Felix let out a heavy sigh. He ran his fingers through his hair, tugging at the strands. I can't take this anymore, he thought. Kat is going to drive me crazy... One minute it seems like I'll be able to move on and we'll be fine, and the next we're fighting and we're not fine. Stupid woman...

Shaking his head, he decided he knew just what he needed to do to fix this. A workout ought to make things better. Especially since Emma's always at the gym this time of day. He hoped that no one who knew him was around in the gym. Felix didn't think he could stand seeing anyone besides Emma in this state. He seriously wanted to punch something right now, and most of the people he knew would only increase the likelihood that he would punch something—something he shouldn't punch.

He stretched and got up, grabbing his keys and jacket. Kat would likely be angry when she came back from shopping and found him gone, but she would just have to deal with it. Still, he decided to leave her a note saying that he'd gone to the gym so she wouldn't be too angry at him when he returned. The last thing he wanted to deal with was another argument tonight.

With that, he headed to his car, eager to get to the gym.

As he pulled out of the driveway, he turned on some music letting it wash over him. The drive was quiet and surprisingly soothing, but he still felt like he wanted to hit something by the time he pulled into the parking lot of the gym. With a huff, he turned the car off, got out, and locked it behind him as he headed inside.

Emma was just heading out of the changing rooms toward the private workout rooms when he walked in. She greeted him with her thousand-watt smile and a wave. Felix felt some of the tension slipping out of him as he smiled back and walked to meet her.

"Felix! Good to see you. Did you come to train today?"

Felix nodded, cracking his knuckles to get a laugh from his trainer. "You bet... I feel ready to explode. It's been a rough day... No, it's been a rough week, more like it."

"Problems with the wife?" Emma asked, smiling warmly.

"Yeah, like usual... I'm sick of her whining."

"Why don't you just get a divorce then?" Emma led the way to an empty training room.

"No. I made a promise, and I keep my word. I said for better or worse."

"No one really believes that means anything anymore. Most people have been divorced at least once. Marriages were never meant to last, Felix." Emma waved a hand toward the mat. "Now come on, let's get started. After this, we could go get a drink... If you want to relax a little, you know?"

Felix bit his lip. She's always so supportive. I don't see why not... Kat will be mad no matter when I come home, so really, who cares whether she'd like it or not? "Yeah, sure."

She grinned. "You need to just lighten up and blow of some steam, Felix. It's not good for you to be so stressed out all the time. As your trainer, it's my responsibility to look after your health and diet. So... I say you need to find some time to calm down and destress. In fact, I'm going to start making sure you do, okay?"

"Thanks..." Felix mumbled. "You're so understanding... So not like my wife. I appreciate that."

"That's because I'm not a petulant child who doesn't trust my boyfriend with other people. Unlike your wife, clearly." Emma started strapping on the kickboxing gear.

Felix knew, somewhere deep down, that he shouldn't let Emma talk that way about Kat, but at this point, he was too angry with his wife to tell Emma to stop dissing her. "Yeah, clearly," he muttered.

***

Emma clinked her glass against Felix's with a throaty laugh. "To unwinding and a fun night," she said.

Felix grinned. "Hear, hear! To us!"

Emma gave him a flirty smile as she downed her shot of tequila. "So... What do you want to talk about? This evening is all about you?"

"Well..." Felix looked at her, blinking.

He could already feel the fog of alcohol making him feel looser and more reckless. Life had been stressful lately, and he welcomed that feeling, signaling the bartender to get him a refill. The bartender smiled warmly and headed over after she finished serving the other customer nearby.

"What can I get for you?" she asked.

Felix grinned lazily at her. "Another tequila shot, would you?" he said, feeling the words out on the tip of his tongue. He must be more buzzed than he thought.

The bartender began preparing the drink. "So... You two out for a special occasion tonight or just for a nice relaxing evening?"

"Relaxation and a little fun," Emma said with a smile at Felix.

"That's always a good thing. Getting away from the office and life's stress then?"

"Yeah, you could say that," Felix mumbled.

The bartender handed him his shot. "Well, if you need anything else, I'll be around. Have a good evening, you two, and have fun. Looks like you two deserve a little of that."

Felix raised his glass in the bartender's direction. "Thanks."

