Fatal Temptation by Ella Morris

throwing it into the garbage next to the toilet.
    “Are you kidding me, Chris?” Sadie can feel her body begin to shake uncontrollably with anger, to the point where she feels like she might be sick herself. She can feel her fingers coil around the circumference of the pill bottle she has in her right hand, as her body glows with a color of crimson red.
    “I can explain, Sade. Just let me explain.”
    Instead of lashing out like she knows she wants to, she instead, opts for throwing the pill bottle in Chris’ vile face, causing the cap to break off the moment it makes contact with his skull, resulting in a plethora of tiny white pills spilling all over the floor.
    “Sade,” Chris stands to his naked feet, doing his best to plead to his wife. “I had no idea. You have to understand. I was just so drunk.”
    Blood boiling, Sadie swallows a big puff of air in preparation to unleash on him, just as her cell phone begins to ring on the bedside table. As a mother, she knows instinctively that it is her daughter ready to be picked up and she comes first. She turns sharply and nearly runs to her phone, picking it up immediately, doing her best to extinguish her escalating emotions.
    “Hello.”
    Chris comes up behind her and places his hands on her shoulders.
    She turns sharply, clutching the phone to her chest to prevent Ling from hearing another word. “Don’t you dare fucking touch me.”
    The look of pure evil brewing in her body is enough for Chris, who backs off immediately and sits on the edge of the bed, waiting for her to finish the call, his head falling between his legs in defeat.
    “Hey mom, it’s me,” Ling speaks on the other end of the call. “I’m ready to come home now.”
    Sadie does her best to swallow her tears and to refrain from having her voice tremble on the other line. She can’t show weakness now. Not in front of Ling. Never in front of her.
    “I’ll be right there, baby. See you soon.”
    She silences the call immediately, not waiting for Ling to say another word before collecting herself.
    “Can we just talk about this?” Chris pleads as he rises from the bed, this time refraining from touching her.
    “Talk about what?” Sadie is quick to shut him up with her words that act more like daggers in this moment.
    As she stares down at her pathetic excuse for a husband, she can’t contain her emotions anymore. All at once, the severity of Chris’ actions mated with the sensation she had when Asher kissed her is all too much to bear. She breaks down, hard, sobbing uncontrollably as she gathers her belongings to head out of the door.
    “Where are you going?” Chris is quick to stand to his feet the moment he can feel his wife slipping from his fingertips further.
    “ It’s Ling,” Sadie replies, abstaining from acknowledging him too much, in fear she might lose control. “I have to go pick her up and I want you gone by the time she comes home.”
    “Forever?” Chris asks the question, nearly in tears, the asperity of his actions finally catching up to him.
    Sadie paralyzes with the question, comprehending the moment for what it actually pertains. Now is her chance to get out. Now is her moment to reveal the truth to Chris about how much it pains her to be with him and how the love is gone. Now is her chance.
    She turns around to face him, her stomach in her throat and in her feet simultaneously. She stares at the man she once loved, who is now wiping rivers of tears away from his face, but still standing his ground for her. Her thoughts are conflicted, her heart even more so but she just can’t bear to say the words yet.
    Instead, she turns from him and heads down the stairs, car keys in hand and beelines it for the garage before Chris can even move another muscle. He stands frozen in time, his head spinning and his heart throbbing in his chest.
    Without warning, the landline to the home starts ringing full blast, causing Chris to nearly topple over due to the sheer volume of it