Orion walked further downstream. He made himself comfortable under an oak tree. His miserable silence was interrupted by the rustle of leaves beside of him. He looked over to see a small pair of black shoes with artificially browned feet and legs attached to them, standing beside of him.
“Disappointed?” Floria’s voice cut through him like a knife.
“Do I have a reason to be?”
“I assumed you wanted me to be someone else.”
“You’ve make quite sure that I am never happy to see you.”
She sat down at his knees facing him. “There was a time you tried really hard to be happy to see me.”
“There is no point in trying anymore.”
“I’m not complaining. I have things just the way I want them.” She paused, “almost.”
He finally looked up at her. His face was flushed and his eyes were bloodshot.
“Have you been crying?” She laughed. “You really are two snips away from being a girl.”
“What do you want?”
“Do you like her?”
“Who?” He redirected his focus out toward the river.
“Doctor Zabane.”
He didn’t answer her.
“If you want to, you have my permission to sleep with her. No hard feelings on my part will exist.”
“How can they not exist?” She didn’t respond. “Why would I want to have an affair?” He locked eyes with her.
This time it was she that looked away. “I came out here because I wanted to ask you for a divorce. But if you have feelings for Dr. Zabane, it will be so much fun to watch you want her and not be able to have her. Not because of me: mind you, but because of your moral code.” Orion never said a word. His focus went back across the river. Floria looked in that direction to see if he was really looking at anything. When she didn’t see anything, she refocused her attention to him. “Nah, I want a divorce.”
“Want all you like. It will not happen.”
“Why not?’
“To my knowledge there has never been a divorce in this family.”
“I’m having an affair.” She confessed.
In his heart, he knew she was. But she just confessed. She just made it real. He wanted to run through her like a knife. “How long?”
“15 years.”
“Paul is 12.”
She gave a nervous laugh, “can’t fool you.”
“The man you were dancing with at Juliah’s birthday party?”
Her heart stopped. “How did you know that?”
“Can’t fool me,” he mocked her. “Who is he?”
“You want a name?” She was shocked.
“No.”
“He is the son of a servant. My parents forbid us to have any contact with each other after I became a woman. You know how that goes, that is like pouring gas on a fire. We have been together ever since.” She sighed just thinking about him.
“That is where you disappeared to during our honeymoon?”
“Yes.”
“You had no intentions on being a wife.”
“No.”
“What about Paul?”
“Paul knows.”
Orion turned to face her. “Excuse me?”
“He has never met the other man. I have never talked about him in front of our son. Still yet, he knows that my heart lies someplace else.”
Orion wanted to reach out and strangle her.
“May I petition the King for a divorce?”
“With my blessing.”
She smiled, “Thank you.” And left.
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