Emma sipped at the water she'd ordered earlier. "So... Back to us. Anything in particular you want to talk about?"

"How about we do something else instead?" Felix suggested. "I don't want to discuss work, and I sure as hell don't want to talk about Kat."

Emma blinked, seeming surprised, then she laughed. "Wow... Alcohol really does loosen your tongue. I don't think I've ever heard you swear before."

"Well, seems appropriate to the situation," Felix grumbled.

"You're an oddity; you know that, don't you, Felix?" Emma asked, running her hand down his arm and twining her fingers in his.

Felix looked down at their entwined hands. In the back of his mind, he knew he shouldn't be holding her hand. He shouldn't be swearing or out drinking himself to oblivion. No, he should be home with his wife. He should be respecting his wife the way his father and mother taught him to. They'd raised him to be better than this. But alcohol and an understanding woman won out over all of that for the moment. Felix didn't care anymore about staying faithful to Kat. She deserved this from him. If she was a better wife, he wouldn't be here.

"I know..." Felix mumbled, leaning in and pressing a clumsy kiss against Emma's lips. "I don't want to talk. I want to... Do other things."

Emma smiled, taking his hand back into hers as he downed the rest of his drink. "Well, my place is a safe option. We can stay there and... Do other things until you feel relaxed?"

Felix watched her lips and her glittering eyes for a moment, thinking it over. It took a little longer than it would've normally because the alcohol was slowing his mind down.

She raised a brow when he didn't answer right away. "Unless... I misunderstood?"

"No, no... You didn't. Your place is fine," he said, forcing himself not to stumble over the words.

Her smile came back, and Felix decided that if he could keep that smile on her face forever, he'd die a happy man. He'd missed this feeling for so long with Kat. No, I'm not going to think about her while I'm with Emma. That was the whole point of this. Forget Kat!

Emma slid off her barstool with a grin, leaving a large wad of cash to pay the bartender. "Come on... Let's not waste any time."

Felix let her tug him through the crowd of dancing and drinking people, a laugh bubbling out of him. It's like being a teenager all over again at those parties the popular kids threw. Except this time I'm not doing anything illegal.

Emma threw him another flirty smile as she continued to pull him outside. "We could skip going home and just find an empty alleyway," she said, tugging on his t-shirt to bring his lips to hers.

"Or we could not," Felix mumbled. "Not in an alleyway, Emma. I don't want interruptions, and I definitely don't want to risk being mugged."

"Fine," she huffed. "Then let's go get my car. I can drop you off at the gym to get your car later. Unless you want to walk. I'm just a block from the gym, so you could do that too."

"Let's forget about that for now. I don't want to think about anything except you and me tonight."

Emma laughed. "I like the sound of that."

He fumbled with the driver's side door and opened it for her. "You should drive... I'm... Way more wasted than you."

She rolled her eyes. "You downed like five shots, Felix. Of course you're drunker than me. I only had one. And I drank water with it too, silly."

Felix laughed as she got in. "Yeah, I should've listened to you."

She tugged him in for a kiss and then gave him a gentle push. "Get in, love. You're wasting time, you know."

He conceded, and she pulled out of the parking lot, wheels kicking up the gravel as she accelerated onto the road.

***

Kat checked her phone for the tenth time in an hour. Where is he? Is he okay? Felix hadn't texted or called her to say he'd be home late. He'd left a note about going to the gym, but it hadn't mentioned staying out late.

She should be used to this by now. Felix had a habit of doing this. He'd probably come home drunk. Her shoulders slumped. I thought we were making progress, she thought, tears slipping down her cheeks. But maybe I fooled myself. Maybe I was just deluding myself because I wanted it to be true so badly.

This new normal sucked. Kat wished for the first time that she'd listened to her parents and hadn't eloped with Felix. Her life had become a living hell, and there was no way out. Felix wouldn't get a divorce, and she didn't want to give up on him. So they were stuck in this toxic cycle.

Kat wondered again if Felix was even still faithful to her. Perhaps he was out now drinking and sleeping with some other woman. He should be home eating dinner with me and warming my bed, not some stranger's! She slammed her palm into the kitchen island's counter as she slid onto the stool. Burying her head in her arms, Kat finally let the pent-up rage and pain out. Hot tears dripped down her cheeks, scalding against her chilled skin. What happened to us, anyway? How is it possible to love the man so much but hate him with my entire being the next moment? How is it his love for me could turn so cold so quickly?

