Regret. (standard:drama, 1440 words)
Author: Raven	Added: Oct 27 2003	Views/Reads: 3195/2043	Story vote: 0.00 (0 votes)
A woman deals with the pain of betraying her husband and the consequences.

Jessica stepped out of the shower and began to towel off, mindful of the
slippery floor tiles. She stood in front of the steam-covered mirror, 
pausing to wipe it off. Jess wanted a clear view of herself to see if 
the bruises on her body were still growing. She stared at her breasts 
in wonderment at the spectrum of purples and blues. 

" Damn." 

Jess sighed and continued to towel off, but just a bit more carefully.
She doubted that careful handling would lessen the marks, but it did 
help with the tenderness. Hopefully in the next few days, she'd not 
feel so sore. It would take more than a few days to heal her heart, 
though. 

Thinking back, she couldn't believe that it had only been twenty-four
hours since everything had begun. Jess closed her eyes, trying to hold 
back the tears that threatened to spill. Why the hell had she broken up 
with Kevin? If only she could take back that phone call... 

Monday morning had crept up on her, like Mondays seem to have a knack
for doing. A whirlwind weekend of fun with 'the girls' had passed far 
too quickly, leaving only regrets. Jess had Candice and Melanie drop 
her off at home late Sunday, much later than she had promised Kevin. 
Remembering that broken promise brought all the pain to the surface and 
she couldn't hold back the burning tears any longer. 

"Kevin, oh god...what did I do to you?" 

Jess broke down, there in the steam and the lies that no shower could
wash away. She dropped to her knees on the mat in front of that mirror 
which only reflected her deceit. The sobs wrenched through her until 
she was finally able to compose herself enough to work her way off the 
floor and down the hall to her bedroom. Jess sat on the edge of her 
bed, the one she had shared with Kevin on Friday. Through the haze of 
her still tear filled eyes; she could make out the photos with her and 
the man she had loved. Nothing would ever be the same again, nothing 
was right. 

After some time, Jess finally convinced herself to get ready for the
day, what was left of it. She unconsciously grabbed an old flannel 
shirt of Kevin's', tucking it in her favorite pair of jeans. It was 
something that connected her to him, even though he was gone forever. 
In the kitchen, the phone rang and she was sure that it was someone 
calling to comfort her, though damned if she wanted to be comforted. 
Jess felt that she didn't deserve the heartfelt care that would be 
raining down on her. After all, if not for her and her betrayal, Kevin 
would still be alive. 

The ring was insistent and she remembered that she had turned the
answering machine off last night. She hadn't wanted to hear him 
apologizing, being recorded so she could play back his voice over and 
over. Now, Jess would have given anything to hear his voice, recorded 
or not. Now, she knew why he had never called. 

Her bare feet made little slapping noises on the wood floor as she
walked to the kitchen to answer the call. Amazing how she noticed how 
quiet it was without him, silent enough to hear the echoes of her 
footsteps. Jess picked up the receiver and punched the talk button only 
to make the phone stop ringing. She had no care of who was on the other 
end; she just wanted this all to be over. 

"Jessica, it's mom. I wanted to talk to you, honey...are you ok?" 

Jess failed to understand the question, no matter how many times she had
asked it herself to others who had just lost a loved one. She couldn't 
understand her answer, either. 

"Yes, Mom. I'm fine. I was just taking a shower so it took a minute to
get to the phone." She took a deep breath hand prepared herself for the 
barrage of questions she knew would follow. 

"Honey, are you sure you're ok? I mean, shouldn't you be in the
hospital? I can't believe the doctors would just let you walk out, that 
accident was horrible...your father and I want you to come home. We'll 
buy you the ticket and help you get everything settled after the 


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