Open Marriage: It Takes Two To Tango

"Can we start with the bad part?"

The speakers were blaring the latest hip-hop song of the month. Colored neon lights flickered as the clubbers cheered and tore up the dance floor in their skimpy, flashy, and expensive clothes.

Everyone dancing was booed up. The ladies rocked their partners like there was no tomorrow. At the bar, drinks flowed like water. There were bottles of booze and tequila shots lined up on the counter. The bartenders did their magic as the DJ did his.

On the balcony was a VIP lounge that gave a clear view of the dance floor. Three men in well-ironed shirts and pants sat around a table. In the middle was a man who had his sleeves rolled up. He picked up a glass and gulped down its contents. As he poured himself another glass of bourbon on the rocks, his hand was grabbed.

"That's enough, dude. You have had three glasses already," his friend said, reaching out to grab the bottle.

Scott Brown gave him a stink eye and said, "Get your hands off me." With that, he yanked his hand away and downed another glass. He had a high tolerance for alcohol, but he was already feeling intoxicated at the moment.

His other friend, Anthony James, set down his glass of wine and leaned forward. "Come on, Scott. Drinking won't solve anything. You know that, don't you?"

Scott slammed the glass on the table and clenched his fists while gritting his teeth. "I should have punched that asshole in the face. You guys should have seen the smirk he gave me. And Zara, she didn't even acknowledge my presence at all. She just got into his car and he drove off. Gosh, I hate her so much!"

"No, you don't!" Leonard Walter, who had barely gotten over the shock of being shouted at, piped up. "You might not be in love with Zara, but you don't hate her."

Scott flared up immediately. "Shut up! That's not the point. The point is she brought her little boyfriend to the house!"

"If you ask me, that's kind of your fault. Didn't you say that Cora sometimes spends the night at your house?" Anthony chimed in. "As far as I know, no woman would be happy that her husband brings his ex-girlfriend home."

"Point of correction, Cora is not my ex-girlfriend. We were kids at the time. That's all," Scott rebuffed, pouring himself another drink.

He then looked at his friends. "Come on, guys. You are supposed to be on my side. Tell me what to do to get rid of that idiot sticking to my wife!"

"Ermm... I think that's going to be very difficult," Anthony said, his eyes somewhere else.

Scott sharply turned to him. "And why is that?"

When he didn't get a response, he followed his friend's line of vision. What he saw next caused a grenade to go off inside him.

On the dancefloor was his wife, Zara Hall. She was twisting her body with reckless abandon. A familiar man had his hands on her thin waist. Her eyes were closed and she had one of her hands up in the air. The dress she had on was so skimpy. It set off her curves and cleavage.

Scott was about to pop a vein at the sight of this. "Argh! I'm gonna kill him!"

Before his friends could react, he rushed downstairs. He boldly nudged people out of his way with his eyes still on the duo in the middle of the dancefloor.

The second he got to them, he grabbed her man by the collar and punched him in the face. Finally, Zara opened her eyes in horror. Without glancing at her, Scott pounced on the man who was already sprawled on the floor and holding his bloodied nose.

"You freaking idiot! How dare you touch my wife like that? I'm gonna kill you today!" Scott cussed out as he landed punches on the man's face. His anger completely blinded him at this moment.

As blood gushed out of the man's nose, someone screamed, and then another. The crowd soon moved backward, leaving the two men in the middle.

"Stop it, Scott! Stop!" Zara screamed, grabbing her crazy husband. Her fingers sank into his skin, but he didn't budge. A group of fierce bouncers came and yanked Scott up with great effort.

The beaten man coughed out blood on the marble floor. Seeing this, Zara ran to him and squatted. "Are you okay? Oh, my God!"

This made Scott even angrier. He broke free from the bouncers' grip and grabbed his wife's wrists.

"Let me go!" she screamed as he dragged her out of the club. Her words fell on deaf ears.

Scott dragged her all the way to the parking lot and shoved her into his Rolls-Royce. With a hard face, he locked her in before turning around and getting in the driver's seat.

Zara became a little calmer when he drove out of the club's premises. She folded her arms and frowned at him. A weighted silence fell in the car.

Scott went past the first red light and stepped on the gas. He swerved past many of the vehicles on the highway. Afraid, Zara held the handhold on the roof of the car. "Slow down! Please!" she cried when she saw that he was doing 120.

