A little after seven, I yelled up to Derrick letting him know dinner was ready. When I didn’t get a response, I climbed a couple of steps then heard him on the phone. I assumed he was speaking with a client, so I made my way back down to the kitchen. I had our dinner already plated and had already started eating when he walked into the kitchen ten minutes later. He still wore his black dress pants and white dress shirt; the only thing missing was his tie. He sat down in his usual spot, picked up his fork, and dug into the salad without saying a word.
"How was your day?" I asked.
"Fine." He grumbled.
"That's it, fine?"
"Yes, Tess, that is it. Finance can be a boring business. Tell me, what are you doing with all that stuff in the dining room? There must be over five hundred dollars worth of useless garbage in there."
"I told you, it's for Thanksgiving. It didn’t cost that much. Laura let me use her discount, and most of it is returnable. I just figured we could make this meal a little special, that’s all. Besides, it's more for the people who couldn't make the wedding more than anything."
"I told you, it was their decision not to come. What was in the gift bags?" he questioned.
"Gifts, of course. Just a little thank you for coming to dinner," I said, smiling, only I noticed immediately that Derrick didn't smile back. "Is something wrong?"
Derrick let out a huff, "Never mind. It's nothing," he mumbled, picking up his wineglass and drinking down the contents.
"Oh, I have good news.”
“What’s that?”
I paid for the honeymoon today. I also called the hotel and asked them to upgrade our room to the honeymoon package. Oh, and I got notification for the flight. No times yet, but it’s confirmed."
Derrick avoided eye contact with me while I continued. "Oh, and the train over to Le Mont-Dore has been booked as well. I know you had mentioned wanting to ski more, but the resort didn't have any openings until the twenty-ninth, and that day we will spend most of it on a train. I did my best." When I looked back up and at Derrick, I noticed he wasn't paying attention to a word I'd said. Instead he sat there with a far-off look in his eyes. I frowned. "Derrick, what is it?"
"What?"
"Come on, you've barely looked at me, and have barely said two words since you came down here. I was telling you about the trip and skiing, and you said nothing. What is going on? Is something wrong at work?"
Derrick blew out a breath and looked up at the ceiling. Something was on his mind, and I watched as he struggled with whatever it was. It was like he didn’t want to tell me.
"Tess, I have something to tell you, and to be honest, I do not know how I am going to say it."
I blew out a breath, my stomach in knots. "Derrick, we talked a long time ago about this. Bad news is just best to be said. Then we deal with whatever it is together. So, what is it?" I gave him my undivided attention, thinking perhaps he had lost an enormous deal at work and wanted someone to talk to.
He sat there, his eyes locked with mine, a line etched between his brows. "There is no easy way to say this, Tess,” he said hanging his head. “I, um, I met someone, and she is everything I've ever wanted."
“You what?” Instantly, I felt my body heat, and the room got dark, my surroundings spinning, making me feel lightheaded.
“I meant someone. I don't want to get married."
I had no idea what to say as I sat there staring down at my plate, the contents of my stomach threatening to come back up. I swallowed hard, picked up my wineglass, and was about to take a sip, but the smell of the wine made my stomach turn faster than it already was. I put my glass down and took a deep breath, he had to be joking. There was no way he was serious.
A small smile came to my lips. "You're joking, right? Who put you up to this, Laura? One of the boys? It was Maddox, wasn't it? He's the one who's always playing practical jokes. Or wait, maybe it was Pace," I said, laughing, because otherwise the tears were going to start falling. Only Derrick didn't laugh. He sat there looking at me without an ounce of emotion on his face.
"I'm serious, Tess. It’s not a joke. I don't think it's fair that I lead you on, so I'm doing what is best for both of us. We are going to cancel the wedding. It will save us both a messy divorce later on down the road."
My eyes burned as I looked at him. There wasn't a hint of a smile on his face; he was serious. He didn’t want to get married. I looked down at the ring that sat on my finger, the large diamond that I had always said was too big for me staring back at me. I couldn't find words to say to him. Hurt, rage and anger filled me. I sat there staring at him, even though the sight of him was making me sick.
"We’ve paid for everything," I murmured.
"We have a cancellation policy on almost all of it. I'll call the venue and caterers in the morning. I'll more than likely lose the security deposit, but that isn’t a big deal considering the alternative." He shrugged, getting up from the table, throwing his napkin down on top of his half-eaten dinner. "You should call and cancel the trip. We won't be needing it anymore. Since the house is yours, I will pack up my things and be out by the end of the week." He shoved his chair under the table and left the kitchen. I could hear him make his way upstairs.
With tears in my eyes, I grabbed the dishes from the table. When I heard his office door slam shut, I smashed the dishes into the sink and closed my eyes tightly. I breathed deeply and opened my eyes, standing there looking down at the mess of broken dishes and half-eaten food lying in the sink as tears poured down my cheeks.
I woke late the following morning and lay in bed listening to the silence of the house. I’d heard Derrick leave the house around six this morning, more than likely to head to the office, or perhaps to go to her, whomever she was. He hadn’t come to bed last night, and for that I’d been grateful. There would have been no way I could have slept beside him.
I lay under the heavy blankets staring at the wall of our bedroom, his side of the bed cold, when I heard the doorbell ring. I didn't have an ounce of energy, and I really didn't want to see anyone, so I just stayed in bed, pretending I wasn't home. Then I remembered that I’d parked my car in the driveway and not the garage. Whoever was at the door would know I was home. I let out a sigh and heard the doorbell ring again for a second time.
I didn’t bother to get dressed. I just kicked the covers off myself and made my way down the stairs. I pulled the door open to see Laura standing there, a smile on her face, until she laid eyes on me. Her eyes ran down my pajama-clad body. “Are you sick?” she questioned, frowning as she reached out and smoothed down my hair, which I was sure was a disaster.
I didn't answer her, just shrugged.
"What is the matter with you? Did you forget we were going to take some of that stuff back today and get some different accent pieces for the dinner table?"
"Doesn't matter anymore," I muttered and turned to make my way into the kitchen, leaving Laura standing in the front door.
I put the kettle on and dumped the old coffee grounds out of my French press into the garbage. I added three tablespoons of grounds and turned to see Laura standing in the kitchen's doorway watching me.