The clock located in one corner of the room sounded as if it was ringing in his ear. Each tick and tock made him feel in suspense. The middle aged lady jolted down some notes. Hunter wanted to refrain from bouncing his leg up and down on the wood tiled floor. It made too much noise, he did not want to expose his anxiety. These— meetings made him feel uneasy. Rachel seemed calm and ready to tackle it all. Could it be he felt uneasy because he was the perpetrator?

Bonnie Giles, the middle aged woman with a grayish bob cut sat opposite them with one leg crossed on top of the other. Rachel had looked her up, apparently she had a couple of books and was a grand expert of these relationships things. Hunter just went with it, he did not want anymore arguments with Rachel in all honesty. Lately they argued about the toilet seat, about the cereal box, about closet space, about everything— just everything. It was draining, the tension was clear and visible even in thin air.

"What are some of the biggest problems in your marriage?" Bonnie asked.

Giving them time, Rachel was quick to answer. "He cheated! Everything was perfect then he went on to cheat. As if I wasn't good enough as if I did not do enough as if—"

"Calm down, calm down Mrs. Clifford." Bonnie countered quickly. Hunter wished the ground would open up and swallow him. He had heard this same line and million times, it was beginning to sound like a chorus for Rachel's hit song of the year.

"Alright, alright. Mrs Clifford, your spouse may have different perspectives on the status of your marriage. Ask your husband what he thinks are the biggest issues in your relationship. You may be worried about financial stress and infidelity, while your spouse is worried about trust issues and lacking communication. Do not combat your spouse's answers. Listen to them closely so you can learn from them and grow as a couple."

With a sigh, Rachel turned to look at Hunter timidly. "Hunter, what are some of the biggest problems in our marriage?"

It took a while for him to answer.

"Mr. Clifford?" Bonnie questioned.

"I— the problem is Rachel is unforgiving and keeps living in the past when I'm trying my level best to move forward. That is why I'm here to work things out. She constantly recalls my mistakes for me to hear..." Hunter let out. Rachel sighed looking away, she already had an answer but Bonnie gave her a hand sign to pause before speaking harshly.

"When Did The Problems Start?" Bonnie continued.

"See if you can point out the moment when your relationship took a wrong turn. Was it a trip you took, a decision you made, a person you let into your life...? If you can determine the triggers for your arguments as a whole, you may be able to reverse the issues and get back onto a successful path. If you cannot pick a time when problems started, try to think back to the last time you both were truly happy. You may be able to use that as a building block for happiness in the future."

"It all started when he started teaching this student from Africa. We were happy and after he met her everything went downhill." Rachel spoke out, a little hurt by her own words.

"Mr. Clifford is this true? Do you feel the same way? Your problems started when you let this person into your life?"

Hunter never saw Karishma as a problem infact when she entered his life, she felt like a breath of fresh air. He was used to his routine and it felt nice and adventurous to derail a bit but he couldn't exactly say that out loud. Clearing his throat he nodded.

"Mr. Clifford!! Verbal communication please." Bonnie pushed. In all honesty, Hunter was always the quiet type, he kept most things to himself. He found it hard having to be forced to push out every thought and feeling in front of his wounded wife and a mere stranger."

"...maybe..." Hunter let out.

This only upset his wife. "Maybe? Maybe Hunter are you serious? Do you want to be here or not?"

"Rachel please..." Hunter hissed, annoyed.

"Mr. Clifford, I need more fully explained replies than one worded responses. As a professor I'd expect better response from you but, this is disappointing."

"Noted." Hunter added, realizing he had said a one worded answer. He heaved a sigh and sat up straight. "No, I do not think our problems started because I let this person in my life."

"The problems were already there?" Bonnie questioned.

"I don't know, I don't know what to tell you."

"Just be honest Hunter!" Rachel almost yelled. "Quit these little games, we only have an hour and you want to play these little psychology tricks."

"Fine, look Rach! There were no problems in our marriage everything was perfect but sometimes you happen to meet someone whom you never knew you needed and they just fulfill you."

