I felt the blood freezing.
And then I heard steps outside my room.
They were approaching.
The doorknob began to move.
I instinctively covered the dark marks on my neck with my hand.
And I understood that there was absolutely no way to hide what I had done.
👇!!️CONTINUE IN PART 2 👇!!️
PART 2
The door opened.
Robert came in.
He didn’t say anything.
At first, he looked me straight in the eye.
Afterwards, his gaze slowly descended.
To my neck.
Toward the dark marks that I had desperately tried to cover with my hand.
I saw the exact moment he discovered them.
—Robert…
As soon as my voice came out.
He walked up to the bed and sat in the chair next to me.
I waited for him to scream.
I hope he demanded to know the name of the man.
I expected him to tell me that our marriage was over.
Instead, he sat there in silence.
Finally, he said:
I thought you didn’t want me anymore.
The tears immediately filled my eyes.
I thought you didn’t love me anymore.
For the first time, Robert looked at me straight.
Did you really believe that?
I no longer had the strength to keep hiding anything.
So I told him.
I told him about the lingerie.
Of the candles.
Of all those nights when I tried to get close to him and felt him walking away.
“I felt disgusting, Robert,” I whispered. I looked in the mirror and thought you couldn’t even see me as a woman anymore.
His expression changed.
“Oh, my God, Linda…
“I know what I did was wrong. I’m not trying to justify it. But I wanted one night… just one night… to feel like someone still wanted me.
Robert lowered his head.
When he finally spoke, his voice sounded different.
It wasn’t you.
I stared at it.
What?
It wasn’t your body. It wasn’t your age. And it certainly wasn’t because I would have stopped wishing for you.
I couldn’t understand.
Robert laid his hands on his knees.
Two years ago, my doctor told me I had a heart condition.
I was paralyzed.
What condition?
I didn’t want to scare you. I was taking medicine. The doctor told me I should be careful with physical exertion.
I stared at it.
That’s why you kept moving away from me?
He nodded.
“At first I was afraid. And then, every time you approached me, I thought about what might happen if something went wrong right there, next to you. I knew you’d blame yourself.
I couldn’t believe what I was hearing.
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
Robert smiled a small bitter smile.
“Because I was ashamed.
