0:00
When she and I arrived at the Halloween
0:01
party, the night was already buzzing
0:05
Music thumped through the house,
0:07
laughter spilled into the chilly air,
0:09
and a sea of costumed guests swirled in
0:14
It was a scene straight out of a movie,
0:16
and I, dressed as a swashbuckling
0:18
pirate, felt like an extra in my own
0:21
life, the duel of the demigods. My
0:24
attention, however, was immediately
0:26
drawn to Collins. She was a vision in a
0:29
skintight jet black Catwoman costume, a
0:31
testament to her dedication to fitness
0:33
and a reminder of the undeniable allure
0:35
she held. I often forgot just how
0:38
stunning my wife was, especially now a
0:41
mother of two. As she gave me a quick
0:43
peck on the cheek and disappeared into
0:45
the crowd, I felt a familiar pang of
0:47
pride and a flicker of something else.
0:50
Making my way to the drinks area, I
0:52
found my friends engaged in a debate
0:54
that was as old as time itself. Hulk or
0:59
Despite the combined intellect of the
1:00
room, I couldn't help but feel a little
1:02
silly. The answer to me was obvious.
1:06
Superman, with his superhuman speed,
1:08
strength, and laser vision, was the
1:12
I waited into the fray, confident in my
1:15
lifelong knowledge of Marvel and DC
1:17
comics, and began to lay out my case.
1:20
But my arguments, as articulate as they
1:22
were, only fueled the fire. Soon the
1:25
conversation devolved into a cacophony
1:27
of shouting, interrupted by the
1:29
occasional sloshing of beer. In the end,
1:32
everyone agreed to disagree, opting
1:34
instead to surrender to the party's
1:36
boozy, joyful chaos. As I sipped my
1:38
beer, I kept a watchful eye on Collins.
1:42
She was laughing with her best friend,
1:43
Susie, who was also dressed as Catwoman.
1:47
Collins and Susie were an unlikely pair.
1:50
They were as different as night and day.
1:52
Collins, a thoughtful and reserved
1:54
beauty, and Susie, a firecracker of a
1:57
woman who was married to Dominic.
1:59
Dominic was a character. Unlike me, a
2:03
restaurant manager with a college degree
2:05
and a history as a boxer, Dominic worked
2:07
with his hands. He was built like a
2:10
brick house, a walking advertisement for
2:13
heavy lifting and a gym membership.
2:16
With his long hair tied back in a
2:17
ponytail and a thick beard, he looked
2:20
less like a modern man and more like an
2:22
Aztec warrior. Tonight he was a Tarzan,
2:26
and to me it was a move that rire of an
2:28
insecure need for attention. I never
2:31
disliked him, but I never warmed up to
2:33
him either. I was Don Draper. He was
2:36
called Drogo. It was an oil and water
2:38
kind of situation, a pirate's jealousy.
2:42
As the night progressed and the drinks
2:44
flowed, Dominic's flirtatiousness
2:46
intensified. His crude jokes and
2:48
innuendos, which seemed to amuse the
2:50
other women, graded on my nerves. I
2:53
watched as he hovered around Collins,
2:56
his eyes lingering just a little too
2:57
long, his compliments a little too
3:02
Are you enjoying yourself, Barnes?
3:04
Colin's voice, a sweet whisper in the
3:07
loud music, broke my train of thought. I
3:10
nodded and she stood beside me, her eyes
3:13
drifting toward Dominic.
3:15
I caught the look on her face. A
3:17
fleeting moment of appraisal, of
3:19
undeniable desire, and a cold wave of
3:22
jealousy washed over me. "You know,
3:25
Dominic, sweetheart, always craving the
3:27
spotlight," she said, her voice laced
3:30
with an amused tenderness that only
3:31
served to stoke my jealousy. "Jalous?"
3:34
she asked, a playful glint in her eyes.
3:37
"Of him?" I scoffed, my tone defensive.
3:41
I don't need to strip down to get
3:42
attention. She laughed, but the sour
3:45
taste of my beer lingered in my mouth. I
3:48
tried to shake off the feeling to lose
3:50
myself in the party, but the image of
3:52
Collins's eyes on Dominic's muscular
3:54
physique was seared into my mind. Later,
3:57
I noticed Dominic making a move. I found
4:00
them in the kitchen, their heads
4:02
together, their conversation hushed and
4:04
intimate. A primal anger flared within
4:07
me. When Dominic saw me, he retreated,
4:10
his smirk a silent taunt. "Hi, darling.
