Both Cheated

My husband and I both cheated. He was for real. I was too. The only difference was, he did it willingly. I was forced. The night his affair with his little ingenue was exposed, he got me drunk, stripped me naked, and placed me in a stranger’s bed. He arranged my body in a series of humiliating positions, all to stage the perfect photo of my “infidelity.” Our respective “cheating” photos were leaked back-to-back. His a sordid affair, mine a scandalous betrayal. The public outcry over his mistress was instantly neutralized. A wave of nausea so profound it made me gag. My skin was covered in red marks, a road map of a violation I couldn't remember. I didn’t know how many hands had been on me, or what they had done… Seeing my desolate expression, watching me scrub my skin until it was raw and bleeding, my husband, James, could only offer a pathetic explanation. “I had no choice. Sophia’s family is very strict. She couldn’t handle being called a homewrecker. She would have done something drastic.” The internet was a tidal wave of vitriol. My only living relative, my grandfather, was so overwhelmed by the scandal that he had a heart attack and was rushed into emergency surgery. To save myself, I had to save her. As James wanted, I stood before the blinding flash of media cameras and cleared her name. “Neither of us cheated. Mr. Davenport and I had been separated for some time.” … Seeing my compliance, James’s heart softened. He stood in the shadows, having already whisked his precious Sophia away to safety. He made me a promise. “This is the only time, Rosalind. I swear it. This whole thing just blew up so suddenly, I…” I looked at him, my voice choked with emotion. “How did I get these marks on my body?” A suffocating feeling rose in my chest. I felt so unbelievably dirty. They looked like fingerprints, like the ghosts of kisses… like the aftermath of a vile sexual encounter. Who had done it? I had no idea. I had been sheltered and cherished my entire life. I had never known this kind of humiliation. James stared, taking a moment to understand what I was asking. He rushed to explain. “Don’t be afraid. I made those marks. No one would dare touch you. It was just for the photos.” I dug my nails into my palms. “If I were your mistress, and you needed to protect me, would you ask your wife, Sophia, to pose for photos like that? Would you allow it?” James avoided my gaze. “I don’t know. She’s different from you.” Of course. Whether I was his mistress or his wife, I would never be his first choice. A single tear traced a path down my cheek. I pushed him out of the room. Disgusting. Absolutely disgusting. James and I were childhood sweethearts. Our families were social equals. We were once considered the perfect couple, blessed by everyone we knew. And for a while after our wedding, we were happy. Until he started cheating. He was always discreet, never letting it become a public spectacle. He had vented to me once, in private. “We can keep it quiet. It won’t affect your position at all. No one in the outside world will ever look down on you.” In our circle, everyone knew that love and fidelity weren’t the most important things. I had loved him. I had been angry. We had fought. I even considered the dramatic acts of a desperate girl—slitting my wrists, causing a huge scene, burning everything to the ground. But the lessons of my upbringing held me back. I chose to turn a blind eye. I never imagined my retreat would only embolden them to hurt me more deeply. Grandfather must have been in so much pain to have been hospitalized. James was so concerned about his little flower being upset, yet he forgot that the old man who had loved him like a grandson had a heart condition and couldn't handle the shock. I clenched my fists. I allowed myself a few seconds of grief, then forced myself to be strong. It was just a divorce. Not the end of the world. I went to the office to find James. The atmosphere was celebratory. A crowd of employees was fawning over Sophia. James led me into his private office. His face soured when he saw the divorce papers in my hand. “There’s no need for this. The internet will forget about all this in a week.” He and Sophia were now brazenly flaunting their love in public. They held hands, the very picture of a devoted couple. I’d even heard he took her home to meet his family, that their love had finally triumphed over adversity. I bit my lip so hard I tasted blood. During the entire time my grandfather was in the hospital, James never once visited. I felt a surge of anger, not for myself, but for my grandfather. He had doted on James for so long. Whenever we argued, he would always take James’s side, assuming I was the one at fault. “Rosalind,” he would say, “I know you’re strong and rational, but sometimes, men don’t like that in a relationship.” The old-fashioned man thought that was the key to a happy home, never understanding that a marriage requires effort from both sides. James had given up on ours long ago. What was the point of me holding on? I pushed the pen toward him. “Do you really think people are that stupid? Signing this will silence the doubters for good. I don’t want Grandfather to have another shock when he wakes up.” Sophia chimed in. “Rosalind has a point.” The tension in James’s face eased. “Alright. Once the dust settles, we’ll remarry. I told you, your position will never change. You will always be the lady of the Davenport house.” I offered a faint smile and no reply. I no longer cared for the title. I hadn’t filed for divorce sooner because our family businesses were deeply intertwined. But over the years, I had slowly, carefully started to untangle them. Our connections were fewer and fewer. And I had James to thank for that. Once, to appease a pouting Sophia, James had destroyed an innovative subsidiary I had just launched. His reason? I had canceled one of my own credit cards. Sophia had tried to use it at a luxury boutique, and the card was declined, causing her public embarrassment. Without a second thought, James leaked my company’s trade secrets. He had lounged in his chair, completely unconcerned. “Rosalind, you used your dirty tricks to embarrass Sophia first. Besides, it’s all our marital property. Those secrets are tied to my company’s interests. I can do whatever I want with them.” My company went bankrupt. A full year of hard work, gone. The devastated faces of my employees, all their hopes dashed. I was so furious I slapped him across the face. “I did nothing of the sort! Are you even human? What am