Again, he turned a deaf ear to her. Zara held on for her dear life until the car pulled up at their home. She got out and threw up in a hibiscus flower vase.

"I don't want to ever see you with that guy!" Scott ordered as soon as she walked into the living room.

Zara wiped her mouth and fired back. "Why?"

"What do you mean why? You are a married woman, Zara Hall! How dare you rock another man in public like a slut?"

After staggering a little, she folded her arms and faced him squarely for the first time in their one-year-old marriage. "I want a divorce, Scott."

"What?" Scott couldn't believe his ears.

She repeated, "You heard me. I want a divorce!"

"You have got to be kidding me. I should be the one making a fuss. I caught you cheating on me!"

"No, I didn't cheat. You asked for an open marriage, and I gave you just that. You didn't think I would just sit back and watch as you frolic with Cora and anything else on skirts, did you?" Zara's eyes blazed as she argued.

Her tone rendered Scott speechless. He could hardly recognize the woman in front of him.

With a teasing smile at the corners of her lips, Zara slowly walked over to him. She then stood on her toes and whispered in his ear, "It takes two to tango, Scott. Also, two can play the game..."

"Honey, I made your favorite. There's bacon, eggs, oats, and pancakes just like you like it," Zara announced as soon as she heard her husband coming down the stairs.

Scott strode down the stairs, adjusting his knotted tie with one hand. He ignored her words as he always did.

Out of desperation, Zara blocked his way and said with sad eyes, "It's only gonna take a few minutes, Scott. Just eat with me. I woke up at the crack of dawn to prepare breakfast for you."

"And who asked you to do that?" His moss-colored eyes turned hard. When she didn't respond, he added, "I thought as much. Now, get the hell out of my way!"

Although shaken up by his shout, Zara didn't move an inch. She cupped her hands over her chest and pleaded. "Please, Scott. Remember that we promised our respective grandmothers to make this marriage work. Let's not entertain outsiders anymore. Marriage should be exclusive. We can do this."

"Ha-ha-ha!" Scott suddenly threw his head back and laughed out loud. He then dropped his briefcase and took a step forward. His face darkened all of a sudden.

Seeing this, fear gripped Zara even more. She inched backward slowly, but he wouldn't stop taking those slow footsteps with a menacing look that she knew too well.

"Please... Don't hurt me. Please..." Zara cried, shaking uncontrollably. Her back soon hit the wall. "You don't need to have breakfast if you don't want to. I can just put it away. Please don't-"

"Shut the fuck up!" Scott yelled in her face once again. With an inexplicable glint in his eyes, he reached out, raised her chin, and then grabbed her neck. "You have a lot of nerve speaking about making this marriage work. Anyone who hears you would think that you are one faithful and dutiful wife. Have you suddenly forgotten what you did?"

Zara was shaking like a leaf now.

"Answer me! Don't you remember what you did two months ago?"

As the air in her lungs escaped, her voice hoarse. "I thought we have already been through that, Scott. It wasn't intentional. I was drunk that night. I have nothing to do with Aiden. He's just a friend."

"That bastard was almost melting into you. And you call him just a friend? Are you out of your damn mind?" Scott's anger tripled in an instant.

Zara tried to wriggle free from his enclave, but the more she tried, the tighter his grip became. His hard chest was only a few inches away from hers. The fire in his eyes scared the shit out of her.

"You are hurting me. Please let me go. Scott, you have got to stop treating me this way. I love you," she cried again, a sharp pain shooting from her neck to her brain.

"Love, my foot!" Scott grunted and pressed hard. "Now, let me get one thing very clear. This union is going to be on my own terms. The next time I see you anywhere near a guy, I'm going to bash his skull and then do the same to you. And don't you dare tell my grandmother about this. If you do... I guess you already know what's gonna happen."

Zara clawed her thin fingers over his strong hand as her face turned red. Small ragged gasps escaped her throat. It wasn't until her gasps became less frequent that Scott finally let go of her. He picked up his briefcase and stormed out as she sank to her knees.

She breathed hard and coughed severally. It took her several minutes to get a grip. As soon as she mustered up the strength to stand up, she rushed to the dining table, grabbed her phone, and made a call.

