Please do, I said, leaning against the door frame with my arms crossed. I'm fascinated to hear how this is all a big misunderstanding. She opened her mouth, then closed it again. What was she going to say? That she tripped and fell on Chris's Johnson.
You disgust me, Judith said quietly. Both of you in this house, in this bed where my granddaughter was conceived. That hit home. Lydia started crying, but they weren't tears of remorse. They were tears of someone who'd been caught and was feeling sorry for herself.
"Everyone just needs to calm down," Chris said, finally getting his pants on. "We can work this out like adults." "Adults," I laughed. "Adults don't sneak around behind their spouse's back. Adults don't screw their co-worker's wife in his own bed. Adults don't lie about working late when they're really working under my wife." "Dave, please." Lydia said, "Can we talk about this privately?" "No," I said.
"Privacy is what got us into this mess. From now on, everything is public." Chris tried to push past me toward the door, but I blocked his path. "Where do you think you're going, champ?" "I'm leaving. This is between you and your wife." "Oh, no. You're very much part of this conversation.
Sit down." "I don't have to listen to this." I picked up my baseball bat from where I'd leaned it against the wall. I said, "Sit down." Chris sat on the edge of my bed, still wearing my robe over his hastily pulled on pants. The irony wasn't lost on me. "Here's what's going to happen," I said, addressing both of them. "First, you're going to tell Lydia's parents exactly how long this has been going on." "Dave, please," Lydia whispered.
"How long?" Allan demanded. Lydia looked at the floor. "6 months." "Six months," I repeated. 6 months of working late and business dinners and team building exercises. 6 months of lying to my face every single day.
It wasn't supposed to happen. Chris said, "It just developed naturally." "Naturally," Judith said. "There's nothing natural about adultery, young man. Mrs. Hartwell, you don't understand the pressure we're under at work. Lydia and I, we connect on a professional level that Shut up." I said, "Just shut up with your corporate buzzword, Bez.
You wanted to screw my wife, so you did. At least have the balls to admit it. Alan stepped forward. Lydia, look at me. She raised her eyes to meet her father's gaze.
Your mother and I raised you better than this. We taught you about commitment, about honor, about keeping your word. What happened to those values? I don't know, she whispered. I felt trapped, like my life was just routine.
Chris made me feel alive again. Alive," I repeated. "Well, let's see how alive you feel when everyone at your office sees the security footage." Chris went pale. What security footage? I smiled.
The cameras I installed 3 weeks ago. They've been recording everything. Every kiss, every touch, every time you've been in my house screwing my wife. High definition, perfect audio quality. You can't do that.
Lydia said that's illegal. Actually, it's not. It's my house. And I have every right to install security cameras. I also have every right to share that footage with whoever I choose.
Dave, please, she said, tears streaming down her face. Now, think about Maya. Think about our daughter. I am thinking about Maya. I'm thinking about how she deserves better than a mother who lies and cheats and brings strange men into our home.