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Gemma saw Sal’s Bugatti parked near the front entrance as the investigator led the two women to the front door of the smallish, wooden lake house.

She was already so scared she was shaking.

But when they made it to the front door, Trina and the P.I.

stood back to let Gemma knock on the door.

This was her husband, her marriage, her situation.

They were her backup, but she had to handle this alone.

But Gemma just stood there. She was suddenly stricken with fear. Her heart was hammering. Did she really want to see this ? What if it was all true? What if the love of her life was in that house with another woman? And it had nothing to do with comforting a widow? What if it was true?

But she knew she had to see it or she would never believe it.

That was why Trina brought her here. So that she could once and for all believe it.

It was always rumors in the family that Sal had the big heart and was a good husband and father, but that he was the most secretive of them all.

That if anybody in the family was leading a double life, it would be Uncle Mick above all others, but Sal wouldn’t be too far behind him.

It was a hellish thought for Gemma to even digest.

Although Trina was all rah-rah about Gemma finding out the truth, Trina still could hardly believe it herself.

Not Sal. He was a tough guy like all the Gabrini and Sinatra men, but he had a big heart.

For him to be the one caught in the act would be heartbreaking.

But the way Sal had been behaving lately?

She knew something was up. She didn’t know what it was exactly.

But it was something. She didn’t take it upon herself to hire a P.I. for nothing.

And when Gemma finally found the courage to try to open the door without knocking since it was supposedly her husband’s house, a house she knew nothing about, her heart was still hammering.

When she realized the door was locked, she knocked.

But when she said Lord, help me in such a low but profoundly painful voice, Trina abandoned her standing in the background position and hurried to her beloved best friend.

She stood at the door with her, and held her hand. Trina’s heart was hammering too.

It took another round of knocks, this time harder by Gemma, and then the door was finally opened.

When the door was opened by a smallish blonde with a Marilyn Monroe-type short, curly hairdo, and when they could see her nakedness just as she was tying her silk bathrobe, they both felt a sinking in their hearts.

And she had the nerve to not just open the door, but to fling it open as if they were disturbing her, unnerved them too. “Yes?” she said angrily and loaded with attitude. “What do you want? Who are you?”

And Trina jumped angry too. “Who are you, bitch?” she said to the woman. “This is her husband’s house. Who the fuck are you?”

When Trina said those words, the woman’s attitude seemed to back off.

But Gemma wasn’t even looking at that woman anymore.

The fact that the door had been flung open wide, Gemma could see beyond the front room to the backroom just off from the front area.

And what she saw caused her to push past that woman as if she wasn’t even there and make her way to that bedroom.

Trina had been so focused on that homewrecker that she couldn’t see anything else. But when she saw where Gemma was going, she hurried behind her. The P.I. followed behind them.

“I didn’t know she was his wife,” the woman said to the P.I. as if it would matter now, and then she hurried to the bedroom too.

Gemma was standing at the foot of that bed, with Trina hurrying beside her, and they both were staring at Sal.

“He’s asleep,” the woman said to them. “I didn’t know you were his wife,” she said to Gemma as if she was apologetic. Both women ignored her.

For Trina, it was pure betrayal of not only Gemma and the children, but the entire family. How could he do this to somebody so sweet and caring and faithful as Gemma? And Trina was getting enraged . How dare he !

But for Gemma, rage didn’t come. As she watched her husband lying there so peaceful in that bed, with a woman that had obviously just gotten out of that bed to answer the door, a great sadness overtook her and that sense of dread in knowing that her life as she knew it had come to an end.

That it had to be over. How could it not?

How could she stay with a man that would do this to her? ??

“I’m telling you as sincerely as I know how that I didn’t know anything about you,” the woman was saying to Gemma. “I didn’t know.”

“Well you know now bitch,” Trina responded to her. “So don’t be playing Miss Innocent with us. We’re old school. We know your ass. Tell that shit to the babies.”

The sound of voices woke Sal up from what appeared to be a deep, snoring sleep. And when he opened his eyes and saw that people were standing there, he jerked up on his elbows. What was this? But when he saw that Gemma was among the people standing there, he was stunned. “ Gemma ?”

Trina was so enraged with Sal that she hurried over to the side of the bed, lifted up the bedspread and sheet that covered him, and looked at Gemma. “He’s butt-naked, Gem,” she said as she angrily threw the coverings back on Sal.

That revelation didn’t hurt Gemma more. She was already so hurt, so saddened, that she couldn’t possibly hurt more.

But Sal was confused. “What are you talking? That’s Alice, Gemma. That’s Zam’s widow. What are you talking?” he asked Trina again.

“I’m talking your ass caught,” Trina said. “That’s what I’m talking!”

He frowned and went to get out of bed so fast that his head started swimming. But he got out.

And when Gemma saw him in all of his nakedness, and saw what appeared to be bright wetness on his manhood, it was too much for her. Her heart couldn’t take it. Her heart went from hammering to barely registering a beat.