"God," Kat's cheeks flushed as she whispered past the tears. "I don't even know if I believe You exist, but if You do... I'm at my rope's end! I can't take anymore of this, so make it stop. Give me back my life. You can do that. This is all Your fault if You even exist..." She swallowed a sob, covering her mouth as she sat up and stared numbly at the clock. "Who am I kidding? This is stupid. You don't exist or this wouldn't be happening! You're supposed to be love, right? Well, love doesn't let this happen, does it?"

Kat tipped her head back and let out a muffled scream of irritation. There are never any answers! I hate this life! I hate everything about my situation. I hate myself for letting it come to this. This is all my fault, isn't it? I caused all this.

The clock read twelve through the blur of her tears. "Where is he, huh? Is he finally leaving? Maybe I can finally have some peace and space from that jerk." She tried to tell herself she was happy about that, but it wasn't working. I just wish he'd come home already.

The door to the garage opened, and Kat jumped from the stool, rushing to the door. Felix stumbled in, eyes bright and his clothes disheveled. His hair was mussed, and she noticed some lipstick on his shirt collar. She stopped, backing away from him as he walked in the door.

"What's the problem, Kat?" Felix growled.

"You... You're drunk. And... Is that lipstick on your shirt, Felix? What have you been doing tonight?"

"I don't think that's any of your business, Katarina," he said evenly.

She shook her head. "You're my husband, Felix! I have every right to know. You won't divorce me, but you'll sleep with every woman but me? Is that it?" Angry tears sprang into her eyes as she walked up and shoved him. "How could you?"

"How could I?" Felix asked.

Grabbing her arm, Felix pushed her against the wall. He caged her there with his arms on either side of her and his legs pressed against hers.

"Let me go," Kat snapped, trying to push him again.

Felix grabbed her wrists and trapped them above her head as she squirmed to escape his grasp. "Easy, Kat. I went to the bar with my trainer, got drunk, and went back to her house. And then I did the same things I used to do with you. But this time, I actually enjoyed it. Because she actually does what I ask and cooperates. She doesn't flinch away or yell at me when I don't show up for dinner. She doesn't turn me the cold shoulder or make my life miserable. That's how I could do it."

"How dare you?" Kat yelled. "How dare you do that to me? We're married, Felix! You made a vow to me not to some random chick who trains you at the gym! What is wrong with you?"

"Everyone else does this, Kat. If you're so mad about it, why don't you go get drunk and go home with some stranger you've never met, huh? Because that'd be typical of women like you," Felix yelled back.

"No, not everyone else does this. You're a jerk, Felix Alvarez. A low life scumbag. And I am not the one cheating in this relationship. I never have, and I don't intend to start now." Kat tried to free her wrists again to no avail. "Let go of me right now, Felix."

"Or what?" he asked, leaning in with a smirk.

She turned her head away, grimacing at the staleness of his breath and the whisky on it. "I'll call the cops and say you assaulted me."

"You wouldn't." Felix smirked. "There's no evidence anyway."

"Felix, you do not want to test me right now! I stayed up for hours waiting for you to come home. I made you a nice dinner too. I've tried to be understanding, but you've been nothing but a pain. You've made my life a living hell lately. And I mean that literally. I want what we had back, and you keep burning all the bridges. What is wrong with you?"

"What's wrong with me? What's wrong with you, Kat? You're the reason that we have the problems we do. You lost the baby. You fight with me all the time. It's your fault I never want to be home! You..." Felix hissed. "You disgust me."

A tear rolled down Kat's face as she tugged harder to free her wrists. This time, he let go and went to turn away. Before he could, Kat slapped him as hard as she could across the face. "And you broke my heart. Which is worse, Felix?"

Felix turned his back on her, his hand rubbing his cheek and jaw where her hand had connected with his face. "Your mistakes, obviously. Don't speak to me or even look at me until I say so. Got it?"

Kat shuddered with suppressed tears and angry shouts. Her heart pounded in her chest, and she felt as if she might collapse any moment, screaming and crying in frustration and pain. My whole world is crumbling, she thought. And I can't do anything about it...