Author 2.3

The weekend was here and I decided to surprise Carlotta,with a romantic day. I started with bringing her flowers first thing in the morning, "good morning my sweet, these are for you" I said as I pulled the flowers from behind my back. "What's the occasion?" She asked laughing. "Do I need a reason to be nice to my wife?" I asked pulling her into a kiss.

"I have a whole day planned for us, as soon as you're ready" I said pulling away. She just looked at me with a look I'd not seen in a long time. "I'll meet you downstairs" I said as I descended the stairs. Mom and Izzy were already up. Mom was feeding Izzy, but I think more food was on the floor than Izzy actually had eaten. "Was I that messy?" I asked mom. "No". She said with a smile, " you were worse" when Carlotta came down, we said goodbye to mom and Izzy and headed into town.

Our first stop was the spa for a couple's massage, when we were done there we went to lunch at the diner. "Why are you doing all this?" She asked between bites. "I just miss us, and want to say I'm sorry for how I acted at Izzy's party the other day. I never should have shoved you like that, forgive me?" I was trying to make up for how I acted. "It's alright, I should have been there." She said. 

Something had changed with her since that night, she was trying harder with Izzy, and with me.

After we finished our lunch, I took her to the park where I proposed. "Do you remember the last time we were here?" I asked her as we walked along. "Yes. What happened to us, we were so in love. Now all we do is fight." She was right. What had happened? "I still love you." I said coming to a stop. "I--" She started to replay when her boss walked over, I'd only met him once when I had dropped Carlotta off at work one day. The look that passed between them made me sick, surely not. She wouldn't do that to us. "Carlotta? You okay?" I asked. "Yes, I'm fine. Let's get out of here." As she answered me we started for the car. It was early afternoon when we pulled into the hotel parking lot. "Why are we here?" She asked, getting out of the car. "I got us a room, thought it would be nice to have some alone time." I said as we made our way inside. The next morning as we made our way home, I dismissed the thoughts I'd had about Carlotta and her boss, there was no way she would do that to me.

Time passed and things between us got better, not perfect, but better than they had been. Carlotta was still working late, but she hadn't given me any reason to think it was anything other than work, so I didn't question it. She had been there for Izzy more than ever, not missing any more birthday's.

 I needed her to watch Izzy one weekend, I had to go out of town for a meeting with my publisher. She readily agreed. "So you'll be gone all weekend?" She asked as I packed my bag. "Yes, I'll be back Sunday night." I said as I zipped up my bag and headed for the door. "I'll see you then, have a safe trip." She said as she kissed my cheek. "Bye, love you guys!" I shouted as I closed the door behind me.

My meeting finished up early, so I decided to come home early on Monday night and surprise everyone. I bought Carlotta the most beautiful necklace, and couldn't wait to give it to her. As I pulled into the driveway, I saw the light was still on in our room. Good, she's still up. As I made my way into the house and upstairs I heard noise coming from our room, and Izzy crying. When I picked her up she was soaked, her bed was soaked, she was screaming. "Dada, wet" she sobbed. "It's okay" I said hugging her. She was almost three, but not quite potty trained, especially at night. "Daddy will make it better" I carried her down the hall to our room, so I could run her a bath.As soon as I opened the door, I felt like someone had punched me in the stomach, here was my wife in bed, in our bed, in the arms of another man.

"What the HELL!?!" I screamed as I sat Izzy down and grabbed the man who was trying to pull on some clothes as he ran. It was Uriah, Carlotta's Boss. "Get OUT of my house!" I yelled as  he ran off, then I turned to Carlotta, I was seething and she could tell. 

"Ryu, calm down, please." She begged. "How long?" I asked, not sure I really wanted an answer. "How long have you been screwing your boss?" She just stared at me, finally she answered me. "Almost three years." I was dumbfounded. Three years. How had I missed this, all the late nights, and the look they shared at the park that day suddenly made sense.

Izzy's crying finally snapped me out of my daze, as I picked her up, I told Carlotta to get out. "Please, Ryu. Don't do this." Really? She was going to beg me to stay. "I can't look at you right now, just go." And she did, just like that my marriage was overt hough  I couldn't think of that right now, Izzy still needed a bath, her bed was a mess, and she needed to get to sleep. Mom came up and helped me clean up Izzy's bed while I finished bathing her. Once Izzy was back in bed, I sat down on the edge of my bed and cried. 

Some time later I heard mom down stairs when I went down to see what she was still doing up, I saw her holding Rose and crying. "Mom?" I asked softly "What's wrong?" "She must have passed in her sleep, I found her like this when I went to feed her" mom whispered. Another punch to the gut, Rose had been there since before I was born, and just like that she was gone too.