I supposed to tell my team? Do you have any idea how much time and money went into that research?” He didn’t listen. His eyes were only for Sophia and her tear-filled eyes. To force me to apologize to her, he even used his financial leverage to put pressure on my grandfather’s company. Fearing for my grandfather’s health, I swallowed my pride and gave Sophia the apology she wanted. Later, James found out he had made a mistake. He had accidentally given Sophia my card instead of his own. All I had done was cancel my own account. He came to me, apologizing, wanting to celebrate our anniversary. “I didn’t realize I gave her the wrong card. As for the company, I’ll buy you a new one. You should have explained it to me.” I laughed in his face. He hadn't given me a chance to explain. He had already judged and condemned me. Of course, we never celebrated that anniversary. Sophia had a headache. From that day on, I separated all my assets from his. After we filed the divorce papers, Sophia tugged on James’s arm, whining. “Let’s go get married now! You promised!” James was watching my face. Seeing my indifferent expression, his own darkened. He grabbed Sophia’s hand and left. When I got back to the hospital that day, my grandfather was awake. He was desperate for an answer. “Did you really cheat on him?” I gently wiped his face. “No. We had been separated for a while. It wasn’t cheating.” He couldn’t understand. “How is that possible? You were so perfect together. Just the other day you promised you’d give me a great-grandchild.” He slammed his water glass down on the table. “Tell me the truth. How did two people who were so good together end up like this?” My eyes stung with tears, but I held my ground. Seeing my pained silence, he seemed to understand. He sighed, a long, weary sound. “Alright. I haven’t seen you look like this in a long time. You’re grown now. I can’t tell you what to do.” I finally breathed a sigh of relief. As long as my grandfather was okay with it, that was all that mattered. He had invested so much hope in my marriage to James. More than anyone in the world, he had wanted us to be together. James had come to the hospital. He was standing at the door and had heard everything. He stopped, not entering. Worried he would upset Grandfather, I quickly led him to an empty waiting room. He looked down. “You know, you could have told him the truth. You don’t have to protect my reputation. Then he wouldn’t pressure you. Rosalind, we were great partners, but the love… it’s really gone. Your grandfather was right. You’re too rational.” I nodded, agreeing with the last part. As for the first, I smiled. I didn’t tell the truth, but it wasn’t for his sake. It was to spare my grandfather the pain and guilt of knowing he had pushed me into a disastrous marriage. It was better this way, to keep him calm. As for James? He didn’t matter at all. Just then, a shrill cry came from my grandfather’s room. It was Sophia. “Don’t hit me! Grandpa, I just came to see you out of kindness!” Her voice was followed by the sound of my grandfather’s violent coughing. “Who let you in here…” My heart leaped into my throat. I ran back to the room. My grandfather was on the floor, coughing uncontrollably, pointing a trembling finger at Sophia. “Get out! You’re lying!” Sophia was clutching her face, sobbing in James’s arms. My grandfather was coughing up blood. He pointed at James and Sophia, and then his eyes rolled back, and he passed out. Panic seized me. I screamed for the nurses, and he was rushed back into the emergency room. Outside, James confronted me. “How could Grandfather hit her? Look at her face! No matter how angry he was, he shouldn’t have done that. Sophia was just trying to be nice…” His whining grated on my nerves. “Enough! I will get to the bottom of this. Don’t think I’ll let her get away with whatever she’s done.” I glared at Sophia, wanting to tear her apart. James stepped in front of her, shielding her. “Rosalind, this was Grandfather’s fault…” He continued to blame my grandfather, completely uninterested in the truth. He only stopped when a doctor came out of the ER. “Where is the family?” I stepped forward. When I heard the words “critical condition,” the papers in my hand fluttered to the floor. The rationality I had clung to for so long shattered completely. I lunged at Sophia. “What did you say to my grandfather?!” James grabbed me, holding me back, then shoved me hard against the wall. A sharp pain shot through my back. “Rosalind, don’t blame Sophia for this! She just came to visit. She didn’t do anything!” Tears streamed down my face. James froze for a second, seeing me so undone. My heart was well and truly dead. Why was I always so rational? Because the emotional, passionate person I once was had been systematically destroyed by them. I stared at them with pure hatred. “Just you wait.” I would find the truth. I would get justice for my grandfather. There was a security camera in the room, but Sophia had cleverly blocked its view. All it captured was her back as she leaned close to the bed and whispered something. Then, my grandfather’s rage, and the blood. Sophia’s defense was immediate. “I just told him to take care of himself. I don’t know why, but he just slapped me! I’m the victim here!” It was a clumsy, pathetic lie. I didn’t believe it for a second. My grandfather would never do that. She must have said something horrible. I grabbed her. “What did you say to him? Who the hell gave you permission to see my grandfather? Who do you think you are?” She pursed her lips, feigning innocence, but there was a clear glint of provocation in her eyes. My grandfather was all I had. I couldn't control myself anymore. I pulled her close and slapped her hard across the face. Sophia shrieked, not expecting me to resort to violence. We ended up in a heap on the floor, scratching and clawing at each other. She was no match for me; her face was already covered in red marks. The commotion drew a crowd. James finally pulled me off her. In the heat of the moment, he raised his hand and slapped me. “Look at yourself! You’re acting like a lunatic!” The tears came again, unstoppable. I had maintained the poise of an heiress my entire life. I never wanted to be a shrew, screaming in a hospital hallway. But that was my grandfather in there. I couldn’t be rational. It was the first time James had ever seen me like this. He tried to play the magnanimous peacemaker. “That’s enough. Let’s just drop it. No more fighting.”

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