Chapter 5: Resolution
Matt tried to carry on the rest of the day until Laura got back but was wildly consumed with what happened and what was about to happen when she got back. Was this it for them? Would he have to move out? And, why did she send that video to him? Most troubling...why did he keep watching it??
He did not try to call or text, nor did he get any from her.
He was lost in his thoughts all day. He tried to distract himself playing with the kids, but his mind kept drifting back to the videos. He kept seeing Laura with the two men, Tyler and Matt's mind couldn't help but wonder what she was thinking as they fucked her. Did she think of him? Or was she focused on the man inside her? He also kept seeing Violet, and as much as he tried to deny it, he was jealous.
About 4:30PM, he got a text.
It was Laura. She texted, "I'm on my way home. Will be there in about 30 minutes. Need to talk when I get there."
Matt replied "Ok. I'll see you when you get home." He was nervous and not sure what to expect. He was tired of being in the dark and needed to know what was going to happen. This needed to come out and he just want to know if they could move on from this.
About 5:05, Matt heard the garage door open and close. A few seconds later, he heard the sound of Laura's voice calling out to the kids.
"Hey, guys! Guess who's home!"
Matt took a deep breath and made his way to the kitchen, where he could see Laura through the doorway, her back to him as she knelt down to hug their kids.
"Hey," she said, looking up at him. She then averted her eyes away from him.
"I have to talk to your father for a bit in the bedroom and then I want to hear about your weekend!" she said to the kids before heading upstairs...assuming Matt will follow.
He did. He walked into the bedroom and saw Laura sitting on the bed. He closed the door behind him.
The room was quiet, the tension palpable. Laura was sitting on the edge of the bed, her eyes downcast. She looked up at him, her expression unreadable.
"So, where do we start?" Matt asked, his voice steady despite the storm of emotions raging inside him.
Laura hesitated before she spoke. "I'm sorry, Matt. I do not know what else I can say."
Matt sighed. "I know how bad I fucked up last year. And I can understand, as hard as it is right now, you getting back at me by doing what you did. But, Christ, sending me a video of it??"
Laura quickly responded. "I did not send it. I would never allow that."
"I'm sorry, Violet did." Matt shot back.
Laura paused. "Hard as it may be to believe, but Violet does not hate you as much as you think she does and she never would do that. Lucas did off of her phone without her knowing. We did not realize that happened until this morning. I am sick over it."
Laura's voice was barely above a whisper, but Matt could hear the genuine pain and regret in her words.
Matt's heart skipped a beat as he processed her words. He felt a sense of relief wash over him, but it was quickly replaced by a nagging doubt. "So, what you're saying is you had no idea that video was sent to me?"
Laura shook her head, her eyes meeting Matt's. "No. For us to hopefully get past this, need to be completely honest. "
"OK." Matt said. "But, you are sad you fucked someone else or are you sick I saw the proof you did?"
Matt pressed on, trying to keep the hurt from his voice.
Laura sighed, running a hand through her hair. "Both, Matt. Both."
Laura's voice was barely above a whisper, but Matt could hear the genuine pain and regret in her words. "I'm sick about the video being sent to you, and I'm also sick about what happened. It was a mistake, Matt. A big one."
Matt felt a lump form in his throat as he listened to Laura's confession. He could see the genuine remorse in her eyes, but he also felt a pang of jealousy and anger at the thought of another man touching her, pleasuring her. He took a deep breath, trying to push those feelings aside.
"What happened, Laura?" he asked, his voice hoarse with emotion.
Laura sat quiet for a while. And then she looked Matt in the eyes. "We have not been the same since your affair. I miss that. I could not get over the hurt I felt...until today. That is not what I planned or wanted to come out of this weekend. But it is done...and we are...even. I promise you from the bottom of my soul, I will forgive and forget everything if you will as well. Back to how it used to be. I swear." Laura's voice was quiet, but firm. She looked at Matt, her eyes filled with unshed tears. "I love you, Matt. I never stopped loving you. I needed to feel something again. Something different. Something that wasn't just the memory of your betrayal."
Matt felt a wave of emotion hit him. He sat down next to Laura on the bed, their shoulders touching.
"I love you too, Laura," he whispered. "I'm so sorry for what I did."
"Me too." Laura replied. "I will ask one thing...please delete those videos. that got sent from Violet's phone. I do not want either of us reminded of them." Matt nodded in agreement, "I will. I should never have watched them in the first place."
They hugged and stayed upstairs for a while. And true to their promises, they returned back to how things were before. Both felt a weight lifted from their marriage.
Secretly though, Matt did always wonder what else happened that weekend. On occasion he would sneak into Laura's phone and try to look up any pictures or videos but none were to be had. And she would always remained tight-lipped in lighter moments (or even tipsy moments) if Matt would try to squeeze more details from that weekend.
And the only time Matt would ever lie to her again, was that he did keep the videos in a secret folder that only he had access to. While he would never stray again and (for as far as he knew) neither did Laura, those videos of her having sex awakened something deep in him that unexpectedly turned him on. More than he wanted to admit and it fueled a lot of his fantasies wondering what else Laura did that weekend.
But he would never know the full details...