15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

Ava

Well, the promise I made to myself lasts only a few more nights.

Sam continues to work even later each night. And, when I find to go out and actually live my life, she gets upset with me. Feeling frustrated, I find myself out with a few friends having drinks at a bar just down the block from our penthouse.

As I gulp down my second glass of wine, my friend, Sarah, watches me with concerned eyes.

"Maybe you need to slow down," she suggests.

Shaking my head, I place my now empty glass on the table. "No, I need to forget about my worries," I sigh.

Sarah tucks a strand of her brown hair behind her ear. We had met a week ago while I was enjoying an evening walk on the beach. She had been out with her kids and adorable boxer puppy. The dog, Winnie, had ran up to me and I had loved the puppy's kisses. We started chatting and found that we had both lived in Seattle at one point in our lives. She had quickly become a friend, and I enjoyed hanging out with her. Tonight, her husband had taken their kids to go see a movie and I now felt guilty that she was listening to me whine and complain about my relationship.

"Maybe you just need to talk to Sam," Sarah offers.

"I want to, I really do, but she just doesn't understand. It's lonely being home by myself. I work from home, so I need human interaction sometimes," I say.

Sarah nods. "I really do know what you mean. I didn't work the first few years after the kids were born. It was a struggle trying to find time for myself and not feel lonely while my husband was at work."

I appreciate her sympathy and listening.

"I love her, but I just don't know how much more of her jealous behavior and loneliness," I admit.

My own grief is consuming me. I know I can't go on like this much longer. I need to talk to Sam and figure out what I am going to do.

We have one more round of drinks before I cut myself off from alcohol. As I leave the bar that night, I decide that I have to take Sarah's advice and come clean with Sam about how I'm feeling. I just don't know if we can make it past this or not.