She Double-Booked Forever

Four years into my wife Anna Keating's out-of-town work assignment, she showed up at the preschool where I taught. She and a man were enrolling a three-year-old boy. The man smiled and handed me the forms. "Mr. Reinhardt, if anything comes up, just call me or his mom." He nudged Anna toward me. She froze when she saw my face, then quickly recovered and offered her hand. "Mr. Reinhardt, Milo's still so young. Please take good care of him." I ignored her hand and looked down at the mother's name on the form: [Anna Keating] Her handwriting was neat. I knew the phone number by heart. Just last night, she'd texted: [My assignment's over. I'll be home the day after tomorrow.] 'So her assignment wasn't over. 'Her kid with her other family was finally old enough for her to spare me some time.' The man kept chatting, oblivious to her outstretched hand. "Mr. Reinhardt, you're a good-looking guy. Got a girlfriend? I could set you up." I looked up from the form. "Sure. Once my divorce is final." Chapter 1 Gabriel Parker froze. "Oh, sorry. You look so young. I didn't realize you were married." I set the form down. "It's fine. I haven't seen her in four years. We're barely married." "Four years?" Gabriel stared. "You should've divorced her ages ago." I nodded. "It's not too late." Anna Keating opened her mouth, then said nothing. Gabriel shook his head. "You're wrong, Mr. Reinhardt. Four years is too long to waste on someone who doesn't care about you. "She's not worth it." He put an arm around Anna. "Take my wife. "When I was sick, she stayed at the hospital with me. Barely slept. "After Milo was born, she never complained about taking care of him. She didn't want me to worry. "When things go wrong and I'm in a bad mood, she comforts me instead of picking a fight. "Now she's worth waiting four years for." My hands slowly clenched. 'So this was Anna with her family. 'I'd never seen that side of her.' Four years ago, just after we got married, she told me she'd been sent abroad for work on short notice. She held me, apologized, and asked me to wait. When she got back, she'd give me a wedding and a home. I believed her. I moved into our new home alone, bought matching mugs, and set her slippers by the front door. On my birthday, she teared up on our video call. "Riley, I'm sorry. I wish I could be there." When my fever hit 102, I went to the hospital alone for an IV. Her voice was hoarse on the phone. "Just a little longer. I'll come home as soon as the project's done." I spent our anniversaries alone. Christmas, too. When people asked about my wife, I always said, "She's working abroad. She'll be home soon." But she'd never left the country. She'd built another family behind my back. Nearby, Milo Parker called out, "Daddy, look! It's raining!" Gabriel rushed over. "Stay inside. You'll get wet and catch a cold." Chapter 2 Alone with me in the office, Anna hesitated. "Riley, Gabriel doesn't know. "He... isn't well. He can't handle stress." I couldn't believe it. She'd lied to me for four years. Now, face-to-face, she offered no explanation, no apology. Didn't even ask how I'd been. She just wanted me to keep Gabriel calm. My voice came out hoarse. "Four years, and that's all you have to say? You're not even going to explain?" Guilt flickered in her eyes. Her voice softened. "I was wrong. I'll explain when we get home." "Home?" I looked at her. "Which home?" Anna opened her mouth, then fell silent. Gabriel came back holding Milo's hand. "Honey, it's raining harder. Let's head home." He smiled at me. "Mr. Reinhardt, it's pouring. Need a ride?" I shook my head. "No, thanks." I'd walked through rain like this alone too many times. Once, a bad storm forced the preschool to close early. I couldn't get a cab, so I walked two stops down the road, clutching a stack of lesson plans. The wind broke my umbrella. Rain soaked my shoes. I stopped by the road and texted Anna about the downpour. Three hours later, she replied. [I'm sorry, Riley. I wish I were home. I could come pick you up.] It rained plenty after that. She never came. "Let's give him a ride," Anna said suddenly. "It's on our way." Gabriel's smile froze. "You don't even know where he lives. How do you know?" Anna barely reacted. She picked up Milo. "It's just what