Thanksgiving Betrayal, The Red Flower Hickey

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It was my birthday on Thanksgiving.

My wife, Rosalind, brought her lover home like it was the most natural thing in the world.

She expected me to serve them and cater to their every whim.

Because I spilled a drop of wine while pouring, she humiliated me in front of all the guests.

She called me a pathetic loser who couldn't do anything right.

In the past, I would have started a massive screaming match with her.

But this time, I just took the verbal abuse in silence.

I turned around and walked away without a word.

We had been together for ten years, and I had let her walk all over me for every single one of them.

Starting today, I was finally letting her go.

1.

The Thanksgiving dinner was over, and Rosalind was seeing Jayden out.

I was busy cleaning up the wreckage of the party.

When I took the trash out, I saw them clearly.

They were locked in a passionate kiss near his car.

After they pulled apart, Jayden wrapped his arm around her waist with a smirk.

"I'm so happy you brought me home for the holiday, but won't your husband mind? It is his birthday, after all," he said.

Rosalind leaned in and gave him another quick peck.

"It doesn't matter if he minds or not. You were the real star of the show tonight," she whispered.

I dumped the trash into the bin and didn't even blink.

Normally, I would have thrown the garbage at them and demanded respect.

I had done that so many times that Rosalind's friends called me a "bitter, naggy housewife" behind my back.

I went back to the kitchen to finish the dishes.

A few minutes later, Rosalind walked in.

Seeing me scrubbing the pans, she actually spoke to me for once.

"Caden, let me do that," she said.

When we first got together, I promised her she would never have to touch a chore.

I had kept that promise for ten years.

She only offered to help when she was in a particularly good mood.

It was obvious that her session with Jayden had left her feeling great.

She took the sponge from me and started rinsing a plate.

I went to the bathroom to wash up, but when I came out, her phone was buzzing.

It was Jayden's custom ringtone.

I decided to be helpful and answered it since it was about to go to voicemail.

I put it on speaker, and Jayden's whiny voice filled the room.

"Rose, babe, I left my house keys at your place. I'm stuck outside my door and it's too late to get an Uber. Can you bring them to me?"

Before I could say a word, Rosalind stormed over with a dark expression.

She snatched the phone out of my hand.

"Who gave you permission to touch my phone?" she hissed.

I opened my mouth to explain, but she didn't give me a chance.

She grabbed the greasy dishcloth and threw it right at my face.

The oily rag hit me square in the eyes.

"Go clean yourself up," she snapped.

She grabbed Jayden's keys and slammed the door as she left.

I cleaned the grease off my face and took a hot shower.

My tooth started throbbing with a sharp, agonizing pain.

They say a toothache isn't a disease, but it's enough to make you want to die.

I collapsed on the sofa, shivering and breaking out in a cold sweat.

I wasn't going to be a martyr this time.

I sent Rosalind a text asking her to pick up some Ibuprofen on her way back.

Surprisingly, she came home quickly with the medicine.

She even poured me a glass of warm water.

She knelt by the sofa to help me sit up.

That's when I saw itDa bright red hickey on her pale neck.

Rosalind noticed my gaze and her face went pale for a split second.

"This... it was from a game of Truth or Dare at dinner. Things got a little out of hand," she stammered.

She seemed to suddenly remember that I had been at that dinner and no such game happened.

I acted like I didn't notice the lie.

I pulled my hand away from her and spoke calmly.

"Oh, it looks nice. Like a little red flower."

2.

The living room fell into a suffocating silence.

Rosalind stared at me, her eyes wide with disbelief.

"You don't care? If it bothers you, I'll tell them to be more careful next time."

She reached for her phone, looking at me as if begging me to get angry.

I just watched her, saying nothing.

Why should I care anymore?

Why would I waste my energy on a losing battle?

The old me would have screamed and tried to scrub that mark off her skin until it was raw.

But now, I didn't even care about Rosalind herself, let alone some love bite.

I pushed her hand away and stood up.

"Go take a shower. I'm going to bed," I said.

The sound of the shower started shortly after I reached the bedroom.

Outside the window, the sky was turning pitch black.

Thunder rattled the glass, followed by a blinding flash of lightning.

A moment later, the covers were pulled back and a warm body pressed against my back.

"How are you feeling? Is the pain better?" Rosalind whispered.

I touched my burning forehead, feeling delirious.

"I'm burning up. Can you take me to theD"

I didn't get to finish the word "hospital."

Jayden's special ringtone cut through the room again.

On the other end, Jayden sounded absolutely terrified.

"Rose, the power went out at my place. I don't have a flashlight or candles, and my phone is dying. Can you bring some over?"

He added, "If it's too much trouble, never mind."

Rosalind was out of bed before the call even ended.

She started dressing in the dark, not even glancing at me.

She didn't even bother to pull the covers back over my shivering body.

She used the same excuse she had used a hundred times before.

"Jayden has a file I need for my meeting tomorrow morning. I have to go grab it."

She rushed out the door as if she was afraid I would try to stop her.

I pulled the blanket over my head and eventually drifted into a feverish sleep.

When I woke up in the middle of the night, she still wasn't back.

I forced myself to the kitchen and swallowed some fever reducers.

By dawn, my temperature finally started to drop.

Rosalind didn't return until the sun was up.

She looked at the empty dining table and frowned.

"Caden, where's my breakfast?"

She knew I was sick, yet her first communication wasn't a check-in.

It was an order to have food ready for her.

For years, I had lived for her messages.

I used to reply within seconds, terrified of missing a single word from her.

This time, I saw her text, but I chose to ignore it.

