"The kids are asleep now; will you be okay with them?" I asked Alex meekly, hiding the majority of my body behind the door frame. I wasn't sure why I was bothering really, he wasn't even looking up from the television screen, but guilt had me fixed in that position.

"Whatever, see you later."

There was nothing in his voice to give me the impression that he'd been screwing someone else only a few hours before, Alex gave me no indication, which only left me wondering how long it'd been going on for. Had I been blind for months, or ever years? I knew our marriage wasn't a happy one, but I didn't necessarily expect that to happen.

"Bye, then."

I closed the door behind me as quietly and inoffensively as I could manage, wincing as it clicked. Despite the fact that Alex had done much worse to me, I still felt terrible for what I was potentially about to unleash. I'd been thinking about it all afternoon and evening and the few outcomes that could come out of this were all a little tricky.

One, there could be nothing real between me and Jake. This meeting could be us closing the chapter on what could've been. That would be a clean break but still left me with problems. I'd lose my best friend, the one person I really wanted to talk to all the time. I would also have to do something about my bullshit marriage, that wasn't going anywhere.

Two, me and Jake would be as madly in love as I thought, and we'd want to run off together. Of course, that wouldn't be straightforward as I couldn't just leave the children like that. Much as they were an absolute nightmare, I couldn't just go. I didn't want Alex and his slutty secretary to be the only influences in their lives.

Three...well, three I could lose everyone.

Anyway, if I didn't go I would regret it forever because I'd never know. I would always wonder if somehow, I could've made it magically all work out.

Rose_Petal: I'm on the way.

I sat in the car for a few seconds waiting for a reply, but one didn't come through. Maybe Jake was already on the way, I knew he lived fairly near me but I wasn't exactly where, so I didn't know how long it'd take him to get there. Or maybe he was excitedly getting ready, preparing himself to finally meet me in person. I wasn't too excited myself, but that was only because of all the stress surrounding me at the time. I couldn't relax.

Now though, it was creeping through my veins, causing me to slam my foot down on the accelerator potentially a little too hard. The car whizzed along the roads that were always so familiar to me before now, everything became a little blurred. If I allowed myself to think that way I could almost feel like I was in a time portal or a dimension shifter, and that I was going to somewhere completely new to become the Rose Petal I always wanted to be.

"This is so crazy!" I muttered hysterically to myself. "I'm going to meet Jake...Jake."

I allowed my mind to wander over our past, to remind me of why this was so perfect. Snippets of our conversations flowed through my mind, warming up my chest and heart. No one could make me feel as happy as Jake could, I'd never felt so truly loved before he came along. Even though it'd be a lot more complicated, I really hoped the true love would still be there, I wanted all the words that we'd spoken to one another to become real.

I also hoped that he was patient enough, and felt so much love, that he'd still understand when he found out about all the other lies...

Not that I was thinking about the lies right now, this was hard enough.

I wrapped my damn hands so tightly around the steering wheel that my knuckles turned white. They kept slipping every time I had to turn a corner, but they were still getting me to where I needed to be, and for that I was grateful.

As the car finally pulled into the carpark where I was meeting Jake, my heart went into overdrive. It all became far too real, and there was a little voice in my head telling me to turn around, to forget all about this, but I didn't. Curiosity was the most powerful emotion I felt, and that was the one I couldn't help listening to. I needed to know, as terrifying as it was I had to get my answers, and this was the only place I could get that.

I flicked the car engine off and stared towards the final dim light shining in the supermarket. I chose this time specifically because the store was closing, so there wouldn't be hundreds of people around to see my marital indiscretion, limiting the chance that I'd bump into someone I knew, but that there would be at least one employee around...just in case.

Yes, I was head over heels in love, and sure I'd dived in with both feet, but I was mature enough to understand that there was a chance, however small, that this situation could turn out dangerous. Meeting up in real life could potentially lead to a serial killer situation, and I wanted to at least have a shot at surviving if that happened.

Luckily, I could see a shadow moving about in that small light, which meant I wasn't totally alone.

There were no other cars in the car park, which caused an odd chill to run through my body. I was warm from the terrified thrill, and I'd blasted the heat on my body for the entire drive but seeing my car alone in such an expansive space felt really strange.

I needed to find out where Jake was before I really freaked myself out.

Rose_Petal: Hey, Jake, just letting you know that I'm here.

Where are you?

I stared at my phone screen, mentally willing him to reply, but it remained frustratingly blank. I sighed deeply and tapped my foot on the ground, starting to remember all the reasons that this was a massive mistake.

Maybe I should've stayed home, tried to fix my failing marriage...

Rose_Petal: You are still coming, right?

What if he was lying to me?

I never actually thought about that before now, but it hit me like a thump in the face. He did seem a little too okay with it when I told him I didn't look like the picture. Maybe he had a hundred secrets of his own. What if he was married too, what if he had children? What if he looked totally different and I didn't like what I saw...

I was gasping, my lungs felt tight, my hands were slapping onto the dashboard as if it was the only thing connecting me to the Earth. I could be sick, I might throw up at any given moment. Maybe there was a fourth option, and it was one that made me look like a complete and utter idiot.

I glanced down at the screen of my phone, needing to say something to let him know how I was feeling.

Rose_Petal: Jake, I'm a little freaked. It's a little after eight.

Are you coming?

Rose_Petal: If you're not here soon then I might have to leave. Rose_Petal: It's dark and I'm scared.

The more I typed, the more frantic I felt. The panic was bulldozing through my body, making me irrational and freaked out.

Rose_Petal: Okay, I'm going. I can't deal with this anymore.

Tears were in my eyes, this was a nightmare. This already hadn't gone anything like I pictured it would which sucked. Heat traveled through my body and fogged up my brain, I needed air, so much of it before I passed out. I unclicked the door, ready to step out when my phone finally made a noise.

Jake86: ...

He was typing, something was happening, thank goodness. I continued moving outside the car despite the fact that I felt instantly calmer. If Jake was typing it meant I wasn't being ghosted, which actually was my biggest fear. It meant I'd never get any form of closure either way.

I sucked in some air with a smile playing on my lips while I waited for the message to come through. It was taking a while, but I didn't mind. As long as those three little dots were there, Jake was still writing something...

Jake86: Don't get out of the car.

Instantly my heart stopped, I glanced everywhere trying to work out what was going on. Either this was a very sick and twisted practical joke, or I was in some form of danger. Neither option was particularly preferable.

Rose_Petal: What do you mean?

Jake86: Don't get out of the car.

Jake86: Don't get out of the car.

Jake86: Don't get out of the car.

Jake86: Don't get out of the car.

Jake86: Don't get out of the car.