14
I had anticipated this conclusion.
Troy was furious, with a touch of desperation in his voice as he said, "While Siena and I were together, she was unfaithful to me with one of her university peers."
He lashed out, knocking the ashtray and everything else off the coffee table onto the floor.
"What a contemptible pair!"
I couldn't fault Troy for his reaction.
I understood his sorrow and rage better than anyone.
His mother, who had been disfigured and humiliated by his intended wife for an entire day, ended up hospitalized. The woman he once thought would be his spouse was carrying another man's child.
"Son, there are certain experiences you must go through. It's preferable to face them now rather than after marriage."
"If not for this incident, I wouldn't have seen the true nature of her entire family."
Troy composed himself quickly.
He glumly lit a cigarette, his face barely visible through the smoke. He had been repeatedly deceived and provoked.