******

"You gotta leave that asshole. He's not good for you. This is the height of it!" Mia Williams, Zara's best friend, uttered as she paced about in the living room.

Zara stirred on the sofa with a pack of ice against her neck. "Calm down, Mia. It's not that bad. I'm-"

"Don't give me that crap, Zee! Look at what that monster did to you. Who knows, he might just kill you next!" Mia rushed to her side and grabbed her free arm. "Just tell your grandmother that you can no longer carry on. You have had enough. I'm sure she will understand."

Zara sat up painstakingly. "You know that I didn't just get married to Scott because I wanted to fulfill my grandmother's wish. He's my first love. I have been in love with him since I was a kid. Maybe, just maybe if I continue to be a dutiful wife, he would reciprocate my love."

Mia held her head and let out an exasperated breath. The next second, she grabbed her friend's arms, shook her hard, and shouted, "Snap out of it, Zara! That monster doesn't have a heart. He's not only a cheat, but also a manipulative asshole. He was the one who asked for an open marriage. He has been frolicking with that bitch called Cora, but yet, he got mad because you went partying with another man. You even did that just to get his attention. It worked but in a bad way!

"Don't you get it? He's incapable of loving you, Zara. He hasn't treated you well since you both got married. What makes you think he will change any time soon? You deserve so much better."

Mia pulled her into her embrace and cried with her. "I want my friend back. Give me my friend back before it's too late!"

Both women cried their eyes out until evening came. At about seven o'clock, the door of the living room swung open just as they were about to dig into the bowl of Mac and cheese Mia made.

Zara tensed up as soon as Scott walked in. The fork in her hand fell to the table. She was about to stand up when Mia ordered, "Sit back down."

"But..."

"I said sit!" she commanded in a much firmer voice.

A deep frown appeared on Scott's face as soon as he spotted Mia. He snapped immediately. "What are you doing here? How many times do I have to tell you that you are not welcome here?"

"Last I checked, my best friend also lives here. I didn't come to see you, Scott. But since you are here, I'd like to humor you." Mia sprang to her feet and walked towards him slowly.

She only stopped when her nose was almost brushing his. "Tell you what, you can try to cut Zara off from those who love her, but that won't stop me from knowing that you are an asshole. Let today be the very last time you will ever lay a finger on or yell at my friend. I'm only holding back now because if I decide to strike, one of us will have to leave here on a stretcher. And it's definitely not gonna be me!"

Those words flipped Scott's lid. "Go to hell!"

"You first!" Mia fired. "Oh, I forgot. This is already hell. Anyway, I just want to say that I'll be taking my best friend out of your lake of fire. You have done enough harm, Scott Brown."

Scott arched his eyebrows in confusion. He then laughed. "You will do no such thing." He glanced at his wife, who had just gotten up. "Get this thing out of my house!"

Zara slipped a document off the shelf close by and timidly walked up to him. She held out the document and said in a choked voice, "I want a divorce, Scott."

"This again?" Scott tut-tutted, yanking the paper from her hands.

Zara's eyes became misty. "Please just sign it. I know you don't want me. Cora is the only one you love, so let's stop torturing each other. I'm sure our grandmothers will understand. I'll go to mine and explain things to her."

Scott guffawed as he read the document. "You have got to be kidding me, Zara!"

"No, she's not!" Mia pulled her friend behind her and faced him. "In case you haven't noticed, this is for real."

Looking in the direction she glanced at, Scott finally saw a couple of suitcases packed just by the door. No freaking way!

One year later.

Karen Hall had been sitting on the front porch of her mansion for an hour when the heavy steel gate finally opened. She stood up and walked over slowly. When the backseat door of the Bentley opened, she opened her arms wide with teary eyes.

"Grandma!" A thin and beautiful young lady ran into her arms.

"Oh, Zara. You have grown so big," Karen commented, pulling her granddaughter back to get a better look at her pretty face.

"Come on, Grandma. I have only been away for a year." Zara laughed and planted kisses all over the old woman's face. "I missed you so so much."

"I missed you too. Come on in. It's cold outside."

The next day, Zara and her grandmother sat at the dining table to have lunch after spending the whole morning chatting to no end.

"Gosh, I so missed your cooking, Granny," Zara uttered with a mouthful.

