Circle of Deception 2 by M. Skye Page B

you talk about it, it seems like you don’t have any fault in the situation, and I can assure you that you do.”
    Matt looked at Alex like he wanted to kill him. He had been waiting for Alex’s self-righteous attitude to show up, and here it was right on schedule. Just because everything he had been accused of was a lie didn’t mean he could go around trying to trample everyone else. “I know I did this. Unlike you, I messed this up. I know the great Alexander can’t understand how someone could just want a little escape from the life they forged just to see what freedom feels like.”
    “Freedom?” Alex huffed. “Are you saving that you don’t feel free in your marriage?”
    “I feel fine. I sometimes just want to be able to drop it all and say hey, I wanna take my girl shopping in Paris, or I want to whisk her away for a night alone. I want the romance back, it feels like too much of a job now. I can’t remember the last time I had sex with my wife and held her afterwards. Everything we do is so programmed. I feel like I’m forty-five not twenty-five. I just want to get our spark back. I was trying to tell her that, but stupidly I communicated it all wrong. I don’t want a divorce, I want my family, but I want her to let go and give me the girl who used to come in and surprise me in the shower. I want the one who used to wait for me in my office wearing nothing but a smile; I just want us to cherish each other again. I understand that she wants to be an excellent mother, but she sometimes forgets that I need her too.”
    Alex understood where he was coming from, he was trying to avoid the same fate in his marriage. He knew the importance of keeping things interesting and keeping just enough romance and responsibility in their relationship. He now knew exactly what to say to Matt, it was as if he was staring in a mirror.
    “If you want to pick up and go you can, you have the resources and you have family. We would gladly take your daughter when you need a break. I understand that children are hard work. I haven’t had my daughter and son nearly as long as you’ve had Cici and I still get overwhelmed. It’s okay to ask for help, but what you can’t do is tell your wife that you regret the way your life turned out. Did you ever stop to think that she has made the same sacrifices as you? I’m sure she would like to be able to do what Emily and Maddie can do, but she never complains. You married a super hero, man, appreciate it. What you have to do is learn how to tell her what you feel without being offensive.”
    “I know I did, and I didn’t mean for what I said to come off that way. By the time it came out, it was too late to fix it, and now she won’t look at me. Every time I see her now, and see the coldness in her eyes, I want to die, man. I never meant to hurt her, she is the most important woman in the world, and my daughter is the light of my life. I need them both to go on, but I feel like it’s too late. She has her lawyer, and they won’t back down. She wants this divorce like yesterday, I don’t know, maybe I should just give her what she wants.”
    Alex shifted and bucked his eyes in outrage. “You can’t give her what she wants. What she says she wants is you gone for good. You can’t give up on your family. You have to fight for them.”
    “How? How can I prove to her that I’m serious and I want her and my daughter back when she won’t talk to me?”
    “She has to talk to you,” Alex laughed.
    “The mediation?” Matt sighed.
    “Yes,” Alex grinned. “The mediation is where you will strike.”
    “That sounds good and everything, but it won’t be the best environment to discuss staying together with that bulldog she calls a lawyer present.”
    Alex sat back and laughed lightly. “Little brother, you are truly a breath of fresh air, so naive. I’ll handle everything, leave it to me.”
    “What are you going to do, Alex?”
    “You will see. Just remember, when your