Visit Chloe Creations for extras.

chloecreationssite. wordpress. com

Thanks for sharing any thoughts in reviews.

David Stewart froze at the door, his briefcase fidgeting within his grasp.

Catherine was staggering down the stairs, her arms supporting a young blonde woman. The girl was trudging downward as well, leaning on Catherine in a weakened state.

Both were walking around half naked.

Catherine glanced up, eyeing David in surprise. Her lips parted as she saw him staring.

Then she closed her eyes, and took a deep breath, knowing she had some explaining to do.

"I came home and I found her in bed with Michael." Catherine held her forehead while eyeing the table. David was sitting across from her. He still hadn't removed his trench coat, she noticed.

Chloe was sitting at the foot of the stairs, her knees tapping together as she clutched her tea. Her hair hung freely around her head, cloaking her eyes in a thick blonde curtain.

David studied Chloe, then looked away, a wave of resentment creeping over his face.

"It was hard seeing that," Catherine sighed. "I just...I..." Catherine reached out for her husband's hand, softening her gaze in a plea for compassion. She fully expected that they'd pull together, just as they had earlier on in the day.

David held quiet, and utterly still. He found himself staring down at her fingers. "And that's it?" he asked, quite suspiciously.

She winced a bit, looking a little unsettled. "What do you mean?" she quietly wondered. A part of her already knew the answer.

"You found her in bed with Michael?" His tone went from suspicious to accusatory. "Nothing else happened?"

Catherine stared a hole in David's face, her mouth hanging open amidst her surprise. "You're asking me if I...if I...?" Catherine licked her lips, looking down again. She nodded a bit as reality sank in. "After everything we shared earlier, you think I'm able to just turn around and cheat on you."

Chloe listened on, running her hands across the mug.

David sighed. "I didn't say that."

Her voice dropped into a meek little whisper. "What were you saying then?"

He sat up a little, loosening his collar. "I want that woman out of this house. She needs to go."

Catherine paused, then slowly rose. She didn't like how David had declined to answer, as though he still viewed her as being guilty of cheating. "I'll take her home."

"You'll take her home? No. Call her a cab or something."

Catherine looked down and shook her head. "I can't do that tonight."

"What are you talking about?"

"It isn't that simple," she quickly retorted, hearing her voice begin to rise.

"Then what's so damn complicated about it?"

"I can't just let her go back alone. She's not in a good state of mind right now."

David scowled, wondering what that meant.

"Something happened upstairs," Catherine explained. "The two of us were arguing, she got upset, a window gave out, and she almost fell. I had to pull her back in and calm her down." Catherine ran a slow hand across her face.

David winced in silence, absorbing all that he'd heard.

"We were sitting on that floor for about 20 minutes." Her gaze softened as she recalled the events. "And I don't think she's ready to be alone yet, David."

He glanced at Chloe, then turned back to Catherine. "So...what? You're going to go out and stay at her place tonight?" He paused a moment, and his voice went low. "I don't like the thought of that."

She narrowed her eyes. "Why are you acting so suspicious of me?"

He pulled back a little, falling silent for a second. "How can you even ask me that? Maybe because I don't want my wife spending a night with the girl she slept with."

Catherine touched her face, turning away in shame.

"The girl who almost..."

She held quiet for a while, waiting for him to finish. "Who almost what?" she muttered.

He went quiet himself, then looked down at his knuckles. "The girl who almost tore this marriage apart."

Catherine fidgeted while watching the floor. She felt a tear well up for a second. "Something's definitely driving us apart," she sniffed, "...but I'm not sure she's to blame for it."

David almost looked up, but held his stare on the table.

Catherine stepped out, and walked toward Chloe, seeing the girl's mouth open amidst a curious stare. "Get dressed," Catherine said to her.

Catherine ran her eyes across the spacious apartment. It was sleek and roomy, with a high view of the city. Soft pillows decorated the sofa and chairs, and a thick, plush carpet was sprawled about. For reasons Catherine couldn't entirely explain, she was glad that Chloe lived in a nice place like this.

The women sat quietly across from each other, letting a short bit of silence hover between them.

Chloe brushed her hair back with both of her hands, then spoke with her usual collected demeanor. "Thank you for coming here with me."

Catherine saw that Chloe was better now, but found herself lingering within her chair. She was still concerned about the girl's well being, but that wasn't the only reason she didn't want to go home.

"What will you do now?" Chloe asked, a hint of sadness within her gaze.

Catherine frowned, avoiding eye contact. "What do you mean?"

Chloe stared. "What's going to happen with you and David?"

Catherine flattened her lips, going briefly quiet. "He and I..." Her words trailed off. "I guess we have some work to do," she mumbled.

Chloe looked the other woman up and down, then let her long stare fall to her lap. "I don't want to be offensive," she whispered, "but are you sure it's worth it?"

Catherine couldn't bring herself to answer the question. For a second, she recalled when Chloe had asked her if she still loved David, and how she'd also failed to answer her then.

"I know I shouldn't have tried manipulating you...but I never even slept with David, and things still started falling apart for you two. I don't think that would've happened if it was a strong marriage," Chloe reasoned.

Catherine turned away, feeling more tears well up.

"I think the problems started long before you met me," she continued. "It got to the point where you were willing to set him up in a hotel, so that he would betray you..." Chloe paused a moment. "Maybe you were looking for a way out."

Catherine exhaled, holding quiet.

Chloe gazed down at her interlocked fingers. "I'm not trying to put words in your mouth, or thoughts in your head." She licked her lips and eyed Catherine again, wiping some dampness off of her face. "I guess it's up to you to figure out what you want."

David and Catherine sat side by side, neither facing the other for quite some time.

"So what happened last night?" he quietly asked. It sounded like he was bracing himself.

Catherine glanced at him, then looked off with a sigh. "Nothing," she said, running a hand through her hair. "I told you that I was simply going there to keep an eye on her...but I guess my word wasn't good enough." She shook her head. "See, that's exactly the problem right now, David. The issue with our marriage is a lack of trust — on both our parts."

He thought back to all that they'd discussed recently.

"But that's not our only problem," Catherine said. "We're barely touching, we're barely communicating..." She cupped her hands against her mouth, recalling the talk they'd had on the street. "I thought that one conversation was enough to fix things, but I think we still have a long way to go." Her eyes glistened. "I think we're still far away from where we used to be."

After a few seconds, David reached over and held her palm. "I know I've been losing my temper recently, babe, and I'm sorry for that."

Catherine quietly stroked his fingers.

"Are we going to get back to where we used to be?" he asked.

She paused to look down at both of their hands, then let her gaze drift toward the window.