Something Snapped Inside

Another reconciliation story from me. I have to say I do like writing them and I have decided it is my thing. They give me more scope, as a writer, to develop a story further past the cheating. I know it isn't everyone's cup of tea, but they are my stories and I am going to write what I enjoy.

The Punch

Have you ever had one of the sliding door moments? You know, where your life could go in two different directions if different choices are made. Have you ever noticed those moments when they happen? I have and the choices I made decided whether I would still be married to my wife or not.

My name is Anthony, but few people call me Tony. They usually shorten it to Ant which I prefer. My wife, Brooke, and I had been married for just over ten years and together for fifteen. We have two kids, Charlie who is eight and Dawn who is six. Can you see what we did with the names? That was Brooke's idea.

Brooke and I met at a house party when we both finished college. I say met but that isn't strictly true. We have known each other for a long time. We went to the same schools ever since elementary, and our mothers would often chat together when they met but Brooke and I were never friends or moved in the same circles. She was one of those archetype popular girls like you see in movies, good-looking and smart, not necessarily book smart although she wasn't stupid, but she was more street smart. She knew how to use her looks. A party wasn't a party unless she was there. I, on the other hand, was one of those nerdy types. I got into electronics at school, and I was always tinkering with or building something. I was just grateful to get invited to any party.

That all changed at the party in question. Brooke was by herself and looked upset. She was having one of those, where do I go from here moments in her life. She studied law at college. Unfortunately for her, she found out the hard way that good looks and street smarts can only get you so far. Her grades meant that she couldn't progress to become a qualified lawyer. A law degree is a law degree, though, and she would go eventually on to be a paralegal. To make matters worse, she had spotted her date kissing one of her friends. I thrived and metamorphosized at college. I got a first in Electrical Engineering and I discovered martial arts. I was waiting to start a graduate program at a prestigious company which paid better than a graduate was entitled to and thanks to my training in martial arts, I bulked up a lot. Somehow, I had become a catch in dating terms, Brooke told me that later, I had no idea. Somehow, we had swapped places in the desirability stakes after college. Becoming less desirable was very hard for Brooke despite still being very good-looking.

"Hi Brooke, are you okay?" I asked her.

"I'm sorry do I know you?" she asked me suspiciously.

"It's Ant, we went to school together," I reminded her.

She gave me a long hard look then her eyes widened in recognition, "Oh my God! Ant, you've changed. Changed a lot."

"In a good way I hope," I replied with a laugh.

"Yeah, in a good way," she would later tell me that she had to stop herself from drooling.

We began to talk, and we kept talking. It was approaching midnight and I told Brooke I had to leave,

"Are you going to turn back into a nerd at midnight," she joked.

"I will always be a nerd," I laughed. "I have a martial arts tournament in the morning, so I have to get up early."

Brooke thought for a moment and asked if I could take her home. I had driven to the party and hadn't been drinking so I was happy to do so.

When we got to Brooke's house, I took the plunge and asked her out for a date the following night. To my surprise, she agreed. To my greater surprise, Brooke turned up to my martial arts tournament. I have no idea how she found out where it was, but I was happy that she did. I didn't win the tournament, but I got to the semi-final and got a medal. More importantly, Brooke saw me win a few fights too before I got nailed in the semi-final.

So, our story followed the usual path. We dated for a few years, we moved in together, I proposed, and we got married. Our children arrived not long after we married. For the most part, our relationship was happy and drama-free. Brooke became my world, and I would do anything for her. We had a good and very comfortable life. I earned very good wages and with Brooke's paralegal wages, now and again we could treat ourselves to a taste of the high life.

Fast forward to now. We are both in our mid to late thirties and Charlie and Dawn are old enough to be left with a babysitter or one of our parents for the night or overnight while we go out or me or Brooke go out leaving the other to stay at home to look after the kids.

On the night of my sliding doors moment, Brooke and I went to her firm's start-of-the-year party. They held this every year, and I suspect they did this because they were too stingy to pay the premium for a Christmas party and that they held it the week before Valentine's Day told me I was right. The start-of-the-year party was a swanky black-tie affair held in a posh hotel. Her firm encouraged their staff to bring their partners to the point of it being expected. Brooke loved this party because it meant she could dress up to show the world how attractive she still was.

