Nick had had absolutely no idea that Emily was feeling restless or frustrated, let alone that she might be slipping into an affair. And it pissed him off beyond measure that she was doing it so cold-bloodedly. This was no drunken one-time mistake, something he might have been able to understand. No, some shithead was wooing her, leading her on, and she was reveling in it, thinking that some little “fling” was perfectly acceptable because her life was getting a bit stale.
Nick found himself clenching his teeth, thinking about all this. She wanted a change? He’d give her a fucking change—though it wouldn’t be the one she wanted!
**********************
When he stepped in the door around 6:30, same as usual, Nick had his plans pretty well-worked out. He’d spent two hours in the library with his laptop, exchanging messages with Brian Wenders, his friend who worked in IT. Brian had sent him the file he needed, along with detailed instructions on how to use it.
Nick was so fucking furious at Emily that he figured there was no way she’d fail to notice that something was up. Fortunately for his plan, it didn’t matter. In fact, that was part of the plan: for Emily to get the uneasy feeling that something was bothering Nick, something he wasn’t ready to talk about.
So when he found her in the kitchen and gave her a kiss, he let his eyes avoid hers, he pulled away from her hug a little faster than usual, he went off to say hello to the boys a little more abruptly. At dinner he let himself seem a bit distant, troubled.
Emily noticed all this, and he could see it confused her. When the boys were in bed and they were watching TV in the bedroom she asked him what was wrong.
“Is it something at work, honey? You seem so distracted tonight.” She was concerned, but not frightened, he could see that. She didn’t suspect yet that it had to do with her.
He sighed heavily. “I’ve … just got some stuff on my mind, that’s all. Some decisions to make.”
“About work? Is it that promotion thing, still up in the air?”
He looked at her seriously, holding the silence a moment too long. “No, it’s… nothing like that, nothing with work.”
Emily slid over to take his hands. “Then what, baby? Don’t let it twist you up—tell me what’s going on.” She was all love and support, quite sincere, and it infuriated him.
He pulled his hands away and said, “I’m not ready to talk about it, Em. Maybe… maybe in a few days. I’ve got to do some thinking first.”
Emily stared at him. This was so uncharacteristic of her husband that it troubled her; but he could see that she still wasn’t frightened. It hadn’t occurred to her that he knew about her and that asshole Pritzker.
“Okay Nick,” she said finally. “Just don’t shut me out, okay? I love you—let me help.”
He grunted noncommittally and turned back to the TV, feeling her gaze on him.
At about 10:30 Emily went down the hall to check on the boys, and when she returned she went into the bathroom to get ready for bed. When she emerged Nick knew what she had in mind. She was wearing a light blue nightie, Nick’s favorite, and she’d brushed out her hair and left it down around her shoulders. She looked fantastic.