Bitter Hearts (A Southern Loving Book 3) (21 page)

“I
did my homework on you, Kari Hayes. I Googled you when Maxine told me she met
my husband’s new flame.” Natalie eyed the Saint Laurent ‘Sac de Jour’ Leather
Tote on the sofa.  “I know what you’re worth including your family, born with a
silver spoon in your mouth.”

“My
family has money, not me.” Kari was growing impatient with Natalie antics.

“I
can make your life hell,” Natalie said in her sweet southern voice. “Unless you
give me a nice sizeable amount to leave Hank, I’m thinking 2 million dollars.”

Kari
couldn’t stop the laughter that erupted from her. “You’re out you mind if you
think I’m going to pay for dick.”

“Two
million is only a drop in the bucket for you,” Natalie whistled.

“Hank
is a good man…a man like him only comes around once. One day you’re going to
realize that, but it’s going to be too late. You’re going to be that woman
alone and asking yourself ‘Why can’t I find a good man,’ truth is you had your
chance but you didn’t see it.”

 “You
don’t know anything about our marriage.”

“You
don’t either! Move on with your life with him because I’m moving on,” Kari
snapped. She was beyond agitated and the headache she was getting wasn’t making
anything better for her.

“Just
stay away from my husband and if you want to be with him it’s going to cost,”
Natalie smiled slyly as she stood up from the sofa. As she walked out, her
shoulder brushed Kari on the way out.

***

For
the past couple of days, Hank’s thoughts had been infected with a seven letter
word ‘divorce,’ he was like any human being who wanted a healthy and loving
marriage.

The
decision he had regarding divorce wasn’t because he wanted to be with Kari, the
decision was based solely on his relationship with Natalie. He was able to
enjoy many happy years with his wife but truth be told they’d both changed over
time. And marriage was not the relationship they needed to be in with each
other.

 Hank
leaned against the counter top drinking a cup of coffee listening to the news
and going over the million things in his head.  With the emotional
rollercoaster ride he been on, he never asked questions regarding the affair.
He couldn’t allow himself to obsess with the facts or thoughts of her wrongdoing;
all it would do was render his healing process of moving on.

“What are
you doing, baby?” Natalie smiled, walking out the room with her cell phone in
her hand.

Was
she just on the phone with him
, he asked himself. He inhaled
and exhaled before speaking. “Nothing, I was thinking we should talk.” When she
sat the phone on the kitchen counter, he couldn’t take his eyes off the device
that was her source to
him
.  

“Hank.”

“Yeah?”
he said, looking at her.

“Are
you okay? What did you want to talk about?” She looked at him curiously as she
fixed herself a cup of coffee. “If it’s about you touring with Austin, I
totally understand you will be gone from the house and I thought since we’re
working on our marriage I could go with you…just like old times.”

“Greg
is healthy now to take on playing back up for Austin,” Hank said, looking
Natalie squarely in the eyes, he realized she was here for only the fame of
being a guitarist wife.

A
ding sounded from Natalie’s phone letting her know she had a missed message.

“Oh,
I thought Austin was giving you a showcase in the concert to promote the few
songs on your upcoming album,” she said, picking up her phone and grin ear from
ear, she smiled so hard Hank knew that the message was from the other man in
her life.

“The
song’s about Kari,” Hank said without batting an eye. “I thought I could do
this but I can’t…We can’t…If we do I will regret each and every moment not
spending time with the woman I truly love.”

“What
are you talking about? We agreed to work on our marriage…it’s going to be hard
but we owe that to one another.”

“I
felt like I owed you something and I don’t owe you nothing but a thank you. You
taught me love and pain. If it wasn’t for you I wouldn’t have met Kari.”

“What
the hell are you doing?” she screamed.

“I’m
thanking you for a broken heart. You hurt me and left a scar on my heart.” Hank
went to a drawer in the kitchen and pulled out the divorce papers he had his
lawyer drop off today while she was out.

Natalie’s
eyes became watery as she looked at Hank in disbelief. “I love you Hank, I
always loved you.”

“If
we continue to stay together it would only be a disaster and we will tear each
other part. Our hopes and expectations for each other are gone. I’m not saying
this to hurt, because I would never want to hurt you.”

“You
not even giving it a chance to work,” Natalie screamed at him. “I made a
mistake of leaving but I want to stay with you.”

“If
you love me like you said you did Nat-loyalty and commitment wouldn’t have sent
you running to another man’s bed. Our love is tainted by so many variables and
we can’t recover. I promise you one day you will find that love again.”

Natalie
ran to him and wrapped her arms around his waist and sobbed into his chest.
“Just give us another chance.”

“Shh,
please don’t cry.” Hank looked down into her green eyes. These were the eyes he
couldn’t wait to wake up to in the morning. “I pray that one day you will find that
selfless love.”

Natalie
moved away from him and took a look at the paper. “I feel like I’ve been
slapped in the face,” she cried hysterically.

“I’m
the one who’d been cheated on not you! Don’t act like the victim.” Hank face
became red as he raised his voice. “Remember you, Natalie, you, walked out and
said ‘I don’t love you anymore,’ what do you want me to do?”

“I
want another chance,” she begged.

“It’s
a clean slate for the both of us, we don’t have any children holding us
together.” He stared at the paper that would dissolve his marriage. “You said
before you waltzed out of here that you didn’t love me and now that I think
about it... but I know right now as we both stand here…I know you don’t love me.”

Natalie
opened her mouth and closed it. “I’m better for you; I refused to believe that
she is good for you.”

There
was this calm that was settling over them as they looked at each in the eyes.
“This is not about Kari; it’s about me and you… As a husband who once loved
you, I must let you go.”

“You’re
not leaving me for her!”

