I hugged her.
What I wanted to do was strangle her. How could this woman act so fake? How could she pretend like nothing was wrong?
I noticed the gleam in her eyes. I noticed the way her lips curved into a self-satisfied smirk. She knew. And she was playing a game with me.
Fine. I’d play along. I’d show her that her little affair with my husband was not going to destroy me.
“Hey Candace! You’re looking good!”
Damn straight I look good, I thought to myself. I suppose she had assumed I would crawl into a dark hole and feel sorry for myself after I found out about them. True, I had seriously toyed with the idea of seeing a therapist – what woman wouldn’t feel so betrayed after twelve years of marriage? And by her best friend, no less?
But I hadn’t. Instead, I had kicked the jerk out of the house, joined a gym and had taken my frustrations out on the elliptical machine. I had lost almost fifteen pounds.
“Thanks. I’ve been keeping busy.” I swallowed the bitter lump of bile stuck in the back of my throat. “But look at you!” I arched a brow and deliberately paused for effect. “You look … nice.”
She shifted self-consciously and issued a nervous laugh. “Yeah well, you know Todd. He likes to eat.”
I glanced at my watch. “Todd’s not here yet?”
She nodded nervously.
“Gee, I hope it’s not another woman.”
Laughing, I turned and left.
Fiction under 250 words.
Write From Karen 