you say so people don't feel bad accepting a ride." Gabriel nodded. "True." He turned to me. "Really, Mr. Reinhardt, it's no trouble. Good luck getting a cab in this rain." I accepted. By the time we reached the parking lot, Gabriel was carrying Milo, and Anna held the umbrella. She kept most of it over Gabriel and their son, letting one shoulder get soaked. I followed, shivering in the wind. Milo and I sat in the back. Gabriel rode up front. Anna started the car. "Did you close the balcony window this morning?" Gabriel asked. "Yes." "And the stove?" "Turned it off." "I think I forgot Milo's water bottle." "It's in the bag's side pocket." Gabriel checked. There it was. He smiled. "How do you remember everything?" They chatted like any family. Anna and I had never had that. Our home looked like only I lived there. The fridge held food for one. One toothbrush sat by the sink. Her clothes had hung untouched in garment bags for four years. My friends would ask, "Riley, what are you getting out of this? "Working abroad doesn't mean she still cares about you." I always made excuses. "It's her job." Chapter 3 "She works hard." "She'll be home soon." I said it for four years. Now I knew how much care she'd put into her other home. Near an intersection, I said, "You can drop me off up ahead." Anna glanced at me in the rearview mirror. "It's pouring. I'll take you to your building." "No, thanks. I can walk." She pulled over. I opened the door, letting in the roar of rain. Gabriel turned around. "Oh, Mr. Reinhardt, let's connect on the app. "In case anything comes up with Milo at preschool." He pulled out his phone, smiling. Anna's eyes met mine in the mirror. Her hard stare felt like a warning. I looked away. "Sure." I searched Gabriel's username on the messaging app. His profile picture showed Anna holding Milo in the sun, Gabriel's arms around her. All three were smiling. I stared for two seconds, then tapped Add. Gabriel waved. "See you tomorrow." I stepped into the rain and opened my umbrella. The car pulled away, its taillights blurring into two red spots. I watched for a long time, until my phone buzzed again. Anna had texted. [Wait for me at home.] *** My wet shoes dripped onto the floor when I got home. Anna's slippers sat where they always had. I'd pictured her walking through that door so many times. She'd slip them on and hug me. "Riley, I'm home." We'd finally have our wedding, take wedding photos, share breakfast, and come home together in the rain. Those thoughts had gotten me through so many nights. Today, I learned she could've come home all along. She'd chosen not to. I tossed the slippers in the trash and sat on the couch. Some time later, the lock clicked. Anna walked in, still damp, carrying soup from my favorite place under her coat. "Skipped dinner again? How many times do I have to remind you to eat?" She set the chicken soup on the table, sounding like a wife coming home from work. But she wasn't. "Aren't you worried Gabriel will find out you're here?" Her face tightened. "Can we leave him out of this?" I let out a short laugh. "Why? "You spent four years lying to me and building a family with someone else. "What else is there to talk about?" Anna stood across the coffee table, silent. Outside, the rain kept falling. It felt like I'd been stuck in that downpour for four years. I was tired. "Anna, since you're here, let's talk divorce." Her head snapped up. "I'm not getting divorced." "So which one of us is supposed to be the side piece?" The room went quiet again. I'd rarely pushed Anna like this. She was busy. I understood. She couldn't come home. I waited. She was sorry. I said it was okay. Chapter 4 I'd given in so often that Anna thought she could keep hurting me. She sighed, about to speak, when her phone rang. [Gabriel] She glanced at me and answered. "Honey, where are you? Milo woke up looking for you. He won't stop crying." She turned away, lowering her voice. "Something came up at work. I'll be back when I'm done." From the couch, I could picture her telling me the same lies for four years. Gabriel said something else. "Okay," Anna said. "Try to calm him down. I'll be home soon." She hung up and turned to me. "Riley, I know I hurt you. Give me time. I'll figure this out." "Don't bother." I got up