Chapter 44
SECOND CHANCES, SECOND THOUGHTS
JASON
When I found out Natalie slept with someone else, I thought for sure I’d be out the door. I imagined walking away, taking the easy route, and leaving it all behind. It’s what I thought I wanted. Clean slate. Fresh start.
Instead, something in me snapped.
The image of her with another man lodged itself in my mind, and it wouldn’t leave.
It wasn’t just anger or betrayal, it was something deeper, something raw and unfamiliar.
It was pain; the kind that gnaws at you, makes your chest tighten, and leaves you feeling like you can’t catch your breath.
I didn’t want to care. I wanted to tell myself it was over, that this was my chance to be free of the years of tension and distance between us.
But honestly, I didn’t want to lose her.
I thought about Shannon more than I wanted to admit.
It wasn’t like I hadn’t crossed a line. That kiss in the elevator, just the memory of it made my stomach twist with guilt.
It was thrilling in the moment, sure. She was young, vibrant, and so eager for my attention, but as soon as it happened, I knew I’d made a mistake.
I never seriously pictured Shannon in my life for good.
Not really. She wasn’t someone I could see beside me at family dinners or watching James and Bebe grow up.
Shannon was a distraction, a fantasy that seemed appealing when my own reality felt so suffocating.
But even thinking about taking it further, about sleeping with her, was enough to make me feel like I didn’t deserve Natalie at all.
What kind of man thought about that, and then got angry when his wife made her own mistake? The truth was, I checked out long before Natalie found someone else.
I decided to tell Danny everything. We were sitting on his back patio after a barbecue dinner. The faint smell of it still lingered in the air as we sipped our beers. When I finally stopped talking, he asked a question that hit harder than I expected.
“Will you be able to trust her again?”
Trust was the foundation of everything, at least, that’s what I used to believe, but if it was shattered, what did we have left? Could we rebuild, or would we just keep falling apart, piece by piece?
“I don’t know,” I admitted, “but I think we both needed this wake-up call.”
He raised an eyebrow, waiting for me to explain.
“Maybe we needed to mess up.” I stood up, restless, and grabbed another beer from the cooler. “Maybe feeling the sting of what we almost lost…maybe it’s the only way to come back stronger.” I sat drinking my beer pondering my next steps.
“I can’t keep working with her,” I said bluntly.
Danny frowned, leaning back in his chair. “You know it’s not that simple. Shannon’s good at what she does.”
“I know,” I said, my voice firm. “But I can’t keep putting my family on the line. Natalie knows about the kiss. If I’m serious about fixing things, Shannon can’t be in the picture.”
He sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. “We can’t fire her outright. You know that’ll cause a storm we don’t need.”
“I’m not asking for that,” I replied. “But I need distance. I can’t go to New York as often, at least right now.”
Danny looked at me for a long moment, then nodded. “I’ll see what I can do.”
It wasn’t perfect, but it was a start. I couldn’t erase what had happened, but I could take steps to make sure it didn’t happen again.
“Just make sure you’re doing this for the right reasons,” he said finally.
That night, as I lay in bed alone, his words kept replaying in my head. Was I doing this for the right reasons? Or was I just afraid of letting go? And what reasons were right, anyway?
When Natalie came to me in the bathroom that morning, she looked so vulnerable.
And something shifted. It wasn’t just guilt or regret, it was determination.
I had to prove to her that I was still her partner, that we could rebuild what we’d lost. Yet the timing felt off.
Yet another work trip loomed over us, unavoidable and inconvenient.
I hated leaving her when things were so fragile, but I promised myself that when I got back, I’d make it right.
The plane ride gave me too much time to think. I thought about the fights we didn’t have, the things we didn’t say, the quiet moments that had slipped away. I thought about Shannon, too, not as a temptation but as a reminder of how far I’d let things slide.
Shannon deserved better, someone who could take her seriously, someone who wasn’t using her to avoid his own problems. I hated the idea that I might have been that man to her. I owed it to Natalie, and to myself, to be better. By the time I landed, I had a plan.
I was going to remind her of who we were, who we used to be.
I started planning the perfect date night.
Otoro, our favorite sushi place, was the obvious choice.
I could already picture her face when we walked in, the way her shoulders would relax in the quiet intimate setting, the way she’d smile as the chef greeted us like old friends.
But that wasn’t enough. I wanted to do more to make her feel like the center of my world again.
After dinner, I booked a night at Lido House, just ten minutes away from home.
It wasn’t extravagant, but it was thoughtful.
The boutique hotel was a place we talked about visiting but never did.
A night away from the house, the kids, and the stress of everyday life felt like exactly what we needed.
Natalie told me Meredith was coming to town, I texted her to see if she would watch the kids for a night, and she agreed to stay overnight with the kids.
I told Natalie about the date. I didn’t give all the details but, enough for her to plan and know I was trying.
Trying for us. I couldn’t shake the feeling that this wasn’t just a date night.
It was a last chance to reconnect, to remind ourselves of who we were before all the glaring imperfections in our marriage revealed themselves.
As the week dragged on, I found myself thinking about Natalie more than ever.
I thought about the way she used to light up when she talked about her design projects, the way she would rearrange furniture on a whim, making our house feel more like a home.
I thought about the way she laughed when James said something clever or the way she smoothed Bebe’s hair when she was upset.
I thought about the life we built together, the good and the bad, and I knew I wasn’t ready to let it go. When Friday finally arrived, I felt a nervous energy I hadn’t felt in years. This wasn’t just a date. It was a step toward something bigger.
It was the next chapter, and I was ready to turn the page.