“I’m
leaving you the cabin in Montana, you can sell it do whatever you want with it.
When we got married you signed a prenuptial agreement with an infidelity
clause.”

“What
are you talking about!” she shrieked. “Three years! I loved you and I get a few
thousand dollars and a shack in Montana!”

Hank
knew that Natalie wouldn’t see this as a good parting gift.  

“You
think I’m going to walk away with these small peanuts you’re throwing at me
when your girlfriend is sitting on a gold mine? You will see me in court,”
Natalie said. Snatching her phone up from the counter and storming to the
bedroom, Hank cringed when he heard the door slam shut.

***

Kari’s
stomach was full of butterflies as she watched the man who cheated and broke her
two years ago smoothly stroll into the front door of K-Design. This was the
first time they would be in the same room since she ran out of his condo in
tears. Sam Russell eyes were glued to hers as he carried a beautiful bouquet of
bright colored flowers.

 Surprisingly,
the thought of buying a voodoo doll that resembled him didn’t come to mind and
the faint sting of a broken heart didn’t happen.  Sam was still the handsome
man who looked like he was ready for an editorial shoot in GQ magazine.

“Hi.”
Sam’s voice was low and deep as he stood in front of her, his lips twitched as
he bent down and gave her a kiss on the cheek.

“Hello,”
she replied in a tight voice and accepted the bouquet of flowers. “Have a seat.”

After
Sam took a seat in the chair across from her, Kari nervously tapped her pen
along a stack of papers. She didn’t know what to say to this man, who was now a
stranger to her. “So,” he said, looking around the studio. “This is nice.”

“Thanks,”
she said, tapping the pen rapidly against the desk now. “You told Corey, you
wanted to talk to me…you’re here.” Kari looked up, making eye contact with Sam.
The feeling of confusion pushed it way into her heart, but what did anyone
expect; this was the man she thought was her forever. For two years she picked
up the pieces of her busted ego.  She didn’t understand why he wanted to talk
now. Kari didn’t want to hug him or exchange pleasantries with the person who
burned her.

“You
always talked about working for your grandfather’s architecture design firm, surprisingly,
little Ms. Kari Hayes opened her own design studio.” His eyes sparkled as he
acknowledged her accomplishment. “I’m really proud of you.”

“What?”
Kari put the pen down and smirked. “Sam, did you come 2500 miles to check out
my small design studio? Or did you want me to decorate the house you plan to
purchase with your new bride?”

“How
long has it been?” Sam reached across the desk and tried to take Kari’s hand
into his. “Almost two years?”

“It’s
been two years.” Kari pulled her hand away from his reach; she peered over to
the desk from hers, where Corey would normally be sitting at, wishing he would
hurray back. “How you been?”

“Okay,”
he shrugged. She didn’t really care how the hell he was doing with his life. “I
missed you, you know.” He cleared his throat, so that she looked at him. “You
left and we weren’t able to talk. You just moved away.”

“Yeah,”
she looked away, her lips tight. “Don’t pretend like you don’t know why.”

“I
wasn’t allowed to explain myself.”

The
corner of Kari’s lips pulled back in a sneer. “Explain what!” she exclaimed
interrupting him. “How you were using me for money! I was nothing to you but a
fucking dollar sign! So excuse me if I’m not happy to see you.”

Sam
grimaced. “I deserved that, but you need to understand why.”

Putting
her hand to her chest she laughed. “Do you really comprehend what you did to
me? We…I fell in love with you…We were planning a life together and to have
babies! Only for the relationship I thought we had was built on a gimmick, you
and that bitch methodically had a goal to use me.”

“Let
me explain, dammit.” Sam said giving her a wistful look.

The
day she caught Sam cheating with Mariah and overhearing their scheme was like a
one, two punch that was strong enough to force the air entirely out her lungs.
Right there in the hallway of his apartment she wanted the floor to open up
underneath and swallow her whole. That night she sat in an airport questioning
everything about her relationship with Sam. Every time she stared into a mirror
and doubted herself, she would try to find any justification for her to warrant
a man like him. For two years she dissected every piece of herself.

“I
was going to marry you for money until I fell in love with you.” Sam stood up
and began to pace in front of the desk. “I didn’t mean to hurt you.”

“All
cheaters say that,” Kari rolled her eyes. “I don’t even understand why you
wanted to see me, you’re like a criminal who returning to the scene of crime. Instead,
you’re the freaking heart stealer and dream crusher.”

“I’m
a good man now,” he pleaded with her just to listen to him. “I can’t stop
thinking about you and what I did. I’m getting married and all I can think
about is you.”

Kari
scoffed at the idea of Sam thinking about her two years later. “What did you
come here for?”

“To
say I’m sorry.”

Kari’s
father’s voice echo in her head, ‘It takes a hell of a person with a big heart
to accept an apology after experiencing the ultimate betrayal.’ “I forgive
you,” she said simply.

“I
hurt you in the worst way.”

“Ha!
Did you just wake up and miraculously realize that?” she laughed. “Your actions
have left me with a deep wound that hurt regardless of how many times you apologized
they would still be there.”

“I
genuinely fell in love with you Kari-”

Kari
shook her head. “You damaged me by playing with my emotions and breaking my
trust…I said I forgave you for leaving me emotionally disable…it took me a
while to ‘get over’ it but I did.”

 
Sam sat back down in the seat he vacated moments ago. “Have you?” he asked in a
worried voice that was all too familiar to Kari.

“I’m
thankful that I have the scars of my first love. A person asked me what if I
learned something from my past love. I have to be more careful with how and who
I give my love to. Most of all, I learned how to love myself more and except
people for who they are.” Kari stood up quickly and almost fell, Sam was right
there to catch her. “Thanks,” she said, struggling to move away from him.