Consequences

telephone number. “Call me, we can do lunch.” Claire smiled and said she would try.
    They went to the car and drove away. Perhaps they drove a mile, maybe two when Tony stopped the car on the side of the road and put out his hand. He didn’t speak but she knew what he wanted. She placed Sue’s telephone number in his palm. “Tony—” With the same hand that held the little white piece of paper he roughly covered her mouth.
    “Not now. We will discuss it when we get home.” He let go of her face and resumed driving.
    No words were uttered during their drive home. Claire’s internal monologue, however, roared: this is ridiculous. Sue was being friendly. I had no idea that Sue would do such a thing. What is the big deal? Why does he have to react so fast and so violently like a freak’n tornado!
    Tony pulled the car to the front door. He didn’t open Claire’s door. Instead, he told her to go to her suite, he would be up later. He had things to do, like cancel a spa appointment. His tone was curt and his eyes dark. She wanted to run. Instead she got out of the car and walked boldly into the house, through the large doors, up the grand staircase, and down the southeast corridor to her suite. Once she closed her door, she felt her heart race and her internal monologue continue: this was such a nice day. I met Tony’s friends and they were nice. I wanted to tell him about what I heard. I wanted to tell him what a great time I had.
    Claire knew what Anthony was doing. Starting in the car, he had been contemplating, overthinking, and overanalyzing the entire situation. She knew if he would just let her she could explain. Oh god! She wanted to lie down, scream, and cry. But she also knew he could be watching right now and she refused to give him the satisfaction, refused to let him know how worried she was about his decisions. Truthfully, she was worried actually, terrified of the possible return of his other persona.

 
There are two things a person should never be angry at,
what they can help, and what they cannot.
—Plato
     Chapter 16
    She sat at her table, writing. Tony couldn’t see what she was writing. The cameras didn’t have enough zooming capability. Her body language didn’t look nervous. It showed a proud and defiant pose. He watched as she wrote, sitting straight, her neck tall and proud. The only hint of uneasiness would be the way her feet fidgeted under her chair.
    From his office screens, he could access different views of the room. From another view, she sat farther away, and he could see her bed in the background. Of course, there was the view that kept the bed centered, but the table wasn’t visible from that one.
    Trying to contemplate his options and the consequences of her actions, Tony closed his eyes and reviewed the day. When he entered her suite this morning, he anticipated anxiety but found calm. And that smile when they got in the car. God! Her smile when it was real melted him. Her emerald eyes could glisten and shine. Of course, he didn’t see her real smile much. He did today, and seeing her with his friends, she was perfect.
    He told himself the reason he had trouble keeping his eyes off her was strictly because he needed to monitor her behavior. It had nothing to do with how beautiful she looked. Now as he watched the screens, he wondered what she was thinking. Was she thinking about him, about her future? It was all up to him. She knew that. He knew that. The power didn’t give him the satisfaction it once had.
    Damn, why in the hell did Sue give her that phone number? What did they talk about when he wasn’t there? His head filled with unanswered questions and plausible scenarios. She wanted to leave him. Why wouldn’t she? Did she initiate a plan? Why wouldn’t she follow his rules?
    His internal monologue momentarily caused him to lose focus of the screens. Now as he scanned, she was gone. He scanned the other views until he noticed the open door to the balcony. He could only see the back of her head. He really needed another camera installed.
    Over an hour had passed since they came home. Making Claire wait for him was part of his plan. But watching her, it seemed she controlled her nerves better than he. Maybe he needed fresh air too. No, he needed to make a decision. It was his mantra. She knew the rules. It doesn’t matter if you do something 99 percent right, perfection is required. The fact remains she must have broken his rules. He needed to make a