4:13
I was just looking for you," Collins
4:15
said. Her voice a little too bright, her
4:18
smile a little too forced. "In the same
4:21
place all night," Collins, "What were
4:23
you two talking about? You looked
4:25
awfully cozy." My voice was a low growl.
4:29
Nothing happened, Barnes. Dominic was
4:32
just being his usual flirty self.
4:35
She patted my cheek, a condescending
4:37
gesture that only fueled my anger. I'm
4:40
just a bit tipsy, honey. Don't worry.
4:42
But I did worry. For the rest of the
4:45
night, they kept their distance, but
4:46
their secret glances were enough to
4:48
confirm my worst fears. I needed a
4:51
break. I needed a bathroom, a
4:54
confession, and a confrontation. As I
4:57
emerged from the bathroom, I saw him,
4:59
Dominic, waiting for me. He was a man
5:02
consumed by alcohol, and his eyes held a
5:05
predatory glint. "Got a problem,
5:07
Barnes?" he slurred, his words thick
5:10
with menace. "I tried to walk away to
5:12
avoid the confrontation, but he grabbed
5:14
my arm." "Regret what?" he jabbed, a
5:18
cruel smile playing on his lips. "Like
5:20
sleeping with your pretty wife." His
5:23
words were a punch to the gut, a
5:25
thunderclap in the quiet hallway. He
5:27
went on, his voice a low, disgusting
5:30
torrent of crude remarks about Collins.
5:32
I saw red. The pirates's hat was gone,
5:36
but the fury remained. I lunged forward,
5:39
and the sound of my fist connecting with
5:40
his face was a sickening crunch that
5:42
echoed through the house. I descended
5:44
the stairs, and there she was, Collins,
5:47
her eyes wide with a mix of fear and
5:49
shame. The tears streaming down her face
5:52
confirmed everything. "Call emergency.
5:55
Dominic's unconscious," she cried. But I
5:57
couldn't move. I just stood there
6:00
looking at the woman I thought I knew.
6:02
The world a blurry, chaotic mess around
6:04
me. "What the hell did you do to my
6:07
husband?" A voice shrieked behind me.
6:09
"It was Susie, her fists a blur as they
6:12
pummeled my back. I dodged her swings
6:15
and someone pulled her away." "Did you
6:17
know your husband slept with Collins?" I
6:19
yelled at Susie, but her silence was all
6:23
Barnes, we need to talk, but not here,"
6:26
Collins pleaded, her hand on my
6:28
shoulder. I spun around, a volcanic rage
6:31
erupting from deep within me. "No,
6:33
Collins, you're going home with your
6:35
boyfriend and his wife. I'm leaving." I
6:37
turned to leave, but she grabbed my arm,
6:40
her face a mask of furious tears. "You
6:42
can't leave me here. We're going home,
6:45
and we're going to talk. Do you hear
6:47
me?" Her rage made no sense. She was the
6:50
one in the wrong. Yet, she was acting as
6:52
if I had betrayed her.
6:55
I can't handle this, Collins, I said, my
6:57
voice shaking. Don't go home. I could
7:00
end up in jail for assault. I don't want
7:02
to add domestic violence to the mix.
7:05
Damn you, Barnes. Damn you, she
7:07
shrieked, poking a finger into my chest.
7:10
You want to punch me? Go ahead, coward.
7:13
At least you'll acknowledge me. Damn it.
7:15
It would be the first time you've
7:18
The party guests were now a silent,
7:20
gaping audience. Collins, in a moment of
7:23
public humiliation, laid bare the cracks
7:26
in our marriage. She accused me of
7:28
neglect, of being too tired for her, of
7:30
finding time for silicone Barbie dolls
7:32
online. Her voice rose to a crescendo of
7:35
pain and fury, and I, a man who had just
7:39
been betrayed, found myself speechless.
7:41
I had no witty retort, no comeback. I
7:47
As I drove off into the night, the sound
7:49
of her sobs and the judgmental stares of
7:51
our friends echoed in my mind. The
7:54
pirate was gone, the Catwoman was
7:56
crying, and the jungle man was
8:00
I was left with nothing but the
8:01
deafening silence of a broken