Wife's Bitter Revenge Against Neglectful CEO Husband-Chapter 46: Sleep Deprived

King said, "I used a precision knife to cut out the knot."

"That’s cheating!"

Why didn’t I think of that?

"King, it does go against the general goal," Dr. Pacer said.

"Do you take shortcuts with everything you do?" I asked.

"It’s called working smarter, not harder."

"It’s called cheating."

"If all you plan to do today is accuse me of cheating, we can end this here. Besides, you didn’t bring me lunch. I’m hungry."

"I told you I forgot. I’ll make it up to you."

"And how are you going to make it up to me for bringing your lover to our couples therapy?"

"Michael is not my lover."

"Well, someone is. Otherwise, you wouldn’t have left me."

I didn’t think. I slapped him. "Wake up, King. You and your mother are to blame. I’m to blame, but that is it. There is no lover in the wings. Never has been."

My head hurt and the lack of sleep was beginning to take a toll on me. I was also both ashamed for hitting someone and proud of myself for standing up for myself. For maybe the first time in my life, while I didn’t condone it, I understood how people committed spousal abuse. It wasn’t a good feeling.

"Geez, King, I can’t do this."

I was pacing by now when what I really wanted to do was run until exhausted, then fall asleep wherever I collapsed. The adult in me said running from my problems was immature, but right now, I had so many problems that if I didn’t run from at least one of them, I would break under the pressure.

"I can’t do any of this. I don’t want to reconcile, and I resent you trying to blackmail me into attending these ridiculous sessions and meaningless dates. So, I’m done.

"King, fuck off!"

I turned to stomp off. King stopped me. "Teela, please don’t go. I’m working on my family issues, but it’ll take time."

Dr. Pacer said, "I could change the couples therapy sessions to twice a week and the other three meetings into individual sessions for you, King. You too, Teela, if you want them."

"If I want therapy, I’ll find my own therapist."

Right after I hire an attorney.

King said, "I need to see you, Teela."

"Then stop forcing it. Give me some space to breathe. I don’t even have time to hold down a job with all the hoops you have me jumping through, and Lettie was the same way. She kept my schedule so structured that I literally forgot about my friends, my life, my dreams from before we were married.

"I escaped Lettie only to fall into the trap you laid for me. And the worst part is you don’t even see it."

King let go of my arm and stepped back, stunned silent.

I tossed my knot ball at the doctor and walked out.

Stiff was waiting for me in the outer office.

"Are you alright?"

"No, but I will be."

"Let’s go."

I handed him my backpack—yes, including my precious laptop because that is how much I trusted this man. "Wait for me at the car?"

"Let me come with you."

"No...I need to go to the restroom. Take a breather, you know?"

"Tough session?"

Unbidden tears gathered in my eyes. "The worst. I hit him."

The tears streamed down my face quicker than I could brush them away.

Stiff wrapped me in his arms. "Oh, honey, I’m so sorry. I know you must have been under a lot of pressure to hit him. Sh, don’t cry. I’ve got you."

His hand rubbing my back felt so good. I melted into him as I began to shake. This wasn’t like me. None of it. I didn’t let my emotions get the best of me, only lately it was a reoccurring theme. I didn’t hit people. There was no excuse for it. I owed King an apology, but I couldn’t. Not now. Maybe when I calmed down. Maybe not. It felt like the right thing to do.

"Sh, sweetheart. It’s okay. Let me take you home." Stiff dropped a gentle kiss on my forehead.

The timing couldn’t have been worse. King stepped into the waiting room.

King said, "He’s not your lover, huh? You let every man but me touch you like that?"

I stepped out of Stiff’s arms, wiping my nose with my sweatshirt sleeve. I couldn’t back down.

"It’s none of your business, but no, I don’t. However, I do accept comfort from my close friends, both male and female."

"It’s not appropriate for my wife to be intimate with another man in public."

Stiff said, "Hey, man, it’s just a hug, and this isn’t exactly Grand Central Station. We were the only ones here to witness a perfectly innocent hug."

"You kissed her."

"Oh, for goodness’s sake. It was a kiss on the forehead. I do the same to my niece and nephew."

"I don’t like it."

I said, "I don’t care. We are separated and soon to be divorced. Get over it.

"Come on, Stiff. Let’s go."

I really did need to go to the bathroom, so we stopped at a public restroom on the way to the elevator. I ducked inside to relieve myself and wash my face while Stiff waited at the door.

I looked in the mirror and regretted it. I had dark circles under red eyes. A lack of sleep combined with an emotional break was a deadly combination for the complexion which was blotchy and bruised.

I didn’t understand what any man saw in me when I looked like this.

I splashed water on my face and dried with a paper towel. I convinced myself that I was just tired. That I didn’t care enough about King enough to get this emotional. Tonight, I would sleep well and return to my old self tomorrow. But right now, I owed Bea a hard day of work.

The door opened, but I didn’t really pay attention. It was a public restroom, after all. People came and went all day. But then an arm closed around me from behind. I felt the infamous ’little stick’ followed by wooziness and a blackout.

King remained where Teela left him. She was right. He was following the behavior engrained in him by Mom. It had served him well in business, but Teela wasn’t a business. She was a woman who had been hurt by a man. He was that man, and King was ashamed.

From the very beginning, his purpose was to protect her and give her a home. King fully intended to stay with her for a lifetime, whether he loved her or not. And to be honest, he did not love her when he married her, but she’d grown on him. She was comfortable, and it was nice to have a warm body next to him when he slept, someone who had no expectations from him.

Only that wasn’t true, was it? She had unvoiced expectations, and King had not lived up to any of them. He deserved that slap. He was glad of it because it woke him up. Besides, Teela hadn’t really hurt him any more than if he himself had slapped at a mosquito.

In many ways, King felt the same way about Teela as he did Mom. He would never be good enough for either one. They both gave him reasons to feel ashamed of himself, even when he wasn’t exactly sure what those reasons were.

King re-entered the therapy room. "Dr. Pacer, let’s begin."

He had a long way to go if he wanted to break the shackles that bound him to his mother’s training. He had a feeling he wasn’t exactly normal. But then again, he wasn’t sure a normal person would have survived his childhood and thrived in the corporate world as well as he did. Perhaps the answer was to find a balance between abnormally successful and normally healthy and lovable.

The session had gone on for about half an hour when Stiff burst into the room. The man had always been stylishly dressed and groomed when King had seen him before. This time, Stiff was disheveled. A bruise was forming under his left eye, and he was walking with a limp.

"What the hell?"

"What did you do with Teela? Where is she?"

"What do you mean? She left with you just a few minutes ago."

"Yeah, and now she’s gone, and you’re behind it or your awful family is."

That brought King to his feet. "What happened?"

"We stopped at the bathroom. I was waiting outside for Teela when three gorillas assaulted me and knocked me out. When I came to, Teela was gone."

King speed-dialed Min and filled him in. Meanwhile, Stiff was on the phone doing the same with his people.

King said, "I have nothing to do with her disappearance. I don’t like you, but what do you say we team up to find her?"

"You can start with your family. Teela doesn’t have a lot of enemies. Your mom tops the list though."

King nodded. "Give me your number."

He found it curious when Stiff hesitated.