Page 21 of Perdition

Give this to Sarah.

You are officially unstuck from me.

Have a happy life.

Thump.

Thump.

Thud.

His heart plummeted to the ground, his jaw with it.

Unstuck?

He had never, not once, said he felt stuck with Emily—she was his wife, hisevery fucking thing, his ride till he died! Sure they’d had their share of problems—what couple didn’t? Sure, they’d been struggling a little harder lately in the relationship and intimacy department, but what later-in-life husband and wife didn’t have a little stale to go with their lifetime of fresh and fiery?

Why would Emily think…?

What the fuck did she?—

Suddenly, his conversation with Sarah from that same day came rushing back.

Then…he remembered what Sarah had said.

He been telling her she was too young to be stuck, that she had a life ahead of her, that she didn’t need to be locked down—because she was too young and immature for a committed relationship.

And she’d replied,“Like you were?”

He’d been shocked by her question, because what did the woman know about him and his marriage? Nothing. Well, nothing he’d told her, but it wasn’t a secret that he and Em were at odds after the shit he’d done to Locust and Nadia.

Instead of answering Sarah directly, he’d simply told her how long he’d been married, hoping she’d let that conversation train head right out of town, but she’d kept going, talking about howhewas still young, howhedidn’t have to feel stuck, howhehad options….

And in a shitty effort to avoid where that was all going, he hadn’t denied anything, letting Sarah say whatever the fuck, because it didn’t matter.Heknew the truth.Heknew that the onlyoptionfor him was Emily.

Mads loves Em 4-Ever….

Even now, that promise etched into the red maple tree was carved into the heart of him—into his very soul.

How had he forgotten something so vital? Mads loved Em…forever.

So why was he holding her kutte? Why were his worldly possessions in the bed of his truck? Why was he locked out of his home? How the hell had he allowed things to go that far…to get that bad?

It’s because Sarah flapped her lips, speaking shit she doesn’t have a clue about….But he hadn’t denied her assumptions outloud, hadn’t thought he needed to, hadn’t realized they’d had an audience.

It shouldn’t matter if someone could overhear,youstill heard it,youstill didn’t say shit to defend your relationship with your wife!

Had…had Emily heard it all?

Had she been at the clubhouse that morning, and overheard his conversation with Sarah, a conversation he shouldn’t have been having in the sanctuary of his office, a conversation during which he and Sarah had discussed returning to?—

Holy fucking shit!

This was not good!

If she heard that shit about being “stuck” then she probably knew he’d taken Sarah totheir spot, their one special place that was just for them, where the tree symbolizing their life-long love for one another was standing, it’s shade having now covered him and another woman.

Holy fuck.