His Dark Secret 5

Monica gasped. "Oh, no!"

Emma nodded. "Oh, yes. Every morning, after Ben left for work, she would leave the children with me and go out whoring. I could smell it on her when she came back home. I do not know how many different men she was with, but I am sure it was more than one. She was out sleeping around when Karl died."

"I don't believe it!"

"It is true. Wyatt and Karl came home from school and went outside to play. I was busy taking care of Lolly inside. Karl ran out in front of a car, and the driver couldn't stop in time. I heard the horn and ran outside, and there was my sweet Karl, lying there so still, with blood gushing from his head."

She began to cry, and Lolly grew anxious and patted her arm. "Please don't cry, Grossi!"

Monica felt very awkward, unsure of what to do. Several passersby gave the group questioning looks. After awhile, Emma blew her nose and then continued her story.

"The police came, and someone called Ben at work. Both of us tried over and over to call Amelia, but all we could get was her voice mail. Several hours later, she arrived in a taxi. By then, it was all over with."

"Karl was my big brother, but he died," Lolly told Monica. "I don't remember him. I was too little. Daddy and Wyatt talk about him sometimes, and I've seen pictures of him."

"That must have been such a sad time for your family," said Monica.

Lolly nodded. "Uh huh. I used to have a Mami, too, but she died. Now I just have a Daddy and a Grossi."

"Poor little girl!" Monica stroked the child's hair.

"It's all right," said Lolly. "I'm used to it."

For the rest of that day, Monica pondered the revelations of that trip to the supermarket. She'd been right - Amelia had been a far different kind of wife than she herself had been. In all the years she'd been married to Walter, she'd never been unfaithful to him. And to have neglected her children so much one had actually died because of it! How could Amelia have lived with herself after that?

Perhaps her fall into the path of the train hadn't been an accident, after all. Maybe she'd felt so much guilt she hadn't been able to live with herself.

There was still the matter of Ben's having beaten her up the night before her death. Monica could certainly understand how, already being eaten up with grief, he'd responded with anger at the news of his wife's unfaithfulness.

Did that justify what he'd done? Maybe not, but Monica had already seen his sorrow and remorse at his wife's death. Undoubtedly, he'd loved her and sincerely regretted his actions.

She couldn't wait for a chance to discuss the subject with him.

He was in a good mood when he got home that evening, but with Wyatt and Lolly around, she couldn't discuss such private matters with him. She had to wait until they were lying in bed together that night.

"Your mother told me a lot of things about Amelia while we were shopping together in the supermarket this morning," she said.

"And what did she say?"

"She said after you went to work every morning, Amelia just dumped the kids on her and went out and cheated on you."

"That's true."

"She said Amelia was out cheating on you the day Karl died."

"I could never prove it," said Ben. "But I do know Lolly isn't my child."

"I thought she looked too dark to come from you and Amelia."

"I have no idea who her biological father is, but I've always loved her as if she were my own."

"How did you find out? That Amelia cheated on you, I mean."

"It was Marian. She spent a lot of time with us after Karl died. One day, she was commenting on how different Lolly looked from me. I'd always claimed it was a throw-back to a relative of mine, but on that night, I realized I was in denial. I did not want to believe she would do that to me, so I made up excuses.

When I realized I had to face the truth, that was when I lost it. It was just all too much - first Karl, and then this. I swear to you, Monica, that was the first and only time I ever hit my wife."

Monica cuddled closer to him. "I believe you."

The following Saturday, Monica said goodbye to Ben, Wyatt, and Lolly at the airport.

"I really enjoyed my stay," she told them.

"We enjoyed having you," said Ben. "I hope you will visit again in the summer, with your family."

"I'd love to. I remember how well Ryder and Lolly got along in California. I know both my grand kids would enjoy a visit to Switzerland."

She found it surprisingly hard to say goodbye to Ben. After almost a month of being with him day and night, the return to her solo life would seem lonely and cold.

Oh well, summer will be here soon, she told herself as they kissed goodbye.