Page 10 of The Anniversary Betrayal
Her chest tightened. For a moment, she wanted to spill everything about Kingston’s late nights, about Rebecca, about the gnawing fear in her chest but the words stuck in her throat.
“I’ll be fine,” she said instead, stabbing at her food but later, when she ducked into the staff lounge, she found herself staring at her reflection in the vending machine glass. Her own eyes looked back at her tired, questioning, haunted. The truth was clawing its way out, whether she wanted it to or not.
That night, Kingston came home late again. Ashley sat curled on the couch, a blanket around her shoulders, the TV flickering in the background. She hadn’t bothered with makeup today, hadn’t fixed her hair. She was too drained from holding herself together.
When he walked in, he looked startled to find her awake.
“Hey,” he said softly, setting down his bag. “You should be in bed.”
Ashley’s eyes searched his face, catching the faint mark on his neck he hadn’t bothered to cover, the way his shirt smelled faintly of perfume that wasn’t hers. Her throat closed but instead of screaming, instead of hurling accusations, she only whispered:
“I miss you, Kingston.”
The words cracked something in the air between them. Kingston’s jaw tightened, his guilt flashing in his eyes before he masked it with a small, tight smile. He crossed the room, kissed the top of her head, and murmured, “I’m here.” But Ashley knew he wasn’t. Not really and the silence that followed was heavier than any argument could have been.
Chapter Nine
The hospital had a strange way of blurring time. Kingston knew this better than most. Hours melted into each other under fluorescent lights, the line between day and night erased by the rhythm of beeping monitors, the steady press of responsibility but tonight felt different. Tonight, the minutes dragged. Every chart, every consult, every set of stitches felt like filler between the thoughts he didn’t want to have.
Rebecca.
He told himself their night together had been a mistake, a lapse, a crack in his armor. He’d vowed not to let it happen again but her voice, the way she’d whispered his name, the feel of her body against his, it all haunted him. He was restless in ways he hadn’t been in years so when she appeared outside his office just past 9 p.m., leaning against the doorframe with that half-smile that knew too much, he felt his resolve crumble before she even spoke.
“You’re still here,” she said softly.
“So are you,” he answered.
She stepped inside, shutting the door behind her. The room shrank with her presence.
“Long day?” she asked.
He rubbed the back of his neck. “The longest.”
Her eyes softened. “Then maybe you need a break.”
The wordbreaklingered between them, charged. Kingston swallowed hard. He should’ve told her to leave. Should’ve walked away but instead, when she moved closer, when her hand brushed his arm, he leaned into it. One touch. One kiss. That was all it took. The second fall was easier than the first.
They didn’t make it to her apartment this time. The call room was closer, quieter, its door locked behind them. Kingston tried to tell himself it was just stress, just release. That he still loved Ashley. That this didn’t mean anything but the moment Rebecca’s lips found his, his logic drowned. Their mouths crashed together, desperate, hungry. Years of restraint had shattered days ago, and now there was no stopping the pull. He lifted her onto the narrow bed, her legs wrapping around him, her hands sliding under his shirt as if she’d been waiting for this exact moment.
“This is insane,” he muttered against her skin.
She smiled, breathless. “So stop.”
But neither of them did. The kiss deepened, their bodies pressed tight, the sterile scent of the hospital mixing with something wilder, forbidden. He heard the sound of her gasp, felt her fingers dig into his back, and any thought of turning away dissolved. When they finally gave in fully, it wasn’t careful but it was reckless, frantic, fueled by a desperation that made him forget the world outside. Afterward, she lay curled against him, her breath steady, her hand tracing circles across his chest.
“You don’t regret it,” she whispered.
Kingston closed his eyes, fighting the answer. He should’ve said yes. He should’ve gotten up, walked out, gonehome to Ashley and the children who adored him but his silence was enough and Rebecca smiled.
Ashley noticed the change the very next morning. Kingston was quieter at breakfast, his gaze lingering too long on his coffee cup. When Olivia asked him to help with her math homework later that evening, he agreed, but there was a distracted edge to his voice, as though his mind was elsewhere.
Ashley watched him closely, cataloging every twitch, every pause and then came the first undeniable clue. She was folding laundry in their bedroom when his phone buzzed on the nightstand. Normally he kept it on him like an extra limb, but he’d left it charging while he wrangled the kids in the living room. Ashley told herself not to look. That she wasn’t that kind of wife. That snooping would only confirm the worst fears but her hands moved before her heart could stop them. She flipped the phone over, the screen lighting up with a new message.
Last night was perfect. I can still feel you. Dinner again soon?
Her chest hollowed. Her ears rang. She didn’t need to see the name at the top of the message to know who it was.
Rebecca.
