Hell Of A Marriage
Chapter 24

"Life has taught me that you can't control someone's loyalty. No matter how good you are to them, doesn't mean that they will treat you the same. No matter how much they mean to you, doesn't mean that they'll value you the same. Sometimes the people you love the most, turn out to be the people you can trust the least."

-Anonymous

Brushing aside an odd sensation of uneasiness, Vary gets down from the taxi as it comes to a stop in front of the hospital.

The nervousness grows within her as she walks in, as she wonders what Keenan might say to her when he sees her. She wonders if Keenan would even want to see her, knowing she was the one who left him days ago.

Rejection is the last thing she can take right now and she fears that's what she's going to get and she immediately turns back to leave only to collide with a young man who is also running up the hospital stairs. Vary loses her balance and almost falls to the ground, but for the young man's strong arms. Their eyes meet and Vary notices his brownish blonde hair having the side-blown style, his blue eyes and from what she sees, she can tell he's in his early twenties, but his pencils beard makes it hard to tell the exact age. He helps her back on her feet and she blushes in embarrassment as he gives her a careful look and asks, "Are you okay?"

She nods and then immediately shakes her head making young make frown down at her in confusion. "I don't know if I should be here, to begin with." She mumbles, stepping aside and letting a doctor coming her way to pass by. "I came to see my husband, I just don't know if he'll want to see me." Her voice is weary and unsure at its delivery.

Though it's none of his business he feels inclined to ask, "Well did you two fight?"

"Not really, I left the house and now I'm regretting my action." She reveals sadly. She doesn't know why she's pouring out her heart to a complete stranger, but for an absurd reason, she feels like she can trust him with what she tells him.

He stuffs his hands into his pocket and does a little stretch, "Well same here, I came to apologize to my wife for being a jerk to her. I got jealous and said some things I wasn't supposed to, I have never done that before, I just lost it." He explains in much regret, "I hope she forgives me though."

"She will if you're genuine and promise not to do it again," she replies, based on what she'll do if Keenan came to her with an apology.

He nods, feeling encouraged by her words, they begin to climb up together then he speaks again. "My name is Jack by the way," he offers her his hand and she shakes it.

She offers him a small smile, "I'm Varisha."

..

Keenan sits, staring at Vary's contact number in his phone and he contemplates whether to call her or not. He hasn't heard a thing from her in four days straight and he knows it's unlike Vary not to call, he knows she loves him and can barely control herself around him, but she's proved that she can actually live without him in her life and he doesn't think he likes that one bit. He has to admit that he missed her. He misses the shy smile on her face, he misses the smack tone she possesses sometimes, he misses how nervous she seems to be around him. He misses how she bites her lips when she doesn't know what to say.

He wants her as well and only torturing himself by not reaching out to her and as he almost presses the dial pad, he sees Phoebe walking over to him slowly.

Since the disagreement with Jack, Keenan has avoided Phoebe and anything that involved her and Phoebe notices this as well, but she just wanted to tell him, thank you for everything.

Keenan gets up quickly from his seat, but before he can exit the room Phoebe speaks up. "I just want to say thank you for what you did for Rory."

He pauses and replies, "It's nothing," to her words and he walks on towards the door.

"You don't have to avoid me you know, Jack hasn't come around in two days so your guards do not have to be up." She says half bitter and half sad. She doesn't want to blame herself for her husband sudden change of heart. Maybe she pushed him to snap, but she didn't even see it was a big deal and he made it into one and here they are.

"I'm avoiding problems." Is his simple response.

Her face drops sadly and her voice comes out weak from pain, "You think I'm the problem?"

"No." Keenan shakes his head, as he turns to look at her for the first time in two days. "I don't want what happened to repeat itself, I don't want you falling out with Jack on my account, I don't want him snapping at you because of me." "Because you think it's your fault?"

He shakes his head and takes a step closer towards her, "Because I care about you a lot Phoebe and Jack is right, maybe I need to learn to stay away from other people's women."

She shakes her head, stepping up to where he is, "You don't have to always be the one sacrificing, you don't have to make yourself unhappy just to satisfy someone else." "Phoebe-" he trails off, but she cuts him off

"Rory told me everything," she says, taking another step closer and then gently touches his face with her hand. "You don't have to always be the bad guy."

Hearing her say those words makes him think back to how he may have been if he didn't swear to stay away from Phoebe, maybe he would still be with her, maybe he would have been married to her instead, maybe she would have been pregnant for him and not Jack.

