So, when her old lover showed up, I was supposed to play the good host, buy him food and drinks, or risk being labeled petty and narrow-minded.
Fury ignited inside me. Without thinking, I hurled the vase off the coffee table, sending it crashing to the floor.
"Reese, you're cheating on me, and I’m the narrow-minded one? Then tell me, what the hell does being open-minded even look like?"
"A threesome? He gets the first half of the night, and I get the second? Or maybe I take Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, and he gets Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays, and on Sundays, you get to choose?"
Seeing my face red with anger, my finger pointed directly at her, Reese snapped. She dropped the towel from her hands and fired back, her voice a sharp blade.
"Matteo, you’re disgusting! When did you turn into this filthy, vile person? I work so hard for this family, and this is what’s going through your head? Are you even human?"
It was the first time since our marriage that we’d had such a heated argument. A shouting match that rattled the walls.
Suddenly, Reese stopped yelling. I followed her gaze, and at the doorway stood a tall, handsome white man and two identical little boys.
That was the first time I laid eyes on Evander. Just like the pictures on her social media, she was handsome, with a bright smile, radiating strength and masculine energy.
And then there was me.
Red-eyed, haggard, hair a mess, thin as a rake, my clothes wrinkled from the drunken sleep I’d had on the couch the night before.
I was clearly the inferior one.
Evander stood there, shrugging helplessly, and opened his arms.
"Reese, I really didn’t mean to cause trouble. I’m so sorry."
He said this as he took the boys' hands and turned to leave.
Reese panicked, rushing toward him and hugging him from behind.
"Evander, I won’t let you leave!"
Evander turned around, wrapping her in his strong arms. He kissed her forehead gently, speaking in a soft, reassuring tone.
"Reese, did I make things hard for you?"
"But the kids really missed you. All hurt his head, and I couldn’t calm him down."
Only then did Reese notice the bandage on one of the boy's heads. He looked up at her with a pitiful expression.
"Mommy, my brother hit me."
Reese's heart melted instantly. She scooped him up, cradling him in her arms.
"Sweetheart, I’m so sorry. Mommy didn’t take care of you properly."
She ushered them into the house, her warmth evident.
Evander stood by the door, his blue eyes twinkling with indifference as he smiled at me.
"Matteo, sorry for the intrusion. I brought you a gift from Italy."
He unrolled a painting with casual grace.
In the painting, lush green grass spread out beneath a towering tree, its thick branches casting a vast shadow.
Beneath the tree, a thin, weary-looking donkey lay sprawled.
My pupils dilated. I hadn’t expected such a sly move; this was a direct insult and a mocking gesture.
Reese, her face lighting up, placed the boy down and exclaimed with delight.
"Evander, how thoughtful! A gift!"
She kissed him lightly on the cheek as if rewarding a child.
"You Americans really value relationships. Your family is my family, too."
Evander chuckled, slipping his arm around her waist. Lowering his head, he kissed her deeply.
Right in front of me, they showed me what a true Italian kiss looked like.
Five long minutes ticked by before Reese pulled away, her face flushed with the heat of the moment. She straightened up, annoyance creeping onto her features.
"Look at Evander. Why can't you learn from him? He's attentive, considerate, everything you aren't."
I let out a bitter laugh, grabbed the painting, and ripped it straight down the middle, then tore it again, just to be sure.
Reese’s eyes widened, her face paling as her anger quickly swelled.
Evander's expression was unreadable, his usual calm demeanor faltering ever so slightly.
Without warning, Reese rushed at me, her palm connecting with my cheek in a sharp slap.
"Matteo! How could you humiliate Evander like that? What do you think I am to you?"
"Evander kindly brought you a gift, and you tore it up right in front of him. Do you even have a shred of dignity left? You've really disappointed me."
I fixed my gaze on Reese and pointed at Evander.
"Reese, now that everyone's here, let's settle this once and for all. Do you want him or me?"
"If you want me, then tell your ex-lover to take his illegitimate kids and leave the country. Never see them again."
Reese stared back at me with cold eyes.
"What if I choose Evander?" she asked, her voice steady.
I froze, the words momentarily stuck in my throat. After a long silence, I finally spoke.
“Then let's get a divorce. I'll step aside for you two."
Reese lifted her chin, her gaze sharp.
"Do you have to make a scene, Matteo? Do you have to drive Evander and the kids away?"
I met her eyes, unwilling to argue any further.
The room fell into a heavy silence.
Reese took a deep breath, pulled a blue marriage certificate from her bag, and slammed it down on the table in front of me.
"Evander isn’t a third party. He’s my legal husband overseas. If anyone’s leaving, it's you."
