there like a statue, terrified to be insulted for doing something wrong or how my stomach rolls over while I’m on top.

I’m a walking definition of depleted physical confidence.

At some point, being married to Drew became a chore. I battle myself every day about whether I should leave him for neglecting me so deeply or give him the benefit of the doubt and trust him when he says work will lessen after this promotion.

That he’ll finally see me after his promotion.

But there have been years of promotions. Years of opportunities he’s achieved, only for another to land in his lap.

When will I finally become his priority? When will he finally be home before midnight?

Muffled noises on the line remind me I’m still on the phone with my mom. Since I feel myself getting more frustrated by the second, I tell her I’ll call her in the morning. “Hey, Mom. I’m gonna go, okay? I need to get these groceries put away. I love you and appreciate you checking on me.”

After leaving my parents’ tonight was the only time I had to go shopping. Putting everything away is the part I loathe.

“Okay, honey. I’m here if you need me. Love you.” And she hangs up.

I take a deep breath and rest my head against the kitchen counter. I’m exhausted. The loneliness makes the stale air stifling.

I just want to breathe. To wake up happy and not feel like a boulder is resting on my shoulders. The pressure to be a supportive wife.

I want a divorce.

I’m too young to be dreading the next fifty years with my husband because I’m that miserable.

I deserve that, right? To be happy?

But Drew hasn’t exactly done any?—

What was that?

I hear a slight shuffling upstairs, and it causes goosebumps to spread across my skin. That’s weird…

Since I don’t have a husband available to send up there and check, it looks like I’ll be my own savior tonight. I hastily grab a steak knife from the block and make my way to the staircase that leads to four bedrooms.

I’m not super threatening in size, but maybe this metal edge will buy me some time. Fend the intruder off a little, at least enough to get away.

I creep up the wooden stairs, desperately trying to stay quiet.

The shuffling doesn’t let up, accompanied by a soft banging. Is that also…heavy breathing?

“Drew?” I whisper hoarsely, calling to see if he’s here. Maybe he got home early and thinks I’m upstairs. Surely he saw my car parked out front.

Yeah, that’s it…he thinks I’m in the shower or something. I got home from my parents’ house later than usual, so that would make sense.

Deciding to trust it’s him, I reach the top of the stairs and abandon the knife at the cusp of the railing. My husband is home before I’m asleep for once, and that’s something to be at least a little grateful for.

Rounding the corner to our bedroom and seeing the soft light of our lamp has me anticipating seeing him. I feel horrible even saying that, but I can’t help but think maybe tonight will be different. Maybe he won’t be so tired that he’ll actually ask me about my day.

Hold me. Touch me. God, it’s been so long since I’ve been touched.

“Hey, babe—” I push through the door, expecting to find my husband getting ready for bed and waiting for me. Except, that’s the last thing I see.

No, because in front of me is my husband of five years thrusting into my best friend. My very naked best friend.

“Fuck,” Drew’s heavy groan echoes in the large room.

I don’t think he heard me call out to him. My insides are fuming and my body is shaking. I think I’m in shock because why in the hell is Vivian fucking my husband on my bed? And why do they look so damn comfortable doing it?

Now, I’m so mad it’s laughable. Every pitied thought I’ve ever had for this man just flew out the window. He deserves my hatred right now and I’m about to be a petty little bitch.

Because I’m a petty bitch who just got scorned and it’s time to retaliate.

Although I haven’t been standing here for long, I’d rather not watch Vivian enjoy the man I trusted with my heart for far too long.

I knock on the door, smile fake, and would you look at that? Moans evaporate into thin air, and there’s not a thrust to be seen. “Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.”

Drew launches up, shuffling in place and trying to hide his limp dick. I laugh out loud. Never thought my husband would be hiding his dick from me but it seems we haven’t been on the same page for a while now.

“So sorry to interrupt,” I tell them, venom in my tone. “But it looks like I was late to the party.”

Drew looks thrown off, likely because he’s never seen this side of me. The side that’s been deceived by two of the people I care about most in this world.

I hope he enjoys it.

“What’s she doing here, Drew?” Vivian has the audacity to ask, wrapping herself in my Egyptian cotton sheet.

Oops. Accidentally laughed again. “This is my home. It seems you found the wrong door and a sad dick to let in.”

