Chapter 1

That evening started like any of the rare evenings when Victoria was going out with her friend Julia. Once again Julia needed cheering up; one of her numerous boyfriends had ditched her for someone more suited to him. The kids were at her folks', so she knew she didn't have to worry about them for the night, and her husband was on another one of his business trips. Victoria knew she could enjoy herself and be as silly as she wanted to be.

The two women had gone out to dance at the 'Lovers, ' Victoria never really understood why Julia always insisted to go to that place every time one of her boyfriend ditched her. It was a true 'meat market' in Victoria's opinion! They had a few drinks — well, more than a few in Julia's case — and they had already decided that Julia would spend the night at Victoria's house.

The two women made their way back home in the early morning hours, Julia drunker than Victoria, and began to get ready to go to bed. They were drinking one last cup of coffee when Julia dropped a bomb on Victoria's 'perfect life.'

"Hey girl, you know that Daemon is a damn good fucker!"

"What?" Victoria didn't know what to think of that comment. "What did you say?" Was she drunker than she thought? Could she believe what she had just heard or was the booze affecting her hearing too? Could it be possible that Daemon, HER Daemon, had cheated with Julia? Was Julia taking her dreams for reality and in her inebriated state think it was true?

"Uh... nothing... nothing at all, I'm drunk and sleepy. I'm going to bed."

After a night spent tossing and turning, Victoria started to wonder if she was going crazy. She thought back to all those evenings together when Daemon had told her he was working late. What was the truth?

She stumbled into the kitchen, started the coffee, and slumped into a chair at the kitchen table. She and Julia would have to have a talk when Julia finally got out of bed. The uncertainty was worse than knowing what was real and what wasn't.

Victoria determined to put it out of her mind until Julia got up. She thought mindless chores might lull her busy mind, and went from washing the dishes to putting a load of clothes in the washer, to sweeping and mopping the floor. Anything would be better than thinking about what Julia had said.

At 11:00 a.m. Julia finally emerged from the bedroom, looking worse than a corpse on holiday and saying she was feeling kinda sick to her stomach. Victoria fixed her a cup of coffee, gave her some antacid and made sure she was comfortable and feeling better before asking what she was dying to know.

"Julia, you know last night... what you said... what did you mean?"

Julia looked like a deer suddenly caught in headlights. "Last night? What about last night? I'm not even sure I remember going to bed."

Victoria busied herself in the kitchen, wiping the counter for the umpteenth time that morning; anything to keep her from looking at Julia and see the truth in her eyes.

"Well you told me that Daemon was a damn good fucker. What was it? Imagination on your part? Booze talking? What?"

"I said WHAT?" Julia looked up from her coffee cup, eyes wide and startled.

"Yeah that's what you told me... exactly!"

"Uh... Uh... well... uh... you know... uh..." Julia's gaze dropped back to the table and Victoria's stomach sank. For her friend to look that guilty there had to be something more behind last night's statement than imagination.

"Julia! Did you or did you not mean it?"

"Uh... well... Vickie... you know... uh..."

Victoria sat next to Julia and placed her hand on Julia's arm. "Julia, please don't make me beg to get an answer out of you."

"Vickie, you know I love you like a sister..." Julia began.

"Yeah I know, and if you really love me you're gonna tell me the truth!"

Julia got up from her chair and walked to the coffee maker, pouring herself another cup. "Uh well, yeah... I've had sex with Daemon."

That moment, that exact moment seared itself like acid into Victoria's brain. Her world fell apart with just those words. She didn't want to hear anymore but she needed to know the whole truth.

"Okay you had sex... once? It was something that just happened; a mistake and you regret it now, don't you?"

Julia looked ready to flee, "Vickie, do we really need to dissect the whole situation? I told you what you wanted to know; can't you just leave it at that?"

"Julia! I need to know. I want you to tell me all of it. Was it just one time?"

Julia gulped her coffee down, grimacing at the heat, rinsed her cup out, then turned to Victoria; arms folded in front of her chest, and finally answered her. "Not exactly. For the past six months we've been having sex twice a week."

Victoria's sight dimmed, then became steady again. "What?"

"Wait, listen, what's wrong with that? Daemon told me you were leaving each other soon; that you were only living with each other for the sake of the kids."

The strength left Victoria's legs, and she sat down, hard, in her chair. "How could you do that to me? How could you hurt me like that and still look at me in the eye and tell me you love me like a sister? God, I knew you were a slut and opened your legs for any man but I never thought you'd ever set your sights on my husband! Why didn't you come to me and ask me how I felt about it? Why didn't you even bother to find out whether what Daemon told you was true or not?"

Victoria sat still for a moment, and then in a quiet voice said, "You have five minutes to get your things and get the hell out of my house. Forget I exist, forget my address, my phone number... forget my name. I don't ever want to see you again. You BITCH!"

She couldn't believe what she had just heard from Julia, her best friend. The one person she had always been able to tell everything to, had betrayed her without even seeming to understand the pain she was causing her. Victoria couldn't begin to understand how Julia could have done that to her. Julia was there when she and Daemon were married, and she knew how much Victoria loved him. Victoria could have forgiven a one-night-stand but not an affair of that magnitude.

"I was there for you... always there for you." Victoria muttered under her breath. Whether it had been picking up the pieces when one of Julia's boyfriends would ditch her for someone better, more intelligent, classier, or when people would pass judgment unto Julia's life. Victoria had always been on her side, and this was how she repaid Victoria's friendship and loyalty!