That night Brooke outdid herself. She was simply stunning in a gold sequinned dress that hugged her body. A split down one leg showed off a stocking-clad leg. I knew she had bought new sexy underwear for the occasion too.

I should have been delighted and looked forward to making love to her when we got home but our marriage was in a rut. We hardly had sex in months. I couldn't shake the feeling that the effort wasn't for me.

"You look beautiful," I told her.

"Thank you," she replied without warmth, reluctantly allowing me to kiss her cheek.

When we arrived, the great, the good and the ordinary of Brooke's firm were there with their partners. We greeted Brooke's colleagues warmly. They were all at Brooke's salary level and all with partners. We then took a seat at our table and found ourselves sitting next to her colleague, Trey, and his husband, Nicholas. It was Nicholas and never Nick. He was very firm with that. I liked these guys. They had adopted two daughters and for some reason were always interested in my job. Normally, I would get glazed looks, but they always genuinely seemed interested. I would have happily mixed with them in our spare time, but Brooke never wanted to for some reason. This year, however, they appeared uncomfortable talking to me.

We ate our meal and the conversation, although polite, was sporadic. Once the meal had finished the music and dancing began and that was when Brooke's behaviour over the past months began to make sense.

I am not going to lie; dancing isn't my forte. To say that I have two left feet is being kind. Brooke on the other hand loves to dance. I asked Brooke if she wanted to dance. I knew this was an important night for her, so I wanted to make an effort at least, so she could enjoy the night to the fullest. I would like to say we danced, but it was more like I tried to move to the music and for Brooke, it was more like an act of preservation for her feet.

After stepping on her feet one time too many, Brooke returned to the table in a bad mood after just one song leaving me alone forlornly on the dance floor. I tried to apologize but she just walked away without saying a word. Wanting to make it up to her I went to the bar and ordered us both a mojito, knowing it was her favourite cocktail. The bar was free, but I wanted to make the gesture at least.

There was a queue at the bar, so it took me a while to return to our table but when I arrived, Brooke wasn't there. I turned round to see where she had got to, and my heart froze. Brooke was dancing and laughing with another man.

I just stood there watching her, feeling humiliated as she enjoyed herself in his arms, not having a clue what to do. I could see he knew how to dance and dance in a way that I never could. Her stocking-clad leg appeared to wrap itself around him as she pressed herself against his hip.

When the song finished my wife and the man returned to our table. When Brooke saw me and saw that I had seen her dance with him, a flash of guilt and panic briefly swept across her face before she composed herself.

"Ant, this is Xander Coulsen. Xander this is my husband, Ant," Brooke introduced us as I gave her the mojito.

Xander confidently reached out his hand for me to shake with his lips curled into a smirk, "Hello Ant," he greeted me. I took his hand, and he gripped my hand tightly and didn't let go in a clear power play. "Brooke has told me a lot about you. She says you're an electrician."

"No, I am an electrical engineer," I wasn't going to be intimidated by the likes of him. He may be better looking than me, but way worse people have tried and failed to intimidate me. You meet all sorts of people in electrical engineering and it being a male-dominated industry, there are a lot of egos.

"Same thing isn't it," Xander replied, deliberately trying to be offensive.

"Only to the uneducated," I answered back with a smile that was less than friendly.

Xander's smirk disappeared with that remark and Brooke looked furious,

"Ant, don't be rude!" Brooke hissed. "Xander is a senior partner here."

I glared at Brooke did she really defend him instead of me? Before the situation could escalate, a song came on and Brooke exclaimed, "I love this song."

With missing a beat Xander took Brooke's hand and took her to the dance floor. Her mojito was left unwanted and discarded on the table. My mouth dropped open at the audacity of it. Right in front of me, my wife went with another man to dance like I wasn't even there.

I just stood there dumbfounded with my undrunk mojito. I felt two arms around me. It was Trey and Nicholas.

"I'm so sorry, Ant," Trey said with a voice strong with sympathy. "Xander joined the company in September, and he made a beeline for Brooke. You may have noticed, but he is a very good-looking guy and a very talented lawyer who brings in a lot of money, however, he has a reputation. He has a taste for married women, and your wife is very attractive so I suppose he couldn't help himself. He has been taking Brooke out for lunch and drinks after work for months. You're a good guy, Ant. You don't deserve this."

