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She smirked and shook her head.
“Actually, I’m starving. I skipped lunch today,” Giselle shared.
I signaled the man who stood on the other side of the fountain just out of sight. Within a matter of minutes, we were served braised lamb shanks, a creamy risotto, and seared endive and asparagus with a Tahini dressing.
We ate in silence for a while before I spoke up.
“One of the things that never came out in our therapy sessions was that Bethany cheated on me.”
Giselle choked and reached for her glass of water. Our chairs were seated close together, so I reached over and gently patted her back until she was calm again.
“Are you serious? On top of everything else? You never told me that.”
“I know. But you shouldn’t be surprised. Bethany is capable of a lot. She was cheating with a married senator, who happened to be a constituent of her father’s. It started before we were married and continued throughout the marriage. She cheated the night before our wedding and on our wedding night.”
“Oh. Wow. When did you find out?”
“The night of our wedding. One of her friends showed me pictures of her slipping into a hotel room that the senator reserved for their little indiscretions. Apparently, this had been going on for some time, and that was their rendezvous point. That was also why she selected the hotel as the site of our reception.”
“Why would her friend show you those pictures?”
“She had her self-interests. Me.”
“Did you cheat with her?”
“No. Believe it or not, I remained faithful to Beth our entire marriage. Until you.”
“You didn’t cheat with me. We didn’t become intimately involved until after your divorce—unless . . .”
“No. I was divorced. But . . . we did have what you women like to call an emotional affair.”
She sighed. “Affairs of the heart.”
“How could I not help but love you?” I asked.
“Same.”
We ate a little more before she asked her next question.
“Did you confront Bethany?”
“Nope. I chose to keep that tidbit to myself until I might need it.”
“Until you might need it?”
“Elle, I understood from the beginning that I was marrying into a political family. I knew nothing was as it seemed.”
“You expected to use that information one day.”
“I expected to protect myself in the event that I might need it.”
“That’s awful.”
“Life is what it is. We make our choices, and we have to live with them.”
“But you were hurt through it all.”
“And so were you, but you survived. We both have been hurt because of other people’s decisions, Giselle, specifically our spouses, whom we pledged to love and honor forever. But life had other plans. I only hope that we can move forward from here and find love and healing with each other.”