Twisted Affair Vol. 4 by M. S. Parker Read Free Book Online Page A

she'd decided she preferred the smaller room. Without a private bathroom. That had to be it.
    I shifted on the bed and heard the sound of paper crinkling. I looked down and saw a folded piece of stationary with my name on it.
    Fuck.
    I didn't want to open it or see what was inside, but I knew I needed to do just that. If I didn't read the note, it wouldn't be real and if it wasn't real, then I wouldn't know how to find Livie who was my only way of getting back with Katka.
    I opened it and began to read. It was as bad as I'd feared.
    Blayne, I am sorry to do this through a letter, but I feel that speaking to you would make things too awkward. This arrangement between us is no longer working for me as it is set up. I feel that we would do better apart. I will maintain the appearance of our marriage, participate in whatever family events you require, though I suspect there are other arrangements that you might find more pleasing. Tell your family that I am on a business trip for two weeks. After that time, you may contact me for any family events where I am needed. Thank you for all you have done. I hope our future interactions will be pleasant. Sincerely, Livie .
    I read it again, as if it would change the words or the meaning somehow. It didn't, of course, but this time I caught something. She said “other arrangements,” like she knew something had happened. Something that would've allowed it to appear like nothing had changed in my marriage.
    I ran my hand through my hair.
    I didn't know how, but she knew about Katka and me.
    I laughed, a bark of a sound that held no humor. Of course she knew. Livie was a smart woman. Between me telling her that we'd slept together when she knew we hadn't and then me stopping the comments right after she'd told me she had a twin sister, it would've taken someone a lot less intelligent to not figure it out.
    What I couldn't figure out was why it had taken her so long to leave me. It had been a couple weeks since Livie told me about Katka. Things had been good between the two of us since then. Or at least I'd thought they had. I knew she was good at closing herself off, but for everything to have been an act, she would've needed to be a better actress than I'd thought. Besides, I thought I knew her well enough to know that she hadn't been pretending. We really had been okay.
    What had changed? I wondered. Had she been waiting for us to come to her with the truth? Had we taken too long? Or was there something more to it than what it appeared? After all, she'd written a note instead of talking to me, which didn't really seem like the kind of thing she'd do. She was more of a “let's have it out” kind of person rather than someone who'd hide. Then there was her asking for two weeks before we spoke. I didn't understand that.
    I looked down at the note. Livie's handwriting was pristine, almost clipped, like she didn't want to waste any extra effort writing. It was so like her. Perfection was sort of her thing. I had no doubt she'd spent quite a bit of time on this note, choosing each word carefully until it said no more, no less, than what she'd wanted. Now I had a choice. I could spend my time analyzing everything, trying to read between the lines, or I could disregard Livie's request to wait for two weeks and contact her.
    That choice was easy to make. The other one, however, wasn't so easy. When I called Livie, I could make it all about Katka, claiming that the only reason I called was to get Livie's help with her sister. I hated myself the moment I had the thought. How could I use Livie like that? Call just to ask for her help getting her sister back and then walk away?
    I closed my eyes and rubbed my temples. I felt sick and my head was starting to pound. I'd lost the two women I cared about the most in a space of a couple hours. They might be together right now, both having realized the other had left. I didn't know if that meant they would decide to both come back, only one come back, or