A murder story - part seven

Hey there. You've found the seventh installment of a work of fiction which I have conveniently left untitled (your title suggestions and comments are welcome!). I began writing this over a year ago but you might be better served by reading the pages in order.

Ready page one of A Murder Story
Ready page two of A Murder Story
Read page three of A Murder Story
Read page four of A Murder Story
Read page five of A Murder Story
Read page six of  A Murder Story

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“I moved out just over three years ago,” Greg quietly stated, “The divorce was final in September of that year.”

“And how long had you been married?” Miranda offered up as she slid forward in her chair.

“Emily and I were married for almost five years. I knew after a couple years that she was fooling around but I thought we could work it out. Obviously I was wrong.” Greg stared off towards the back of the property at nothing in particular.

“Were you upset with her extracurricular activities?” Danny asked in an unassuming tone.

“I kind of suspected it after a few months but put it out of my mind. I traveled a lot for work and just assumed she was keeping busy with friends.” Greg exhaled deeply as he continued, “But about two years in I asked her if she was cheating on me. She denied it but I knew better. I kept asking and as my suspicion built it kind of consumed me. I wasn’t jealous, I guess, but I just wanted the truth. I couldn’t really blame her for cheating -- I was never really there but I still loved her and deep down I knew that she still loved me.” Greg paused as he appeared to get choked up.

“Take your time, we can take a break if you’d like, sir.” Miranda offered up in her most assuring tone. “Can I get you something to drink?”

“No,” Greg said, “I’m alright. I guess I thought I could save the marriage if I was around more. I made some changes at work so I could be home more often. We went on a sort of second honeymoon and that’s when it all came out. I caught her texting some guy. I instinctively grabbed her phone and began reading the texts. After just a few it was obvious that they were doing more than talking. And they were doing plenty right in this house. The house we bought as a married couple. We argued but within a couple days, before the end of the vacation, we agreed to work things out. I felt hurt but knew that we could get though things and make the marriage work.”

Danny scribbled down a few notes as Miranda alternated between glancing around the yard and nodding.

“When we got back home, things seemed better. Emily assured me that it was over with the other guy and apologized, saying that she just found comfort in someone who was always around. That made me change. I opted for a different position at work and was home even more now -- down to traveling only about a month a year. But after a year I started suspecting that Emily was cheating again. She only worked part time in the mornings and was done with her workday before noon. I’d occasionally stop home for lunch or on my way to a meeting across town to see her and just say ‘Hi’ but she was almost never here.” Greg paused and inhaled deeply, sliding forward in his chair. “But one day I left work early and came home to pick Emily up and take her golfing with me. Well, she was in the shower with some guy. I just turned around and walked out. I was disgusted, heartbroken, disappointed -- you name it.”


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Be sure to check back each day for another page of this fictional work in progress.