The Bedroom, The Rawsone Residence, Denver, Colorado...
By the time Julia Rawsone arrived home it was nightfall and her husband Hadrian Rawsone had already been in bed and fast asleep. She crept into the house and the darkened bedroom not wishing to awaken him. He hadn't been home in days after their last fight and the last thing she needed was to start another one about her getting in at the late hour. He wasn't aware of it, but she'd gone to see Gary after their last argument. She was lost and confused and needed a friendly ear and of course, he'd been willing to listen. To her complaints and address her worries. He'd been there for her where Hadrian had not been able to be and just like any time before the unfortunate shooting of her husband, she found herself seeking Gary's comfort in more ways than one.
Julia crept toward the bathroom and slowly got undressed. The scent of Gary's cologne lingered on her clothing and she smelled of sweat and sex much like she had in the past whenever she ventured to and from Gary's apartment. Hadrian had been none the wiser than too as he slept night after night without so much as a passing remark on the part of his wife. Back then she had set out to hurt him as much as possible. That night she could feel only guilt as the main lines from their wedding vows echoed in her weary mind as she stood beneath the shower head as naked as the day she was born with tears streaming down her cheeks.
{"In sickness and in health."}
Hadrian had been quite ill, ever since he had returned from his apparent kidnapping and the shooting that nearly took his life continued to haunt them both since it occurred, but what had been the worst thing about the deterioration of their marriage once the girls had gone off to college was that they had lost their only son.
Julia had known for a long time that Hadrian always had a secret desire to have a son of his own. When the time finally came, when they finally managed to conceive a son on the eve of their daughters taking off for college, she'd lost the baby due to a tragic miscarriage.
Gary had been there for her then almost as much as he was now. Hadrian did his best to comfort her and deal with the loss alone, but she didn't make it easy for him. She went out of her way to blame him for the incident when he had nothing to do with it in the slightest.
When he disappeared, she believed he'd finally had enough and took off for greener pastures. When no one had seen or heard from him and the police suspected foul play, she began to grow fearful of what might have happened to him and the memory of her ill-treatment of the man who had done so much for her and her girls haunted her even more than the death of their child.
She made a vow to fix things with him if and when he returned but it proved difficult to keep. Julia had not been lying to herself when she concluded that she'd fallen in love with Gary, it was more true now than ever. Sadly, Hadrian's mental condition after the shooting had not left any opportunity for her aspect of confession as he would only get worse as a result of finding out about her and his best friend since high school sneaking around behind his back.
Despite all the years of his passive personality allowing many things, Julia recalled just how brutal Hadrian Rawsone could be when he'd lost his temper. His unpredictable manner now only solidified the fact that if he found out there was a chance he'd do real harm to everyone involved, especially Gary himself.
Julia had told no one about her recent reconnection with Gary. Even Maureen believed the long-standing affair had come to an end. Her parents and her surviving children were none the wiser about her betrayal of the man who had risked everything he had to give her and her unborn child a life of their own.
Mrs. Rawsone felt the sickness of disgust fill her as she reflected on the few moments she spent at Gary's place before deciding to head home just in case Hadrian had returned. She nearly fainted when she saw his car and it appeared he'd been home for quite a while. As she moved about the house she took note of the bottle of prescription medication on the countertop in the kitchen and that Maureen had prescribed them to him.
While she was relieved he'd gone to see Maureen, she wasn't too sure she wanted to see him after what she'd done. His attempts to make things right and get treatment were noted but possibly too little too late in the grand scheme of things, still, she didn't have the heart to let him go. Not after everything they had been through together.
Julia finished up her shower and dried off before slipping into her pajamas and turning in for the night. From the looks of the bottle of pills, he'd been taking them as directed and there was a possibility that they might have ended the strange occurrences that put a wedge further between them, but there was still the lingering fact that she was actively having an affair.
Hadrian appeared to have been snoring as she entered their shared bedroom.
This was the longest she'd ever seen him asleep since his return from Arizona. She had sincerely hoped that whatever Maureen had done to help with his mental health that it would take and make him whole again even if it meant he'd been more prone to seeking out her company when she'd been juggling her affair with being his wife.
She looked over at her husband, he'd fallen asleep with his suit trousers on and the same long-sleeved white shirt she had seen him in days ago. He at least managed to kick off his shoes before his head hit the pillow it seemed and his black socks were still on his feet. She didn't doubt that this was the first good night's sleep he'd gotten in months.
With a sigh, Julia planted a kiss on his lips and touched his face before turning over and drifting off on her own. She didn't truly know if there was anything to salvage from their marriage nor if she had truly wanted to when not faced with immense guilt at what was happening to her husband, but she knew sooner or later, she would have to make a choice.