Keenan's hands come up to touch Phoebe hand that is touching his cheeks and he pulls her closer and kisses her lips deeply and hungrily and her lips still taste the same in Keenan's mouth even after many years, but this time almost perfect. She kisses back and wraps her arms around his neck for support as the kiss heat up.

Jack opens the door and stops on his tracks as he sees Phoebe pressed against the wall and passionately kissing Keenan. Keenan holding her close against his body, and Jack's heart almost stops beating at the sight of Phoebe giving herself completely to another man which is his greatest fear comes to life before his face.

"That is my wife," Jack says, more like tries to convince himself as reality unfold before his eyes.

"That is my husband." Vary says at the same time with horror in her voice as she watches Keenan passionately and fiercely kiss Phoebe.

Jack's hand balls into a fist and his face grows red as he watches the two make out before his eyes.

Keenan hands are rough and exploring all over Phoebe's body, from her neck to her butt, claiming her body like it belongs to him.

Every moment Jack spends watching the two, rips his heart out the more he knows this isn't another dream he can just wake from, this is reality and he had expected anything but this.

Vary watches the other woman in horror as Keenan passionately kisses her, this was part of what she expected, but she didn't think he would go after another man's wife. It hurts more because she's not really sure if she has a right to even be sad or angry. "That is my wife you f*****g a*s hole!" Jack shout and launches towards them with his hand already balled into a hard fist.

Phoebe and Keenan pull apart immediately at the sound and Phoebe gasp at the sight of Jack who looks murderous as he storms towards them. Jack throws a punch at Keenan and before Keenan can prepare for it or make a move, Jack fist lands on his face and he stumbles backwards, losing his foot to the ground.

He pauses and replies, "It's nothing," to her words and he walks on towards the door.

"Phoebe is my wife and you f*****g shove your tongue down her throat?!" Jack roars out angrily and wildly.

Phoebe is shocked because he isn't the Jack she used to know he is angry and she has never seen this side of him ever. She's even more shocked at herself for what she was doing with Keenan before Jack walked in on them.

Jack grabs Keenan by his shirt, and delivers multiple punches to his face and then shove a hard kick into his stomach.

Vary watch as Keenan falls to the ground and groan out in pain and she can't help feeling sorry for him even though her heart has been broken in a thousand-piece, on account of what she had seen on her arrival. Nevertheless, she runs over to him and kneels beside him, bringing out a tissue from her small purse and wiping the bloodstain from his mouth and cheeks.

"He may be your husband, but he's a piece of shit!" Jack spit out and casting a hard glare at Phoebe, he leaves the room.

Phoebe runs after him, "Jack wait please, I beg of you wait." Some of the doctors standing by are disturbed by the noise and it shows in their face, but Phoebe can't stop, it seems like her life now depends on it.

Jack halts and turns to her, "What is it you want to tell me?" His eyes are broken and hurt and angry all at the same time.

She opens her mouth, but her brain doesn't find any words to bring up and Jack scoff painfully and shakes his head. "That's what I thought."

Her lips quivers and guilt plagues her heart, "I don't have any excuse, but I'm sorry Jack."

Jack's eye grows glassy, as he tries to keep himself from shattering before her. All he ever wanted was to make a home with Phoebe although that seems like it was never going to happen after they had miscarried two of their unborn babies. The loss of their second pregnancy almost cost them their marriage, he kept having faith and believing, but he realized along the way that he was the only one believing and every day the fact is known to him even more.

"I loved you, I did everything to make you happy, I put you first before everything, hell I came here to apologize for being a d**k and what do I get? You two fooling around in my f*****g face!" He screams at her.

"Jack-"

"I've been a faithful husband Phoebe, I've kept my promises to you and our marriage and I've kept all our vows these past four years irrespective of what the media says, but you were ready to drop yours once you found something that threw my into the second place." Tears run down his face and he shakes his head, "you know I actually prayed for God to save our marriage before coming here and now I think I know what his will is." He wipes his tears off and turning away, he begins to walk down the stairs. "Jack please, don't go." She calls to him, following him as tears run down her face. She kissed Keenan out of foolishness, an old flame she thought still existed, but she knows better now that the old flame is gone between them and she doesn't want Jack to leave her, not now.

He looks back at her, "Isn't Keenan what you have always wanted? The man of your dreams? Well, he's still in there so you can go to him and you two can continue from where I rudely interrupted. Good thing I didn't knock him out like I initially wanted, so if you hurry, you might still find him before his wife takes him home 'cause I'm done with being the second-best, and hell I'm done with you." He climbs down the stairs and walks out of the hospital.