I then felt Trey and Nicholas move closer and they rested their heads against briefly mine to console me before letting go. Working in an ego-driven male-dominated industry and being a martial artist, I should have been threatened by this open display of physical connection from two gay men, but truth be told, I was grateful to them. It was what I needed at the right time.

The music slowed and Brooke and Xander moved closer. Brooke rested her head on his chest as they held each other tightly while they danced slowly together. If it wasn't obvious before, it was clear as day now for who Brooke had dressed up for.

If I had any character flaw, then it was Brooke and my inability to put any boundaries in place with her. If any guy tried to confront me head-on, then I was an immovable object as Xander Coulsen found out. But with Brooke, she was my world, anything she wanted I gave it to her. Any argument we had, I ended up apologizing to her. So, it was baffling to me why she was treating me this way. I was at a loss for what to do. Brooke appeared happy so I turned to leave quietly.

This was sliding door moment number one. If I had continued and walked out, I am in no doubt Brooke would have spent the night with Xander Coulsen and our marriage would have been over. I don't know what happened, but something just snapped inside of me. It was like I was a different person. I wasn't going to let Brooke do this to me. I wasn't going to let my marriage end this way especially not because of a man of the calibre and low moral code like Xander Coulsen. If my marriage was over, then it was going to end with my head held high.

An anger that I had never felt before built inside me and I turned around and strode towards Brooke and Xander. There were gasps from a few people when they saw my destination and the drama that was about to unfold.

I took hold of Xander's arm and almost ripped him off Brooke. Brooke gave a small scream and Xander had a face red with fury. We were in my territory now.

"Get your hands off my fucking wife, asshole," I told him menacingly. The music stopped and everyone present watched the confrontation with bated breath.

In his fury, he couldn't have been thinking straight or he was so arrogant that he thought he was untouchable because, in the face of an angry husband, he said to me, "Get it through your thick electrician head, Brooke is with me tonight and will be with me all night."

"I'm an electrical engineer, dumbass," I retorted. Xander Coulsen must have had a problem being called stupid because he reacted by throwing a wild punch. He might as well have put an advert out on primetime TV because the punch was so slow and easy to spot. I took a small sidestep and allowed the punch to land without the sting so what came next could be seen as self-defense. My punch that followed was so fast that the first he knew about it was when he was on the floor with blood pouring out of his very broken nose.

I then pressed my foot down on his groin and said to him quietly and threateningly, "I am an electrical engineer, not an electrician. Even if I was, there is no shame in it, but I have a first in Electrical Engineering from MIT, and I also earn well over six figures. I may well be earning more than you. Also, if I see you near my wife again, I will attach electrodes to your dick and balls and attach them to the electrical mains to put them out of action for good. Do you fucking understand me?"

Xander didn't answer but the fear in his eyes told me he did.

We come now to sliding door moment number two. When I lifted my foot off his groin, I noticed Brooke had made a small step towards Xander with her hand over her mouth in shock at what I had done. I looked at her and snarled,

"If our marriage means anything to you, come home with me and try and save it or you can stay with your lover, and we can divorce your choice."

I then just strode away without her.

"Ant, please wait!" I heard behind me.

I stopped and turned to see Brooke trying to walk as fast as she could in her heels. Gone was the smile and enjoyment of being with another man. Instead, she had the look of someone who feared the consequences of what she had done.

"You don't mean it do you?" she asked desperately.

"Mean what?"

"Divorcing me?"

"Yeah, I do," I told her curtly without feeling.

My coldness must have stung her because tears welled up in her eyes and all she could ask was, "Why?"

"Are you serious? After the way you were dancing with lover boy, you are asking why? Jesus Christ Brooke! I thought you were smarter than that! Fucking unbelievable!"

"Ant, what has gotten into you? This isn't like you!" she wailed, her eyes wide, not comprehending the situation.

"Well, perhaps I should be," I retorted before I noticed that we had an audience. Some of Brooke's colleagues had followed us out and were watching the spectacle we were putting on. "I'm not having this conversation here," I growled turning my back on my wife and beginning to walk away.

