Though Phillip had insisted on making love to her, Alicia lay there thinking about Levi and how she still hadn’t been able to get in touch with him. He hadn’t answered any of her calls or responded to any of her text messages. She’d tried him multiple times before going inside the hospital yesterday and four more times when she’d left, and then she’d sneaked and called him again last night once she and Phillip had made up. Of course, Phillip had wanted to make love to her then, too, but apparently that hadn’t sufficed because he’d wanted her again as soon as he’d awakened a few minutes ago. Phillip had slept peacefully and contently, but Alicia hadn’t slept more than an hour, tops. She’d even tried to pray herself to sleep, and when that hadn’t worked she’d lain there watching each passing minute on the digital clock, all while agonizing over Levi.
She’d stewed and fretted, and then she’d finally gotten up and gone into her office. She’d sent Levi a message on Facebook and then waited to see if he would at least read it. But after sitting in front of her computer for more than an hour, he hadn’t. This was so unlike him, and she was starting to wonder if something bad had happened. Maybe he was in some kind of danger. She couldn’t bear the thought of losing him for good, so she had to find out what was going on.
Alicia lay there, pretending to enjoy her husband and trying to figure out what she would tell him later today, when she got in her car and headed toward Levi’s house. Originally, she’d been happy about Levi renting a home a full hour from Mitchell—that way there was less chance of someone seeing her—but today she wished he lived here. Especially since Phillip didn’t have to go to the church on Mondays, and it would be doubly hard to convince him that she had something important to do all afternoon.
Phillip rolled to the side of her, and Alicia barely noticed him.
He took a deep, long breath. “Baby, what’s wrong?”
“Nothing, why?”
“You seemed like you were somewhere else. And like you didn’t enjoy it.”
“No, I’m fine. Just a little tired. I didn’t sleep well.”
“Why?”
“Insomnia, I guess.”
“Are you sure? Because if there’s something bothering you, you need to tell me.”
“I’m good. Couldn’t be better,” she said, amazed at how quickly her lies came out.
Phillip turned toward her, smiling. “So do you love me?”
Alicia looked at him. “You know I do.”
“I’m glad, because I was really starting to wonder whether you did or not.”
“Why?”
“Because of this past weekend. You seemed like you were in a totally different world and like I didn’t matter to you.”
“That’s not true, and I’m sorry you felt that way.”
“I just want us to move on and get past this.”
“We will. I’m done with the shopping thing. You may not believe me, but I am.”
“I hope so, because you know what it did to our marriage the first time.”
“I’m a different person than I was then. I slipped a little on Friday and Saturday, and I’m sorry. But I really am okay now.”
“Are you happy?”
“About what?”
“Are you happy with me? Glad we got married again?”
“Why are you asking me that? Of course I’m happy,” she said, wishing she didn’t have to keep lying.
“I guess because you hadn’t done anything like this in years.”
“I told you, I slipped up. But I’m not planning to go to another mall for a very long time.”
Phillip leaned over and kissed her. Alicia kissed him back and hoped he wasn’t trying to make love to her again. Her heart just wasn’t in it, and she wouldn’t be able to bear it.
When their home phone rang, they both glanced toward Phillip’s nightstand. It was only minutes after seven a.m.
“Who could that be?” Alicia said.
Phillip reached his arm toward the phone. “I believe it’s Melanie. Looks like her cell number, anyway.”
Alicia sat up. “Oh my God. I hope it’s not about Brad.”
Phillip answered the call. “Hey, Melanie, is everything okay?…No, she’s right here.”
Alicia took the phone and heard Melanie sniffling.
“Mel, what is it? What’s going on?”
“Can you come over?”
“To the hospital? Of course.”
“No, my house.”
“Oh, is Brad okay?”
“He can die for all I care, and I hope that tramp of his rots in prison.”
Alicia swung her legs over the side of the bed. “What tramp? What happened?”
“I can’t do this on the phone.”
“I’ll be right there,” Alicia said, ending the call and getting up.
“What’s going on?” Phillip asked.
“I don’t know, but it isn’t good. Sounds like Brad’s involved with some woman.”
Phillip frowned. “You must’ve heard her wrong.”
“No, she was pretty clear on what she said.”
“Brad wouldn’t do that to Melanie.”
Alicia went into the bathroom and turned on the shower. Could it really be true? Was Brad having an affair? Like Phillip, Alicia didn’t want to believe he’d do something like that, but who was she to doubt anything when she was having an affair herself? How could she judge Brad, or anyone, when at this very moment, she was plotting out a way to get to Levi?