She wasn't expecting me to look at her with such indifference.

"Didn't Jayden keep you for breakfast? You guys should have just eaten together before heading to the office," I remarked.

Rosalind looked angry.

She gripped a plastic bag tightly and tossed it onto the table.

"I bought you more medicine," she said, her tone like she was doing me a massive favor.

I took a sip of my coffee and didn't look up.

"Keep it. I'm fine now."

I grabbed my bag to head to work.

Rosalind suddenly offered to drive me.

I declined, reaching for my own car keys.

She stepped in front of the door, blocking my path.

She gave a cold laugh.

"Caden, stop it. I only stayed at Jayden's for a little bit last night. I came home, didn't I? Are you seriously this jealous?"

I looked her in the eye. "I'm not jealous."

To her, this was just another performance to get her attention.

She grabbed my arm, her nails digging into my skin.

"Liars go to hell, Caden. You're just a bitter, pathetic loser with a fragile ego."

I smiled. It didn't even hurt.

I had heard those words so many times before.

She loved watching me break down and act like a madman after she insulted me.

But this time, I gave her nothing.

I walked into the elevator and pressed the button.

As the doors closed, I looked at her and grinned.

"Believe whatever makes you feel better. Sometimes a bad impression is the only way to be remembered forever."

3.

With my heart no longer heavy with worry, I threw myself into my work.

I didn't even realize it was lunchtime until my colleague, Rick, tapped on my desk.

I nodded and grabbed my phone.

I had over 99 unread messages.

Half were from work groups, the other half were from Rosalind.

Her office was just a block away from mine.

In the past, I would beg her an hour in advance to grab lunch with me.

She would always reject me, saying she had plans with colleagues.

I tucked my phone away and walked to a nearby diner with Rick.

"The sun must be rising in the west today," Rick joked. "You're actually ignoring your wife's texts. What's the catch?"

Rick sat right next to me at work and knew exactly how much of a simp I used to be.

I just shrugged.

We hadn't been sitting for five minutes when Rosalind walked in with her team.

She froze when she saw me.

She picked up her tray and sat directly across from us.

Rick and I kept talking about the football game from last night, ignoring her completely.

She looked miserable.

"Why didn't you answer me this morning? You always wait for me to eat," she snapped.

Rick and I shared a look.

Without a word, we picked up our trays and moved to a table across the room.

Rosalind slammed her hand on the table.

"Caden! Are you even listening to me? You've never acted like this!"

I took a bite of my steak and smiled at her.

"I can hear you perfectly fine."

"You always said you preferred eating with your colleagues. I thought about it, and you're right. It's much better this way."

Whenever I used to get upset about Jayden, Rosalind would just say, "Whatever."

She used to love watching me spiral while she stood there with her arms crossed.

She'd tell me I looked ugly when I was angry.

Now, the roles were reversed.

She was the one fuming, and I was the one who didn't care.

Rosalind didn't even finish her food before stomping out in her high heels.

Her colleagues followed her awkwardly, trying to avoid eye contact with me.

...

I usually take a quick nap at my desk during lunch.

Before I closed my eyes, I saw a new post on Jayden's Instagram.

It was a photo from Thanksgiving.

He and Rosalind were feeding each other pie, looking like a blissful young couple.

The caption read: "Our eighth Thanksgiving together. I know you'll be by my side next year, too."

The math was simple.

She had started cheating on me during our second year of marriage.

I hit the "like" button and left a comment: "What a perfect couple."

Two minutes later, my phone exploded with voice notes from Rosalind.

She sounded panicked.

"Caden, it's not what you think. That photo was just a joke!"

She sent a string of explanations, some over a minute long.

She sounded so sincere.

In the past, our conversations were mostly me talking to a brick wall.

Now, the tables had turned.

I didn't have the patience to listen to her lies anymore.

I muted my phone and put on my sleep mask.

Rick chuckled from the next desk. "Are you guys in the 'hate-love' phase now?"

"If most people are warriors for love, Rosalind and I are warriors for pure spite," I joked.

"But you used to love her like crazy," Rick said.

I just smiled and said nothing.

4.

When work ended, Rosalind's car was waiting outside my building.

She rolled down the window with a fake smile.

"Caden, I'm here to take you home."

My car was in the shop, and I had hitched a ride with Rick that morning.

I went to open the passenger door, but Jayden was already sitting there.

He looked at me with a triumphant smirk.

"Hey Caden. I twisted my ankle at work today, so Rose is giving me a lift. You don't mind, right?"

I smiled back, completely unbothered.

I climbed into the back seat without a word.

The whole way home, Jayden kept using a high-pitched, needy voice to talk to Rosalind.

He was trying to show off.

He wanted to prove that she cared more about him than her own husband.

He wanted me to get jealous and start a fight so he could play the victim.

I caught his eye in the rearview mirror and gave him a bright grin.

"You two really have a great connection," I said. "Once we get divorced, you guys should just move in together. You're perfect for each other."

Jayden's eyes lit up. He couldn't hide his excitement.

He tried to play it cool, though.

"Caden, don't say that. Rose and I are just friends. We're totally innocent."

Rosalind, however, looked like she'd seen a ghost.

I saw her knuckles turn white as she gripped the steering wheel.

It was the first time I had ever said the word "divorce" so casually.

I didn't care what she was thinking.

I looked down at my phone.

"There's no point in two people staying together if they don't love each other. Marriage shouldn't be a prison cell."

...

As soon as we walked into the house, Rosalind grabbed my wrist.

She was shaking.

"Caden, what the hell was that in the car?"