Free Betrayal by Isabelle Ali

divorce.”
    “My father was the worst person I’ve ever known in my life. He used to slap her around. One night, he took a baseball bat to her. That was the night she finally called the police. While he was in jail, we fled. I think I was like eight or nine at the time and she asked me where I wanted to go. I said the beach. And she came here. She got a waitressing job the day we arrived and we rented this little studio apartment above somebody’s garage.”
    Elaina stirred her coffee with a spoon. “She sounds like a great lady.”
    “She did everything for me. Her entire life was for me. I haven’t seen her in… I don’t know. Ten years. Since Max was born. She did all that for me and I haven’t even flown out to see her.”
    “Is she alone?”
    She shook her head. “She remarried. In fact she’s got two teenage kids. His, from a different marriage. Maybe that’s why I haven’t seen her. I don’t know.”
    Elaina was silent a long time. “What’s going on, Kal? Why are we here? What happened?”
    Tears tried to push themselves to the surface again and Elaina had to force them away. “I’ve… been having an affair. It’s been over a month now.”
    “With who?” she said breathlessly.
    “You know who. That’s why we’re in Santa Monica.”
    “That artist?”
    She nodded. “It started as… I mean, I didn’t think anything would…”
    “It’s okay,” she said, placing her hand over Kali’s. “I don’t care how many times it’s happened or what’s been discussed or what Adam knows or doesn’t know. What I care about is that it ends right now. Today.”
    “I don’t… I’m so confused . I feel like whichever choice I make I’m going to end up unhappy.”
    “Listen to me very carefully. You have everything a woman could want.” She glan ced away a moment. “Do you know what women would do to have your husband? Your kids? Your life? You’re throwing it all away on a fling. You need to stop. I want you to stop it as soon as you can get a hold of him. And then I want you to tell Adam.”
    Her eyes widened in surprise. That was not the advice she was looking for. Tears began to come again and she dabbed at them with a napkin. “I can’t do that.”
    “Yes you can.”
    “He’ll leave me. He won’t stand for that. And then what? What would I do without my family, Lanie? Where would I go?”
    “ With me. Or on your own. It doesn’t matter. But you have to do it. Sometimes you have to do the right thing no matter how hard it is. And what’s the alternative? To lie to Adam for the rest of your lives? Are you going to have grandkids and still have this huge secret between the two of you? It’ll tear you up inside. You have to tell him. If he’s as great a guy as I think he is… I don’t know. Maybe you guys can work it out. But even if you can’t, it’s better than something built on lies.”
    Kali stared out the window at the ocean. Ever since her mother would bring her there, it always held a fascination to her. Her mother would tell her that our bodies were 70% water, and that we had the same level of salt that the ocean did. That we were deeply connected to it. As a child, it always gave her a sense that there was something greater than herself in the world.
    “ Sebastian’s supposed to be here in twenty minutes so we can talk,” was all she said.
    Elaina held her hand, and they both stared at the waves rolling into shore.

19
     
     
     
     
     
    Larry Stocks finished up his lunch. French onion soup with steak and a side salad. It had hit the spot. He’d spent the last three hours in court for a motion to suppress statements made by his client during a car accident. The injuries were severe enough that he wasn’t pulling any punches. With spine and nerve damage, and an inability to use the index and middle fingers of his left hand, the client was looking at a half million-dollar recovery at least. A third of which went to Larry himself.
    The best part was that the