for @kingdonmicrofic day 3: gala | 485 words | ao3 | cw: infidelity, brief mention of drug addiction/benzos
"Can't you try and look happy?"
"It just feels stupid when this is all a facade."
"We're still married, my last name is still Langdon, and we still live together with our two beautiful kids. What part of that is a facade?" Abby had an uncanny way of twisting things to make them fit her narrative. "Look, all I'm asking is for you to pretend we're still in love for one night. We're already here. It's a few hours then you can run back to your little girlfriend."
"Mel. You know her name is Mel," Frank interjected sharply.
Abby rolled her eyes. "Yeah, I know her name is Mel, Frank. It's not like you were subtle with 'Mel this' and 'Mel that', talking about her like she hung the moon. I'm pretty sure you even moaned her name the last time we had sex so yeah, I know her fucking name," she spat out.
It was his fault for starting this up again. He should've been better at hiding his disinterest.
He and Abby had come to an agreement, she wanted to stay married for her reputation—the leeches she called friends would pounce if they knew she was in marital trouble—but they were both well aware their marriage was over. She never protested when he spent time with Mel and didn't come home or objected to him bringing her around the kids; he was damn lucky for that. When she told him to clear his calendar for the annual gala her company hosted every year, he had done so without complaint.
He had put her through hell the past few years with the benzos and then with Mel. Abby was bitter—she had every right to be—but she'd been very good to him. Would he like to officially be divorced so he could publicly date Mel? Sweep her off her feet at the end of a long shift? Yeah, he would. But Abby had stayed and supported him through rehab and all she'd asked for in return when his and Mel's affair had been revealed was that they stay married for a little bit longer. He doubted Abby's life plans included staying in a loveless marriage forever so he'd given that to her easily; Mel had understood. The collapse of their marriage wasn't solely on him but he did owe her for his part in it.
"I'm sorry, Abby. You're right. Let's not fight." He picked up her left hand with its gleaming diamond wedding band and gave it a kiss, playing his part of the dutiful husband. Her hand felt foreign in his, despite the fact they've been married for almost six years. It wasn't the hand he was used to anymore.
Again, she rolled her eyes but the previous fury in her was gone. They weren't perfect by any means but they were figuring it out as best they could.
















