All Chapters of The Texas Mutiny Series: Chapter 141 - Chapter 150

Dishes. Laundry. Diapers. Ugh. The chores are never ending. Today, it's grating on my nerves more than normal and I have no idea why.I've been a stay-at-home mom since Myra was born, and I was a stay-at-home wife before that. So none of this is new.But in some ways, it's all new.I knew when I left Santos life would change, but I think how much it changed is kind of jarring. I knew my life was wrapped up in Santos's job, but I don't think I ever knew how much until it was all gone.Not only do I not go to weekly games most of the year anymore, I don't get invited out by my friends either. I understand why… it's hard to include someone who is no longer part of the Mutiny family. What could I possibly contribute to party planning? I won't be invited to any of the family events. Won't watch the babies I've snuggled grow up. I won't be part of the celebrations. I won't be part of the losses. And how could I be? How would they be able to include Santos's next wife, assuming he were to ge

The shrill noise of the drill makes the kids run away holding their ears, which makes my life easier because they stay away from the front door. The last thing I want right now is for one of them to try and bolt. I'm still feeling too much guilt over Theo getting out the other day.I was nervous to call Santos and tell him what happened. Really nervous. The entire thing was my fault. Distraction is understandable when you're a mom of three small children. But there is no excuse for the amount of emotional distraction I was allowing myself to have. The one good thing about the scare was that it forced me to take a good, hard look at myself and how emotionally stagnant I'd become. It's justifiable to feel anger and betrayal when one finds out their spouse has been unfaithful. But holding onto that anger for so long was a choice I made. Now, I choose to let it go. I choose to not be angry anymore. Regardless, I was still scared to tell Santos.Of course, he immediately put my fears to r

The kids are down for a nap and I have a chance to sit for the first time in hours. The older they get, the more active they are. Especially Lina. Not for the first time, I wish we had a back yard and a swing set for the kids. They've been begging to go to the park all day, but no way. They would probably be fine if I just bundled them up, but I would never get over the chill.Victoria, my friend from the marriage conference, crosses my mind. I haven't talked to her in a few weeks.Picking up my phone, I dial her number and wait."Hello?" she answers, interrupting the third ring."Hey, Victoria. It's Mariana.""Hey girl!" She sounds excited to hear from me, making me smile. Sometimes I forget how little adult interaction I get. It helps having Marcus live next door, but he has a job and a life, too. "How's it going in your neck of the woods?""Surprisingly, not terrible. How's it going over there?" I settle back into the couch, putting my feet on the coffee table."Eh. It's fine. It co

"I'm actually surprised to see you," Justin announces, as he closes his office door and we make ourselves comfortable on the couches.His office is pretty much how I pictured it: homey couch, a couple of chairs, bookshelf full of reference material. The only thing that kind of surprises me is that the chairs are recliners, but I can see how that would put some people at ease. It is a therapist's office after all."I know Santos said you were going to come in, but it's not that often that I see both the ex-husband and the ex-wife."I smile at him. I only met him a few minutes ago, but so far, I like him. He's handsome in a guy-next-door way. He's got a kind face and is dressed in jeans. It's more like I'm talking to a friend than to a therapist. No wonder Santos likes him."I figured Santos and I have to co-parent for the next seventeen years, so we might as well use the same person and stay on the same page for the kids. I mean, that's okay, right?" The thought crosses my mind that may

Applications. Essays. Transcripts. I am up to my eyeballs in paperwork.I lean back in the chair and stretch my arms over my head, pretending not to notice Mari watching my shirt ride up showing a bit of my abs. I cover my smile by leaning my head back and stretching some more. It's a good feeling, knowing she's still attracted to me.As the front legs of the chair land back on the ground, I start watching what the kids are doing. Really watching. I know they've been playing together, but I was so lost in the spider web of online applications that I wasn't really paying attention to their game."What are they actually doing?" I ask Mari. She's sitting next to me at the table on her own laptop, some of her pictures on the screen.Without even looking up at them, she knows exactly what they're doing. "Playing the world's worst game of hide and seek."I focus my attention on the kids again and she's right. It is, in fact, the world's worst version of this game. I watch as Lina hides her e