Karen couldn't help smiling. She spooned more of the chicken soup into her granddaughter's bowl dotingly. "Tell you what, I'll make you whatever you want to eat now that you are back."

"You don't have to, Granny. You shouldn't be stressing yourself. I'll eat whatever Abigail cooks."

"Young lady, I'm stronger than I look. The kidney transplant did me a lot of good. My back is the only thing that gives me issues now. Such a shame it can't be changed too."

The two women burst into laughter and continued eating in a good mood. Suddenly, the front door swung open. A woman wearing large sunglasses strode inside in a pair of heels. She had on leather pants and a small turtle-neck top. With a smile on her lips, she took off her sunglasses and said, "Look who we have here!"

"Mia!" Zara sprang up to her feet and went to hug the woman who just came in.

After an embrace that lasted almost a minute, Mia slapped her playfully and said, "Girl, look at you! England really did you a lot of good."

"I said the same thing yesterday," Karen chipped in from the dining table.

Zara blushed and basked in the euphoria of being praised. "Let's just say it was nice to be away from all the drama."

"I'm full already, so I'll excuse you both to catch up, okay?" Without waiting for their response, Karen slowly got up and walked upstairs to her bedroom.

The two friends sat at the table and ate. Thereafter, they did the dishes while chatting and laughing.

"So how is your dating life now, Mia? Are you still seeing that guy... What's his name again? Derek, yes Derek," Zara asked, wiping her hands with a kitchen towel.

"What? Derek was ages ago. I have dated two other guys after him. There's a new catch now, but he's proving very difficult." Mia twisted a wisp of her hair as she responded.

"You still haven't changed!" Zara shook her head at her friend.

Mia slipped into a chair by the kitchen countertop and took out her phone. "What about you? Seeing anyone? I heard that the guys in England are built different. Sweet and all..."

"You did not just ask me that, did you?" Zara raised a brow at her. "Come on, you know I don't have time for men now."

Mia tapped the counter with her manicured shiny fingers. "You don't have time for them or you just don't want anything to do with them?"

"Same difference!"

"This is about Scott, right?"

Zara let out an exasperated sigh and slipped into the chair close by. She shrugged again. "Kinda."

"Look, Zee. I know that bastard broke your heart, but you can't just decide not to date again because of that. Not all men are the same."

"He didn't just break my heart, Mia. He tore it into shreds. One year in England did me good, but I have barely healed. Don't you wanna know why I came back earlier than planned?"

Mia replied, "Isn't it because you wanted to be there for your grandmother?"

"Well, that's part of it. But my grandma is fine. She has been doing well ever since the transplant. The real reason I came back is to seek closure by getting revenge on that bastard who treated me like shit for a year!" A fiery glint flickered in Zara's eyes as she spat the last sentence.

"Whoa!" Mia inched back a little. She placed her palm on the cold countertop and asked, "Why did you come seeking closure? I thought you didn't want to have anything to do with Scott even if it was to get back at him?"

Zara huffed, "Well, my therapist said that revenge is one of the best cures for trauma. Since I still have a bone to pick with Scott, I came to do just that."

"Serves him right. I'm glad that you finally decided to get your own pound of flesh. That guy really did you dirty."

Zara nodded, looking distant. "He sure did."

Her mind flashed back to her unhappy marriage. She had loved Scott with her whole heart despite the painful history their families had. However, he took her heart and chopped it into many pieces. He was not only a cheat, but also a narcissist who never seemed to see his wrongs. The one year she spent with him was hell.

Mia cleared her throat, breaking her train of thought. "But will that be after you get the divorce finalized or before?"

"Let's just say that I am gonna kill two birds with one stone." Zara took out her phone and sent two emails. One to her lawyer and the other to the current deputy CEO of her family's company.

A few minutes later, she dropped the phone in her hand and looked up at her best friend. "Okay, out with it!"

"What?"

"You have been staring at me since I last spoke. Something is on your mind, so spill!"

Mia sighed. "Well, I bumped into Scott yesterday..."

She paused to study Zara's expression. When she couldn't get a good read of it, she continued, "It was at the mall."

"So? Everyone is allowed to shop, aren't they?" Zara uttered with a shrug.

Mia leaned forward. "That's not the issue. I was shopping with my sister-in-law. You know she's expecting a baby soon. We were in the baby clothes section. Scott was picking out baby clothes!"