There was silence. Rachel looked away and blinked a few tears away.

"...you asked for honesty and there it is." Hunter mumbled. Bonnie noted down a few things as the tension rose.

"Alright uhm on a more lighter note, another woman is the problem but moving on. What made you both decide to seek out marriage counseling?" Bonnie questioned. "Be it you were the one who signed up for marriage counseling or you were the one who agreed to come. Find out why your spouse decided to seek professional help, and ask what his or her goals are in this process. Does your spouse want to save your marriage? Is he or she worried about divorce? By understanding why your spouse came to counseling, you may gain a better feel for his or her perspective on your marriage as a whole. Mrs. Clifford why don't you go first?"

Rachel quickly grabbed the napkin that Bonnie had offered noticing her tears were accumulating. Hunter was of no comfort stuck in his own train of thought.

"...I l-love him..." She stuttered, letting out a muffled cry amidst her response. Hunter felt his heart clinch from guilt. She could have said anything but she said she loved him. "I signed up because I love him. He makes me happy. He is the love of my life. He has his flaws but I know who he was when I met him. Who he was when he said his vows on the alter...! Who he was before she poisoned him. I don't want to give up on us or what we've built so easily for a little home wrecker!"

Bonnie gave her an understanding nod. "Mr. Clifford... why did you agree to come?"

It took a while for him to respond but he eventually did. "I don't want to lose her."

"You are not a man of many words are you?" Bonnie attempted to joke. Hunter and Rachel laughed a little.

"...he isn't..." Rachel muttered. "I usually have to force everything out of him."

"Not always." Hunter added jokingly. Finally looking at her, she had puffy cheeks from the crying. His heart leapt out of his chest. Just a glance and he knew, he loved her. He loved this woman as much as he was indecisive. He was not ready to leave her and would likely never. Hunter wiped her tears away and entwined their fingers, comforting her by rubbing circles with his thumb. She always loved this side of him.

The next question caught both of them off guard. "Are You Satisfied Sexually?"

Hunter could only clear his throat. He did not know when was the last time he had touched his wife. Infact he had forgotten that a healthy sex life was suppose to be more frequently than usual.

"When was the last time you both did what lovers do? Look sex may not be the cornerstone of a good marriage, but it can be a key component in the overall success of a relationship. Do not be embarrassed to talk about sex in front of me, especially if it is one of the main issues in your marriage. You can learn how to improve your intimacy and strengthen your marital bonds if you talk about your feelings in an open, honest setting."

"Seven months." Rachel muttered.

Hunter was shocked, his face was clear as day light that he had not expected it to be that long. He thought it had only been a couple of weeks. It was then he realized how much he had abandoned his marriage.

"That's a long wow especially for a married couple."

"... yes..." Rachel laughed her pain away.

Hunter was quietly processing everything.

"When was the last time?"

Hunter did not remember at all.

"He did not spend the night at home and we had an argument as always. It was angry sex, didn't last even ten minutes." Suddenly Hunter started to recall the events. He felt ashamed, how could he have treated her so horridly. She kept pestering him and out of anger he gave in to her on top of the washing machine. He did not even last long, he did not even wait or care for her pleasure or her release. Karishma brought out a different ignorant side of himself that he never knew or acknowledged. Hunter was glad, Rachel did not go into detail.

He could only be glad the hour was over and it was until next time. He felt ashamed, he couldn't even look at Rachel in the eye. He could not believe he had been so blind to her hurt and misfortunes. All he did was see her as a whining unsatisfied wife. He wanted to make up for everything. It was as if when he was with Rachel, the score board went—

Rachel 70%
Karishma 30%

When he was with Karishma, it went—

Karishma 70%
Rachel 30%

As much as Rachel had gone through so much, he knew so had Karishma. They both weren't bad people. Yes, they exchanged bitter words but it was his fault. He was the bad guy, they were both great women.

20 votes + 10 comments
Thanks :)