2

“Happy birthday, Vanessa!”

I let out a shout of excitement.

All the employees of the company were there, with smiling faces for my birthday.

On the desk sat a huge cake with the number twenty-eight on it. 

I've been going through so much stress lately that I had forgotten it was my own birthday. 

“Happy birthday to the best boss ever!” shouted Brandon, smiling.

And there was something about that smile that mesmerized me for a few moments. 

Something was going on with me lately.

“We should have an even bigger party than this!” suggested one of the employees. A collective sound of approval echoed through the place.

“Thank you guys so much, I really appreciate it, but this is more than enough for me.”

“What was that, did I hear someone say they want a big celebration at Brandon's house?”

“No, Brandon, I...”

“Then so be it! A big celebration at Brandon's house it is!”

I knew I didn't have the option to say no.

***

I gave myself a glance in the mirror, for the first time in over six years I could say I actually looked beautiful. My blood red hair built in curls matched perfectly with my long, black dress.

For an instant, I wondered if Brandon would find me beautiful, but soon I instantly reproached myself for thinking that way. There was definitely something wrong with me lately.

I raised my eyes as I felt my husband enter the room. 

I hadn't stopped to think about what gift he might have for me.

“Where so dressed up?” he asked, serious, almost angry.

“Don't you know what day it is today?”

“Monday?” he replied, laughing.

I swallowed hard. I didn't expect anything from him but Bill always disappointed me.

 “You really don't remember what day it is?”

“No, is it really that important?”

“You don't know who's birthday today?”

“I have no idea. I don't keep track of anyone's birthday, Vanessa.”

I was silent for a few moments. I didn't intend to insist that he remember that, if he didn't remember it was the birthday of the woman he'd been married to for eight years, that was his problem. 

“So, won't you tell me who's birthday it is today, Vanessa?”

“It's my birthday today, Bill.”

My husband's face showed barely any surprise.

“Gee, I forgot, love.”

Bill walked over to me and left a half-hearted kiss on my cheeks.

 “Happy birthday, beautiful.”

Maybe my rejection was awakening Bill's need to be sweet, but something had died in me. I no longer had hope for my own marriage.

 “I have to go,” I announced.

“Where are you going?”

I took a deep breath.

 “Don't wait up for me.”

And before he could threaten me, I fled that mansion. 

***

I had never felt all that fun in my whole life.

A whole party dedicated to me. I had never experienced it.

As the party went on, the drinks got bigger and bigger.

I don't consider myself the kind of person who drinks too much, but on that day I told myself that I should stop going according to the limits that my husband had imposed on me, since he was the one who had told me that ladies didn't drink. 

“To hell with my asshole husband,” I said, asking for more and more liquor to be served to me.

And as I drank more, my surroundings became more and more of a blur, until the drunkenness soon took such a hold of me that I ended up sitting on the lawn of Brandon's house, then I lay down, the alcohol coursing through my veins as the blood itself would. 

BRANDON'S POV:

Vanessa raised her buzzed eyes as she heard me approach. She could barely discern that it was me, who was a little less buzzed than she was.

“The life of the party” she muttered.

I awkwardly sat down on the grass next to the gorgeous woman.

“You're supposed to be the life of the party, Vanessa.”

“I don't feel too good to be the life of the party” she laughed.

“You're buzzed.”

“No, no...” she assured, “I'm going home to sleep.”

But she could barely conjugate words.

I refused to let her go in that state, anything could happen to her and I would not forgive myself. I wouldn't forgive myself for the most beautiful woman I know getting hurt because of me.

 “You can't drive, Vanessa. I'll drive you to where you live.”

“I told you I'm fine,” she assured me, trying to get to her feet, but falling immediately.

I laughed, carried her in my arms and carried her toward my car. 

I placed Vanessa in the passenger seat and began the trip.

Because of business matters, I know where she and Bill lived, which was a benefit because she seemed incapable of giving directions.

 “I'd like to get naked right now” muttered the buzzed woman suddenly.

“Please don't” I laughed “I want to outlive your husband”.

“My husband doesn't care about anything I do, I could fuck you right now and he wouldn't do anything”.

I felt a fire sweep through my body as she said that, but I chose to keep silent.

The rest of the trip was filled with Vanessa complaining about her unhappy marriage until we arrived at the house.

I loaded her out of the car and carried her to her front door.

 “I have to drop you off here,” I told her, once we were both at the door.

“Take me inside, Brandon.”

“I don't think that's the right thing to do...”

“Take me inside! I'm freezing cold out here!”

I sighed, I was exhausted, I felt the drunkenness slowly overcoming me.

“Keys?”

Vanessa searched haphazardly through her huge purse until she finally came up with them.

I entered the mansion with her. 

She pointed me towards where her room was located. Once there, she laughed as she saw that her husband had been drinking.

Without thinking, she offered me the bottle of pure vodka.

'I shouldn't drink' I thought, but those eyes drove me out of my mind, so I ended up accepting the liquor.

But as I finished drinking, I felt my body getting heavier and heavier.

“I'll leave you on the bed” I told her, I was barely able to move, I felt so clumsy, I could barely see the way and when I tried to move away from the bed, my body ended up giving way and falling on top of hers. 

I tried to stand up, but the vodka was stronger than me.

And after a few attempts, I simply gave up and fell asleep on top of her.

That changed both of our lives forever.

VANESSA:

Sunbeams collided sharply on my face and it was this that caused me to wake up. 

As I tried to open my eyes, a headache hit me so violently that I was forced to lie still for a few moments. It was too much pain for me. I had never been hung over like that before. 

“I'll never drink again” I thought, trying to get out of bed and barely making it.

The last thing I remembered was Brandon collapsing on top of me.

I immediately blushed, also worrying. 

I started looking around for Brandon, but only found all my belongings thrown on the floor. 

The room was trashed, even the mirror was broken, as if someone had fought in there.

I swallowed dryly, sitting down for a moment and trying to analyze what could have happened. 

My head could only think the worst.

I wanted to think that Brandon had left in the middle of the night and nothing had happened.

But I had given him vodka, he had fallen just as buzzed as I had. Drunkenness like that didn't allow you to recover in such a short time.

I swallowed with concern.

Finally, I found the courage to go downstairs.

As I did so, I met my husband, who was smoking a cigarette and had some documents resting next to him.

That could only mean one thing....

I cleared my throat as I made my way down the stairs.

The closer I got to my husband the more I could see his wounds and bloody knuckles.

 “Vanessa Collins, I want the divorce.”