Masquerade Ball

She kissed him one last time, it was their final goodbye. For weeks
she'd agonised over her decision, but she knew it had to be done.
Their ten month affair had to end. She would return to her husband,
and they'd go their separate ways. He had fallen head over heels in
love with her, and was heartbroken when she suggested they had to
end their relationship. The thought of leaving her husband and
running away with her much younger lover did cross her mind, but she
ruled by her head not her heart. She enjoyed her lifestyle,
playing the part of a wealthy suburban housewife. Her husband made
his fortune in property, and she'd become accustomed to a lavish
lifestyle. There was no way she would give all that up for a much
younger man who had nothing but good looks and charm to his name.
The only thing she longed for was children, something she knew she
could never have. Her husband also longed for children, but he seemed
resigned to the fact it would never happen. Despite having IVF treatment,
each attempt proved unsuccessful. The affair just sort of happened,
she certainly didn't set out to commit adultery. They met at a
tennis club. It was her husband who encouraged her to take up a
hobby, she needed something to occupy her time.

 
Her lover did all the chasing at first, until she finally relented and
before she knew it she was embroiled in a passionate affair. When
a good looking man half your age pays you a lot of attention, your
self confidence and ego inflates. It was all rather peculiar the way
it happened, she was surprised he even noticed her. Despite the fact
she took good care of herself, she was at least twice his age, with average looks.
Fundamentally she was happy with her husband, although he wasn't the
most affectionate man in the world, he was very generous. However,
lust and greed had got the better of her. Now her lover was
declaring his undying love for her she knew she had to end it, there
was just too much at stake. She would return to her life in the
suburbs and forget all about him.

 
Life carried on as normal, she tried her best to put the past ten months
behind her. No one knew about her affair, it would be something she
would take to the grave. Her lover had almost vanished off the face
of the earth, which perturbed her slightly as he seemed so distraught
at their parting. As usual she was up before the post arrived, as
she sifted through the usual junk mail she noticed a large envelope
addressed to her. As she opened it walking into the kitchen, she
stopped dead in her tracks as she pulled out the contents. The past
had come back to haunt her as she stood clutching a photograph of
herself in a passionate embrace with her ex-lover, her secret was
out. Attached to the photograph was a typed letter, it was succinct
but the message was crystal clear. Whoever sent it was demanding
payment in exchange for more photographs. She read the letter over
and over again, thinking her eyes were deceiving her. Suddenly it
dawned on her that if she didn't succumb to the blackmailers demands,
she would be ruined.

Everything she possessed was paid for by her
husband, she was financially dependant on him. The monthly allowance
he gave her would be enough to cover the blackmailers demands, but
then she would be faced with having no money for the luxury items she
had grown accustomed to buying. Sitting with her head in her hands
at the kitchen table she knew one way or another she was ruined. The
house was deadly quiet, her husband was away in Belgium on a business
trip and not due to return until that evening. She gave the
housekeeper the rest of the day off, she needed time alone to think.
Her husband liked to eat out whenever he returned from a business
trip, so as usual she booked a table at the local Trattoria. She
spent the rest of the day in a daze, she couldn’t eat or drink
anything, her stomach was in knots and her head was spinning. Her
main fear was her husband finding out, there's no way he would ever
forgive such treachery.

When her husband eventually arrived home, she tried her best to act as
normal as possible. They drove to the restaurant and sat at their
usual table. He looked tired and slightly disgruntled, a few wisps
of grey hair had developed at the front of his head. He asked about
her week and commented that she seemed slightly reticent. She was
trying her best to disguise her angst, but he was a very astute man
and she knew she couldn’t keep the facade up for very long. Her
husband usually picked up a small gift for her on his way home from a
business trip; so she didn't think much of it when he presented her with a gift. However it was rather unusual for him to give it to her in  the restaurant, but she was in no position to
comment. Expecting a bottle of perfume from some duty free shop, she
was surprised when he gave her a large white envelope. As he handed
it to her, he turned away from her and poured himself a large glass
of wine. She nervously opened it and to her dismay pulled out some
divorce papers.

Looking rather perplexed, she realised he'd deliberately chosen the restaurant to avoid a scene. He was a man of  few words, but raising his wine glass he just looked at her with a  cold hard stare; “ My darling wife, I know all about your little secret, and the reason I know is because I set the whole bloody thing up. Like a moth to a flame you fell for my trap.”  She could hardly believe what she was hearing, she could hardly catch her breath. The whole affair had been a sham. “So I'm divorcing you on the grounds of adultery. I wouldn't try and contest it, as I have all the photos. Your little toy boy lover was just some actor I hired, he was sleeping with you because I paid him to.”  With her head in her hands unable to look at him, she asked under her breath “but why?” He replied rather abruptly, “why the hell not? I'm a business man, and you've been bleeding me dry for years with nothing to show for it. It was the best plan I could come up with to get rid of you once and for all. I want and need a child, I need someone who can take over the business when I'm dead and buried. You can't give me what I want, so it seems my dear you have become surplus to requirements. 

So my adulterous wife this business partnership is well and truly over.” The words “surplus to requirements” kept ringing in her ears. Although dumbfounded, she knew she had
to pull herself together somehow.  It was then she called over a waiter, gave her husband a bitter look of contempt and said, “a bottle of your most expensive champagne please, it appears we're
celebrating this evening.”