“Capri, just give me a second,” Drew pleads, finally covering himself. I send him a sharp smile, and there’s nothing nice about it. “I’ll get to you.”

I turn my sights to Vivian. After all, this will be the last time I spare her so much as a minute of my time. “You.” I point to her. “Get the fuck out of my house,” I shout. My voice bellows, and truthfully, I surprise myself. For someone who I once told everything to, shared everything with, she’s the last person I ever expected to betray me like this.

She doesn’t deserve time, respect, or compassion.

The sooner she leaves, the sooner I can be done with the dirtbag standing in front of me like a lost sheep.

Vivian gathers her dress before pulling it over her head, and I impatiently wait for her to exit. Just when I think she’ll leave, she walks up to Drew and kisses him on the cheek.

My lack of care tells me everything I need to know.

The love is gone.

Heading toward the door, she stops directly beside me, the smell of her strong perfume making me cough. Or is it her sour stench?

“You were never what he wanted,” her conniving voice says just below a whisper. “Ask him who he ran to after your honeymoon. Ask him who he fucked all night long, my name spilling from his lips.”

My body freezes, but I don’t show it. I mentally connect all the dots I thought I’d noticed and convinced myself I was being too paranoid to accept. All the nights I spent alone when we were supposed to be high on love and reckless in the bedroom.

But Vivian’s not done yet. “And ask him who he’s been coming inside of every day since.” Her dark chuckle leaves a nasty aroma as she saunters off, and I don’t move a muscle until the sound of the front door slamming rattles the house.

“Baby,” Drew has the nerve to plead for me. “You know how these things go…”

“How long?” Gone is the wife who did everything for this man with a smile on her face. Never again.

“I wanted to tell you. We wanted to tell?—”

“How. Long. Drew?”

My eyes finally shift to him, and for the first time since I’ve known Drew, he looks defeated. I should feel bad about that, but I don’t. I’m done defending him.

His blue eyes search for my understanding. He won’t find it. “Five years. Since we got back from Seattle.” His tone is calm.

So, since our honeymoon five years ago—just like Vivian said. We traveled to Seattle because we were broke, but also, as I believed, so blissfully in love, it didn’t matter where we went. What mattered was that we were together.

“Even after…?” God. It’s so fucking hard to hold my emotions in right now. Just thinking about Drew screwing around on me while I was in the hospital…recovering…grieving.

Alone.

He nods, remaining silent. There’s nothing he could say that would compensate for his heartless absence. His cruelty to someone he called his wife .

Strangely, I’m not upset that I’m losing Drew. I’m sad that I know myself, and I’ll be mourning the loss of the life I thought I could have one day.

Add in the loss of my best friend.

It was easier to tell myself there were legitimate reasons for his distance than to hear this truth.

Drew was never a husband to me, and that all makes perfect sense now, despite how much it hurts to be betrayed. “We’re done,” I say, the fog and confusion I’ve felt all this time clearing and showing me the truth behind all of it.

“What?” He scoffs. “That’s ridiculous. Come to bed and we’ll talk about it.”

The audacity.

Drew tries to reach for me, but I jerk my arm, flinging him off of me. “Don’t you dare touch me. You lost that right when you stuck your dick somewhere it didn’t belong.”

A cold scowl crosses his face. He looks malicious, like a dark cloud has taken over, and I’m the lucky victim of his torrential downpour. “Like you’ll make it without me. Without my money. You need me, Cap, and you know it too.”

There’s one thing that even Drew doesn’t know about me anymore, and it’s that the only person I need is myself. If he were around, he would have seen that.

“I never needed you, Drew. I just spent too many years being brainwashed by you, and I’m happy I can see that crystal clear now. What a waste of time you were.”

His head rears back. “You’re serious right now? It’s over?” How can he not see how serious I am? Like I would run back to him after this.

Not a chance in hell.

“We’ve been over. It’s time for you to be a man and deal with the mess you made,” I say proudly, feeling free to finally accept it. “You’re actually doing me a favor. I guess there’s always a first time for everything.”

I smile with my dignity fully intact and leave the home that always felt empty and the husband who was never truly my husband.

I know I have a long road ahead of me with much lonelier days, but what’s a couple more when I’m already a resident of that kind of solitude?

One thing I know about life is that there’s always more time. If we’re lucky, that is.