940A/N: This story was born from an idea by Rangersbabe76 on the JE Fanfiction Facebook page. Thanks babe!
This is an Alternate Universe/Reality story, which will ultimately end in a Babe HEA, but for once it's not the main focus of at least the first half of my story. Lots of canon and "fanon" elements have been twisted to suit my story.
Posting on this story will go at a slower pace than my previous stories, but it will still be regular, no worries.
Chapter One
Stephanie POV – October 2, 2022
"Richard, we're leaving!" I called to my husband. I turned to Zoë and said, "Zo-zo, it's chilly outside and you need your mittens. Can you go find them, please?"
"Yes, mama." Zoë sped out of the room and just barely veered out of the way of my husband Richard, who was entering the kitchen.
"Good morning, Muffin." Richard leaned over and kissed me with a brief brush against my lips.
"Morning, Darling. We're just about ready to leave for the aquarium. Are you sure you don't want to come with us? Zoë would love it if you came," I said.
"I'm sorry, Muffin, I have to work. The trial starts in just over a week and we're spending every moment until then preparing our case," Richard replied.
I sighed. "Alright. It's disappointing, but I understand."
Zoë came back in, wearing one mitten and trying to wrestle the other mitten onto her little hand. "Mama, help! I can't get my mitten on!" She was starting to get frustrated, her voice's wobbliness betraying her feelings.
"Sweetheart, come here, let me help you," I smiled at my beloved daughter as I helped her with her mitten and kissed the curls on top of her head. "Say goodbye to Daddy, we're leaving now."
"Goodbye Daddy! We're going to the 'quarium!" Zoë said with a clap of her mittened hands and a giggle.
"Bye, Darling. Don't work too hard." I kissed Richard and ushered my daughter out the front door.
We usually had a great time at the aquarium, looking at all the marine life. Zoë has always loved coming here, and declared she wanted to work with the 'fishies' when she grew up. At four years old, I didn't take her career aspirations too seriously, but I did buy a season pass so we could come here whenever possible.
Zoë started feeling ill about halfway through the aquarium visit so I decided to take her home early so she could have a nap. She fell asleep on the subway, but luckily, our apartment is close to the subway station so I carried her from the station in through the front door of our apartment. Her bedroom was converted from the old dining room near the front door, so after I removed her coat, mittens, and shoes, I laid her down in her bed and closed her door gently. I heard some noises from the other end in the direction of our bedroom and I headed in that direction, thinking Richard must've come home early from the office.
When I got closer to the door, I heard moaning and our bedsprings squeaking. A pit formed in my stomach and though I knew what I'd see when I opened that door, I couldn't make my feet stop moving closer, despite my brain screaming for them to stop. Everything felt like it was moving in slow motion when I opened the door to our bedroom and found Richard having sex with our nanny Athena. She was on her knees facing the doorway and Richard was standing next to the bed, bending over her, thrusting into her from behind, gripping her hips tightly and grunting loudly. I gasped and Richard and Athena looked up, Athena letting out a shocked, "no!" while Richard looked almost smug.
"You're home early, Muffin," he said calmly as he stilled his movements but made no attempt to move away. "We're almost done here."
My vision started to blur as I saw spots forming, making my head swim. I shook my head, willing myself to calm down and focus. I picked up the jewelry box from the chest of drawers next to where I stood and threw it at him, narrowly missing him as it smashed into the wall next to him. I spoke in a low, deadly voice, "Athena, get dressed and get out of my house. Do not ever come back. Richard, pack your shit and get the hell out. I am filing for divorce. And don't either of you wake Zoë or you will regret it, I promise you."
I turned on my heel and marched down the hall towards my daughter's bedroom, opening her door quietly before closing it and sinking to the floor. I watched my sweet baby sleep as I tried to get myself back under control. Just watching her sleep was enough to calm me down no matter what I was feeling, and I often tiptoed into her room to watch over her and assure myself she was safe and happy.
I heard Athena's distinctive gait accompanied by the clacking of the block heels she favoured as she hurried down the hall before our front door opened, then shut. I closed my eyes briefly. I can't believe my husband was fucking the nanny. How cliché, I thought. Only five years into our marriage, I had thought we were blissfully happy. Sure, he works long hours as a lawyer for a big firm downtown, but he came home every night and we had a beautiful daughter we both adored. Our sex life was generally healthy, though I guess it had tapered off a bit lately. I just assumed that it was down to our busy lives and figured it'd get better again.
Though Athena is about five years younger than me, I think I can still hold my own. I still have a pretty good figure, thanks to a combination of genetics, running around after a toddler-turned-energetic little girl, and the gym time I logged after work three times a week. My hair is as curly as ever, but my hairstylist introduced me to some magical hair goo, and it tames the curls into something more manageable. My eyes are bright blue and my nose is small and adorable.
I sat there for ten minutes more, my breathing slowing to match Zoë's. Finally, I heard Richard's soft footsteps coming closer. I held my breath for a moment, relieved to hear the front door open again and then shut, the quiet left behind assuring me my husband had left without further comment.
I stood as quietly as I could and crept closer to Zoë's bed, laying my hand lightly across her forehead. No fever, so the stomachache she complained of was probably due to the hotdog I bought her from the cart outside the aquarium. I snuck out of the room and went to the kitchen, dropping myself into a stool at the counter as I buried my head in my hands.
What the hell am I going to do now? Betrayed in the worst way by the man I loved and trusted to never hurt me. The look on his face when I walked into that room and saw him. He looked almost pleased with himself. I don't think I can ever forget that look. I wanted to punch his stupid smug face.
My nanny. Another person I trusted with my precious daughter; a responsibility not offered to just anyone. I can't afford this apartment by myself, and I have no one else to watch my daughter or take her to preschool when I go to work.
I sighed and picked up the phone to call my sister. Maybe she'd have some advice. One thing I know: I can't fall apart when Zoë is counting on me.