And justly so.

She laid on the bed, facing the wall. Her breath was shallow and racing so fast the tip of her nose and the top of her cheek began to feel numb. Her legs were shaking uncontrollably, sending vibrations throughout the rest of her body causing it to appear seizure-like in short bursts.

Reminding herself to take deeper breaths, she felt the hot wetness in her eyes begin to brim and well. Nausea overcame her- a byproduct of the shaking. Her stomach muscles ached, holding them tightly like a clenched fist ready to strike.

Any words that came from his mouth in explanation sounded like mumbles compared to the blaring screaming in her brain. Standing and pacing, he reached for any justification in his brain until he collapsed, sitting on the bed, letting the weight of his skull rest into his palms. He turned, looking at her body laying there convulsing with anxiety.

“I am so sorry, I don’t know how it happened…”

Every memory of being accused of adultery over the past fifteen years of marriage rang through her mind. Every time she wore pretty underwear his eyes questioned her. Every phone call or text came with inquiry of the caller. Every time she even mentioned another man’s name, waves of insecurity passed over him along with a barrage of questions days after the conversation had taken place.

He just looked at her. Her half naked body laying there in a t-shirt, underwear and socks on top of the worn and fraying quilt. She just couldn’t stop shaking, and he badly just wanted to reach out and touch her thigh so she could feel his warmth. She knew this and her nausea quickly rose to her throat.

So many questions filled her mind that she really didn’t want answers to. Were they just texts? Were they just pictures exchanged? All the times he left to go to work and see her, she didn’t even know of her existence.

Tears started to stream down her face. Her mind, yelling so loudly it drowned out the noise of the air blasting from the vents right beside her. She couldn’t even look at him. She just couldn’t stop shaking. Her muscles ached with the agony of truth. The truth that for all these years that she remained faithful, he was the one who had become interested in another woman. If it was so innocent, then why was it so secretive. If it was nothing, then why did she have no control over her body or the volume of her thoughts?

The next five minutes would decide if the past fifteen years was just the beginning, or the last five minutes meant that it was the end.