and opened the front door. "Leave. This isn't your home." Anna paled, but her phone buzzed again. She checked it and grabbed her coat. "I'll be back." I said nothing. As the door closed, I took out my phone. I stared at Gabriel's smiling profile picture. I didn't hate him. He'd fallen for Anna's lies, too. But I couldn't pretend nothing had happened. I was the only one who'd gotten hurt. I called a lawyer friend. "Draw up the divorce papers. Anna cheated. I want her to walk away with nothing." *** I went to work as usual the next day. At the preschool entrance, parents I knew gave me strange looks. Some curious, others disgusted. Before I could ask why, Gabriel pushed through the crowd and punched me. My head snapped sideways. My ears rang. "Riley Reinhardt, what's wrong with you? You're a teacher, and you're sleeping with my wife?" The director, Benjamin Dawson, rushed out of his office and stepped between us. "Sir, let's talk. Is there some misunderstanding?" "A misunderstanding?" Gabriel sneered. "I checked my wife's dashcam. She went to see him last night! "He met her yesterday and was already hitting on her! "I thought he was nice. Thought he'd be a good teacher for my son. Turns out he's got no shame!" Parents crowded around. "Seriously? He's a teacher. He should know better." "How can we trust him with our kids?" Their comments fueled Gabriel's anger. "Take a good look!" he told the parents. "This is Riley Reinhardt! "He acts all nice, but he's a homewrecker. "Who knows what garbage he'll teach your kids?" Benjamin's face hardened. "Sir, calm down. You can't accuse our teacher before we know what happened." "What else do you need?" Gabriel yelled through gritted teeth. "My wife left his place last night! "Alone together in the middle of the night. He expects us to believe nothing happened?" I stayed quiet and touched my cheek. It stung. Chapter 5 Anna arrived just then. Her face changed at the sight of my red, swollen cheek. She reached for Gabriel's arm. "Gabriel, let's go home." He shook her off. "Go home? You're still protecting him?" She lowered her voice. "We can talk about this at home." "I'm not leaving! Anna, tell everyone the truth. "Did you go see him last night?" Anna glanced at me, panicked and pleading. She wanted me quiet, just like yesterday in the office. But if I stayed silent now, I'd be branded a homewrecker for life. I met her eyes. "Anna Keating, tell us. Which one of us is the homewrecker?" Everyone fell silent. Gabriel paused, then scoffed. "What's that supposed to mean? That I broke up your marriage?" He pulled a copy of his marriage certificate from his bag and threw it at me. "Look! Anna and I got married four years ago! I'm her legal husband!" The certificate hit the ground. Gabriel and Anna. Married exactly four years ago. My mind went blank. 'If his certificate was real, what was mine?' My phone buzzed. My lawyer friend had texted. [Riley, I had someone check the marriage certificate you sent yesterday. There's no record of your marriage.] [Your certificate is fake. You and Anna aren't legally married.] The voices around me faded. I looked up at Anna. Her face had gone white. I remembered the day we signed our marriage paperwork four years ago. We took pictures and signed our names. The clerk smiled and congratulated us. I clutched our marriage certificate, feeling like I had everything. After she left for work, that day's photo became my only comfort. Whenever I couldn't take it anymore, I pulled it out. I'd thought it proved we were married. It was just another part of her lie. The home I'd clung to for four years was fake. So was the wife I'd waited for. Gabriel kept pointing and yelling. "You lying bastard! You fucking homewrecker! "My kid's three! How could you steal his mom? You'll pay for this! Just fucking die!" Panic and guilt filled Anna's eyes. She wouldn't look at me. She grabbed Gabriel and pulled him toward the car. "Gabriel, let's go home. I'll explain there..." Watching her, I stopped caring about anything else. I wanted to laugh. I pulled the fake marriage certificate from my bag and threw it at their feet. "Go home? First, explain how you tricked me with a fake marriage certificate. "How you let me wait four years while you had another man's kid—and never felt a thing!"