The Woman in the Cave

"Wow. That's great Bran." I said with admiration. I honestly meant it. I did feel a sense of jealousy hearing how she helped him achieved his dream in ways that I didn't. She truly motivated him by believing in him to a point that she made it her mission to help him succeed. She didn't just tell him the errors in his dream; she showed him how to fix them.

When I was driving here, I didn't know what to expect from our conversation. A part of me hoped that he wasn't seeing anyone. I was a bit disappointed to find that out.

But, it was also a huge weight off my shoulders. It was nice to see him happy. There was something about him now that was so different than when we were married; a swagger that a man has when he knows that he's doing something he's good at. He was the Brandon that I knew he could be.

"Peyton sounds wonderful." I said as I grabbed his hand that was on the table.

"Thanks Kat. That means a lot." When I finally pulled my hand back, he asked, "So, what about you? How have you been? Anybody special?"

I shook my head. "Nah, no one special. But I did quit working at the firm."

"What? Why?"

"It's kinda a long story. The short version is they passed me over for Senior Partner."

He shook his head. "Damn, Kat! I know how hard you were working for that! Well, in my opinion, they lost out big on that one." He said. I honestly believed that he was being genuine.

"Yeah, well. Shit happens, you know? But I quickly got a job with another firm. I took a little bit of a pay cut, but it was hardly noticeable since my ex-husband was a stubborn butthead who refused alimony!"

"You're welcome." He joked smugly.

"Whatever! Anyway, I'm really focused on my career, right now. There is a lot more upward potential where I'm at, and I'm determined to make it happen. That leaves no room for a relationship. If Mr. Right comes along, then fine. If he's happy taking a backseat to my goals, we can give it a go. But I'm not on the search. I'm good where I'm at." I said with a smile.

He nodded and gave me a look that told me he was genuinely happy for me. "Good."

We talked for another couple of hours. We talked about everything. He told stories about the new people in his life, I told him about a few cases I was working on. Like I said before, he was a very good conversationalist.

I was disappointed when it ended. I didn't want to leave him. If I was being honest with myself, a large part of me missed him and what he brought to my life. Me andthisBrandon could've definitely made a better go at it. But he was happy in the new life that he found. It suited him well, and I was happy for him.

As I drove home, I felt better than I had in a long time. I knew that Brandon had forgiven me, which went a long way to helping me forgive myself. I may have been his girl in the cave, but that wasn't the end of it for either of us. A person who lives life to the fullest is one who learns from the past, lives in the present, and plans for the future.

What more can you ask for?

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Cameo Characters:

Dr. Beth Carter from "To Have and To Cuckold"

Terry Ross from "The Selfish Spouse" and "Imbalance"

Author's final thanks:

Thank you all for reading. And I want to thank my editor Nonethewiser who was able to help me once again. He was busy for my last few submissions, and he was sorely missed. The work he does and the tips that he gives me are phenomenal. I can't thank him enough.

Any mistakes that are made when transferring his corrections to my work is not a reflection on him. Readers often blame the editor when they find mistakes, but I think that is unfair. Even after the editor makes corrections, the writer still has to transfer them to the story. The writer makes the final decision on which corrections will be used, and which ones will be ignored. The only story that I have used all of my editor's corrections was "Cheating Bastard", and that was because it was just as much his story as it was mine. Nonethewiser is truly a good friend.

Also, I reached out to Luedon to pre-read my story and give me tips on my female characters. Writing from a woman's point of view is tough. She was unable to help me, but I wanted to give her acknowledgment anyway for considering it. Thank you Lue.