The Tender Unlasting

I got back from the embassy with my visa late in the evening.

Macie rang me up to join a staff dinner.

Just outside the private room, I caught Macie's voice.

"Hey, when Mr. Jones gets here, no one's to get him drinking, okay? The guy's not in the best shape for booze. Anyone itching for a drink, you come to me!"

Her voice was bubbling with laughter. Peeking through the door, I spotted her in a sleek black gown, her arms pale and striking.

The room burst into cheers.

I swung the door open, and all eyes were on me.

Macie, as if she had seen it coming, got up and made her way through the crowd to grab my hand.

"We all know Ms. Henderson's head over heels for her hubby. We're just here for the show to see her spoil her man."

I could not help but put on a wry smile. "Ms. Henderson's married to her work, alright. I'm her husband, and I barely catch a glimpse of her. She didn't get home until midnight yesterday, and by dawn, she was out the door again."

Mentioning that morning seemed to hit a nerve. Macie's face went through a quick series of emotional changes, her guilt plain as day.

Right then, the waiter came in with the drinks.

Dressed to the nines in a tailcoat, he was the picture of elegance, like he had stepped right out of a medieval portrait.

The ladies could not take their eyes off him.

As he set down the wine, he shot Macie a sly wink, almost too quick to catch.

He left, and one of the guys muttered under his breath, "Can't we even grab a bite without a side of drama now?"

My colleague still was not over it. "What's the big deal if someone dresses sharp? You guys could learn a thing or two."

The argument buzzed on, but Macie slipped away to the ladies' room.

Time ticked by, and she had not come back.

The waiter's sly wink at Macie earlier flashed in my mind, sending a chill through me. I got up and hurried after her.

Reaching the door, I caught a strange noise from the stairwell.

Peeking through the door, I saw the waiter's chest under the soft touch of a woman's hands.

"Why do you gotta look so good, huh? Trying to get my attention?"

He chuckled and added, "Your husband's back in the room, and here you are with me. Not scared he'll catch on?"

"What's to be scared of? It's just a fling. It won't change anything for him. I'm not worried."

I could not bear to listen anymore.

She had become a stranger to me despite all our years together.

It turned out that the thrill of something new could shatter years of love so easily.

Everyone thought Macie loved me, but who could have guessed that she had that dark side?

I forced myself to stay cool and snuck back to our room.

When they asked about Macie, I just smiled and shook my head, though it felt like a knife twisting in my gut.

Macie finally returned after an eternity, looking utterly content.

She reached for me, but I instinctively pulled away.

"What's up, Raymond? You don't look so good. Something wrong?"

"Must've been something I ate. I feel sick."

Worried about me, she decided to cut the evening short.

…

A couple of days later, Macie was all set for a swanky fashion designer party.

She batted her eyes and asked, "Are you coming? I'll be all by myself without you. Everyone else will have a date."

I gave her a frosty reply. "I might be tied up. Why don't you see if the secretary can fill in?"

She paused, a flicker of surprise crossing her face, before her laughter rang out again. "A secretary can't match your thoughtfulness."

I let out a derisive chuckle and fell silent.

That evening, my phone buzzed with a new message.

[Aren't you curious about where your wife is at the moment?]

Attached was a photo of a deserted restroom, unmistakably the one at the party venue.

…

I tracked down the source of the noise and as I approached the door, Franklin's voice floated out.

"I was starting to think you didn't care about me anymore."

Macie's voice was a hushed, icy blade.

"If you want this to last, play by the rules. We're nothing more than a brief fling. Cross my husband, and you'll regret it."