"Ant, where are you going?"

"Home!" there was pure hostility in my voice. I had never spoken to Brooke in this way since we had begun dating.

"Without me!?" she started to realise how angry I was.

"That is up to you? Do you want to be my wife or Xander's lover?"

"Of course, I want to be your wife but first tell me why are you so angry!? Why did you punch Xander!?" her face was blank, clearly I had to spell it out to her.

I turned back around and walked back towards her. One or two of our spectators took a worried half-step towards us, unsure what I was going to do.

"You want to know why I am angry? You humiliated me in there!" I told her pointing furiously at the room where Brooke's work event was being held.

"Humiliated? How?" my god, how could she not understand.

"How? By dancing with that asshole! Not just dancing with him, you were practically hanging off him, pressing yourself into him right in front of me, in front of everyone, like I wasn't there! You even defended him when he tried to intimidate and insult me! You behaved like he was your lover! Like you were having an affair with him!" my last sentence words said quietly as my emotions caught up with me.

Brooke looked shocked at first then closed her eyes for several moments like she was replaying the evening in her mind. When she opened them, she looked at me with tears rolling down her cheeks and looking distraught,

"Ant, I am so sorry. I promise you nothing is going on between Xander and me. I am not having an affair with him. He's just a friend," she said reaching out to me. A few of the spectators scoffed at what she said. Brooke and Xander must have been office gossip for a long while. When I stood back from her, she looked like she had been stabbed in the heart.

"Let's go," I told her. She could see it in my eyes that I didn't believe her.

On the taxi ride home, Brooke several times tried to hold my hand, but each time I pulled it away. I could see her looking at me imploringly through the reflection in the window. She tried to engage me in conversation about the events of the evening.

"Ant, please talk to me!" she begged me desperately after the taxi had driven away when we arrived home. I just ignored her and walked indoors.

Brooke's mother was surprised to see us back so early but when she saw my anger and Brooke's tears, she knew something serious was wrong.

"The children are fast asleep. They behaved like angels. I'll head home," I didn't thank her as I should have but, in the mood, I was in, I wasn't able to say anything. Brooke's mother either said something or looked at Brooke in a certain way because Brooke cried out, "Mom, I'm sorry!" before our front door slammed shut.

"Ant, please can we talk about tonight?" Brooke begged again. "I didn't mean to humiliate you. All I wanted to do was dance!"

"But you did humiliate me. I don't know where we can go from here, Brooke. I just don't know what to believe. You hurt me a lot tonight."

"I love you, Ant!" Brooke pleaded with me.

"It didn't look like it tonight. It looked like you were in love with Xander Coulsen. It looks like you have been in love with him for months."

"What do you mean?"

"I know you've been going on lunch dates with him, Brooke! And drinks after work!"

Brooke's face showed how bad it looked. A horrible thought crossed my mind,

"Have you fucked him?" I asked fearfully. "We've barely had sex in months and that was around about the same time you started hanging out with that asshole."

"No!" Brooke exclaimed. "I swear it! Please, Ant, I love you. I'm sorry! It won't happen again! I'll stop spending time with him, I promise!"

I just couldn't deal with the situation that evening. I was too emotional, "I'm going to bed," I told her. "I think it would be better if you slept in the spare room," and I marched off still seething inside at my wife's behaviour.

The following morning Brooke looked terrible like she had spent the whole night crying. She tried to show a brave face for the children's sake, but she was doing a bad job of it.

"Don't worry, Mommy just had too much fun last night," she lied to them. I suppose I couldn't fault her for that. They were too young to understand the truth, that their mom nearly turned herself into a cheating slut.

She spent most of the next day trying to talk to me about the events of that night but other than small talk when we were with our children, I refused to talk to her. I could see it was affecting her badly. I allowed her back in our bed. Allowing is probably the wrong word. Not objecting, would be better. She tried to talk and snuggle up to me, but I resolutely stood firm with my back to her. After getting no response from me, I could hear her quietly sobbing behind me. Part of me wanted to turn over and hold her but I knew if our marriage was to have a future, I needed to stand firm.