He was trying to explain. Kept saying that woman was Alice and that she was Zam’s widow and he kept on trying to explain.

But Gemma was in a fog. Her heart grew faint.

The fight went out of her like a life source leaving her body.

The hope. The dreams. The children. Good Lord, the children !

And in that instant, just thinking about how this was going to change their family forever, the ability to garner any kind of emotions just left. It all just melted away.

But not the love. She still knew, sadly, that the love she had for that man would never leave her heart.

But she had to leave him.

She wasn’t staying with anybody that didn’t want her.

She wasn’t staying with anybody who didn’t feel she was enough for them.

She turned around and left. Without screaming, without acting a fool, she just left.

“Gemma, wait,” Sal said, trying to hurry after her, but he stumped his big toe on the chair near the bed, causing him to wrench out in pain. But his wife was his first concern. “Gem wait!” he cried again as he began grabbing his clothes from off of that chair. “Wait!”

Trina looked at him with pure disgust in her eyes.

“You should be ashamed of yourself,” she said to him.

And then tears started dropping down. She loved Sal too.

He was family! “How could you, Sal? How could you do this to Gem?!” She said it so heartfelt that it hurt her to say it.

And then she ran behind Gemma mainly because Trina was stunned that Gemma didn’t confront that bastard.

How could she let him get away with this?

And Sal just stood there. He realized, too, that his life had shifted.

But Gemma was moving so fast that Trina didn’t catch up to her until they were outside again. The P.I. was outside with them.

“Gemma? Gemma, what are you doing?” She grabbed her best friend by the arm as Gemma was hurrying for the car, and turned her around. “How can you just walk away?”

“He doesn’t want me,” Gemma said with so much pain in her voice, and thick, unshed tears in her eyes, that it broke Trina’s heart.

“But you didn’t even fight.”

“What am I fighting for? He doesn’t want me. What’s to fight?”

“You fight to show him he can’t do that to you.”

“But he did it to me, Trina. He already did it to me. I’m not fighting for somebody who’s not willing to fight for me. For our family.” Then the pain became too much and she snatched away from Trina and kept on walking.

But Trina was not Gemma. There was no way in hell she was going to walk away and let that man do that to her best friend. Trina ran back into that house.

“Mrs. Gabrini!” the stunned P.I. said as he ran behind Trina. “Mrs. Gabrini!”

Gemma looked back too, and when she saw Trina run back into that house, she knew she had to get her out of there.

Trina could be as crazy as Reno when you crossed her.

And Gemma knew, in Trina’s eyes, anybody crossing Gemma was the same as crossing Trina.

Gemma ran back in that house, too, to protect her friend.

But as soon as Trina ran into that house, and while Sal was still trying to put on his pants, she started beating him with her fists.

The P.I. ran in and had to wrap his arms around her and pull her back as Sal fell backwards from her onslaught and from the fact that both of his hands were on the pants he was trying to pull up.

But Trina was still kicking at Sal as the P.I. pulled her back.

Gemma wanted no parts of that scene, but she wasn’t going to let Trina fight her battle and just walk away. “Let’s go, Trina,” an anguished Gemma said to her as Sal was getting up. “I don’t wanna be here. Let’s go, Tree!”

Trina knew it was a stupid move anyway, and if Reno found out he was going to kick her ass. She snatched away from the P.I. and began leaving with Gemma.

“Gem wait,” Sal said, hurrying behind her, but the large P.I. stood in his way.

“Who the fuck are you?” an angry Sal asked him. “That’s my wife! Gem!” he yelled around that big body, and then he tried to get past the massively large P.I. with his brute strength but he was too big and much younger that Sal. It was an impossible task.

Sal, angry now, hurried to his suit coat, reached in his pocket, and pulled out his Magnum and cocked it.

“Get the fuck out of my way and get out now!” he yelled to the P.I.

, and the P.I., not expecting that move, and knowing who Sal Gabrini truly was, raised his hands and stepped aside. And Sal hurried outside.

But it was too late. Trina, with a devastated Gemma, was already speeding away.

The woman Sal had been with, Alice Manetti, Zam’s widow, came running out of the front door. When Sal saw her he had a combination of pain, sadness, and rage on his face. “What have you done?” he said to her as he began running back inside. “Did you invite her here?”

“No!” Alice said as if she was offended, but he wasn’t trying to hear any answers.

He ran back in the bedroom, slipped into his shoes as he grabbed his car keys and his shirt and suit coat, and ran back outside.

With his heart pounding so hard he thought he was going to lapse into cardiac arrest, he hopped into his Bugatti and sped away.

He had to hold his chest, he was in so much pain.

The only ones left were the P.I. and Alice.

“I didn’t know she was his wife,” Alice said to the P.I.

again. But he didn’t want to hear it either.

He did what he was paid to do. He exposed that bastard.

He was done. He made his way deep into those woods where his own car was hiding, got in, and left the scene of that crying shame of a crime too.