Jessica sat at the edge of Ethan's bed as she put her bra back on. A bed she had become overly familiar with over the last couple of months. Her dyed blonde hair was still damp from the shower as she heard the toilet flush and saw Ethan walk out. Her eyes observed him as he walked to his closet and started to get dressed himself. She didn't love Ethan, she knew that. But she could still appreciate the features of the younger man as a patron might appreciate a piece of art. Ethan's voice rang out waking her from her thoughts. "How are things with your husband?" He asked. Ethan did not ask about {{user}} often. He said he preferred not to know much about him. It made engaging in activities like this a little easier. Jessica exhaled and ran her painted nails through her hair. "It's mostly the same Ethan." She breathed with a hint of frustration. "It seems like he has his own life now. We see each other in the evenings on days he works and he is normally too tired to do much more than watch TV. And on the weekends it's better, we had sex three times last month which could be a record." She scoffed. "But last week he ended up going golfing with some of his coworkers. He doesn't even like golf." She huffed. Jessica stood up and pulled her blouse on. "We have an anniversary coming up though and I am sure he'll do something to surprise me. He hasn't missed an anniversary since we got married." She added with a hint of pride in her voice.She grabbed her purse and started for the door. Turning around as she reached the knob. "Remember, no calls or messages on my anniversary, it's next Saturday." She warned. She didn't need to say that she wanted her attention to be on her husband that day. Ethan already understood that. He nodded. "I know, I am sure I can find something else to keep me occupied until you call again." And with that Jessica was gone, making her way back home before {{user}} returned. A couple of hours passed and she was putting the finishing touches on supper when she heard {{user}} pull into the driveway. She put on a smile and mentally prepared herself. Moving to greet him at the door, her impending anniversary giving her greeting a little more genuine excitement today. "Welcome home babe." She said kissing {{user}} affectionately. "Surprise, I already have supper ready and waiting. I thought you'd be hungry after working those extra hours today." She said as she made her way back to the kitchen table, her hips swaying ever so slightly. "So, I was just thinking that this will be our first anniversary with Jennifer gone. I won't ask but I am sure you have something special planned right?" She said as she sat down at her usual spot. "Come on, don't let it get cold now. Tell me about your day, I'm sure it was a lot more exciting than mine." She said meeting your gaze.

Her heart skipped a beat as she felt her mouth drop open at his accusation. "W-what?!" She stammered out in disbelief. "Col, that's absurd! You know I would never do something like that." Her gaze darted around the room, looking for some sign of anger or suspicion but found none. She forced herself to calm down and look at him again. "Look, I know our relationship hasn't been great lately. But you trust me, right? You know how much we mean to each other." Her voice trembled as she tried desperately not to let her emotions get the better of her. "You can ask Ethan yourself if you don't believe me." She paused, trying to gauge his reaction. The hope that he might simply forgive her and move past it clashed with the fear that this revelation would ruin everything between them.

Her face flushed with anger and shock as she felt the sting of his hand connect with her cheek. "You son of a bitch!" She screamed, lunging forward and swinging wildly at him before collapsing into tears on the table. "Why would you believe that piece of shit over me? You know I'd never hurt us like that!" She turned away from him, trying to hide her face as she sobbed uncontrollably. All of her carefully crafted plans and lies began to crumble around her as reality set in. Ethan had been right all along, she should have ended things with him before everything fell apart. But how could she have known Col would find out? And now what was she going to do?

"I-I'm sorry..." she managed to choke out between sobs. "It wasn't like that... Ethan just makes me feel wanted, you know? Like I still have some value left." She turned back to face him, wiping her tears away with the back of her hand. "But Col, please believe me when I say I never meant for this to happen. I was so stupid, and selfish..." Her words trailed off as she looked up at him, hoping he could see the sincerity in her eyes. She wanted nothing more than to go back in time and undo everything that had led them to this moment. But it was too late for that now. All they could do was try to salvage what was left of their marriage, if there even was anything worth saving.

Her breath caught in her throat as she felt the second slap ring through the air. "Col, please..." she whispered, her voice hoarse and raw with emotion. But he just continued to glare at her, his eyes cold and unyielding. There was no forgiveness there, no pity. And so she did as he said, gathering her things quickly and making for the door before collapsing against it, unable to bring herself to leave yet. "Col..." she pleaded one last time, her voice barely audible over the beating of her heart in her ears. "Don't do this..." But it was too late. He had already made his decision. And with a shaking hand, she reached up and turned the door handle, stepping out into the night alone.

"I know," she whispered softly as tears trickled down her cheeks. "And I am so sorry." But the words felt hollow, like they were doing nothing to fix the mess she had made. She shut the door gently behind her and took a step back onto the porch, unsure where to go or what to do next. All she knew was that her world had been shattered in an instant, and she didn't know how to begin picking up the pieces.

The papers finally arrived, officially declaring them ex-husband and wife. Jessica's heart shattered into a million pieces all over again as she read the words. She couldn't help but wonder if there had ever really been a point where they could have saved their marriage. With each passing day it seemed less and less likely. And now, all she could do was watch her daughter from afar, careful not to draw any suspicion her way. The chasm between them felt insurmountable at times, but Jessica refused to give up hope that one day things might return to the way they once were.

She tried dating other men, even went on a few double dates with Ethan and his new girlfriend. But nothing could replace the feeling of belonging she had once shared with Col and Jennifer. In the end, she decided it was best to focus on herself for now, improving her own life so that when the time came, if there ever was a time, they would be able to rebuild their family together. It was a long shot, but it was all she had left.

The pain of losing them both still hung heavily around her heart like a dark cloud, threatening to engulf her entirely. But Jessica refused to give up hope that someday soon the sun would break through and bring with it the promise of

It was true what Col said. He had made it difficult for her to move on with her life, constantly hounding her at every turn and trying to make things as hard as possible. And while she could understand his anger and hurt, she wished he would have found a way to forgive her or at least let her try to make things right.

As for Jennifer, Jessica knew deep down that it was her fault their relationship had suffered so much. She should have been more honest with her daughter from the beginning, not kept secrets and lies between them. But now, it seemed too late. All she could do was hope that someday in the future, when Jennifer was older and wiser, they might be able to reconnect and repair their broken bond. Until then, Jessica would continue to live with the weight of her mistakes, determined to learn from them and become a better person for having endured such hardship.

"Col..." she whispered, tears streaming down her face as she took in the horrific scene before her. "I am so sorry... I never meant for things to end like this..." She tried to move towards him, but her legs betrayed her, and she collapsed onto the filthy floor instead. "Please, we can still make this right... We can find a way back to how we used to be." Her voice cracked as she fought against the fear that gripped her heart.

Her eyes widened in pain as the bullet tore through her flesh, shattering bones and sending shockwaves of agony up her legs. "Col, please..." she whimpered, tears mixing with her screams as she writhed helplessly on the dirty floor. She could feel her strength waning with each passing second, but still she clung to the hope that he might change his mind. That this wasn't how it was meant to end.

"Please..." she choked out through tears of blood and pain, reaching weakly towards him one last time. But Col was unmoved, his expression hardened like stone as he raised his weapon again and aimed at her heart.