Free Queen of Pain (Things YouCan't Tell Mama) by D T Pollard

text message saying that he had filed for divorce. I don’t understand,” Tara said.
    “What?! Where did that come from? I mean have you guys been fighting? This doesn’t make any sense,” Ashley said.
    “No. Everything seemed perfect. This makes no sense, unless he met another woman. How could he do this to me? I love him and he said he loved me. We just had our second year anniversary a few weeks ago,” Tara said.
    “He just sent you a text message. What a cold hearted asshole. I didn’t think he was like that. I’m so sorry. What can I do for you?” Ashley asked.
    “Just stay here and sit with me for a while. Just be my friend like you have been since I came here. That’s all,” Tara said.
    Ashley stayed with Tara until after the sun set and finally went home to Frazier. Tara thought about the feelings of betrayal, abandonment and confusion that she felt in her soul. It finally struck home that she had dealt out the same kind of pain to men that loved her over the years. Tara wondered if this was her payback for a certain streak of selfishness that she could not fully admit until that moment. Tara drew her body up into a fetal position and cried like a baby. That night Tara went to sleep in what she felt like was the loneliest bed in the world. The next day Tara still hadn’t heard from Brandon and just as she was about to call him an incoming call came in.
    “Hello,” Tara said.
    “Tara, this is Frazier. Ashley told me what happened. I’m so sorry. Listen, I need to talk to you. Can you meet me for lunch, wherever you want?” Frazier said.
    “Sure,” Tara said.
    Tara selected a restaurant for lunch that was closer to the city and met Frazier there.
    “Frazier what is it? You sounded a little strange on the phone,” Tara said.
    “Well like I said, Ashley told me about Brandon sending you a text message about filing for divorce. I’ve got to warn you that what I’m about to tell you is going to be hard to hear,” Frazier said.
    “What has Brandon been cheating on me with another woman and you knew about it?” Tara said.
    “Well, yes he has been and is still cheating on you with another woman,” Frazier said.
    “Frazier, do you know who it is?” Tara asked.
    “It’s my wife, Ashley,” Frazier said.
    “What?” Tara said with a confused look on her face.
    “Brandon and Ashley have been seeing each other since before he met you,” Frazier said.
    “How could that be happening? Why would you let that happen? She’s your wife and my friend. I’m so confused,” Tara said while holding her head.
    “I found out about six months ago and have been trying to piece everything together. Look at this,” Frazier said as he turned his tablet computer around and pressed play on a video.
    A man and a woman were sitting at a table eating lunch together and they turned and kissed each other. Tara looked closer. It was Brandon and Ashley. The next video showed them walking down the hallway of a hotel and kissing passionately before they went inside. The next video was especially shocking as it was Brandon and Ashley engage in a passionate round of sex in a hotel room.
    “Oh my God! I don’t believe this. Where was this and when?” Tara said.
    “Do you remember that trip Brandon took to California to meet with his west coast team? Well Ashley took a trip to Las Vegas about the same time to visit with some of her old friends out there. Apparently they had agreed that Brandon would make a stop in Las Vegas on the way back and they met up there. I had a private detective on Ashley’s ass and she got all of this footage on them. She even placed hidden cameras in Ashley’s hotel room. I’ve got text messages sent between them before he met you. You see Brandon is a technology genius and knows how to erase his tracks, Ashley, not so much. She thinks that deleting a text message gets rid of it, but her phone is on my account and I requested all of the text messages,” Frazier said.
    “I can’t