Page 106 of Love on the Line

Chapter 39

Anne circledWyatt’s apartment parking lot. No sign of his car anywhere. Her erratic heartbeat evened out a tad. Blowing out a breath, she pulled into his vacant space.

Victoria had lied. No clue why the woman would make up stories, but people had all kinds of issues. A nagging doubt still lingered in Anne’s mind, though. Nothing explained Wyatt’s bizarre behavior yesterday. And, of course, if he didn’t want anyone to know he was home, he wouldn’t be stupid enough to park at his place.

The tea she had drunk earlier sloshed in her empty stomach, and perspiration wet her brow. She wouldn’t know the truth unless she checked.

All she had to do was go up, find the condo empty, and call it a night. Despite being exhausted, she’d never sleep if she kept picturing Wyatt with Victoria. Once and for all, she’d put an end to the question.

Steeling her nerves, she made her way to the stairs. Every smack of her shoe on the steps reverberated like the imaginary sound of a beating heart under the floorboards of Poe’s classic novel. Only she had nothing to feel guilty about. Or did she?

Thump. Thump. Thump.

She and Wyatt didn’t knock anymore at each other’s doors since their engagement. They used their keys to come and go. This time was different, though. This time when she opened the door, she’d cross the line of trust on which their relationship hung. This time meant she didn’t have enough faith in him. And if she didn’t have that, they had nothing.

She paused on the landing, her pulse throbbing at the base of her throat.

Couldn’t do it. If she was going to marry the man, she had to trust him completely. She refused to spend the rest of her life questioning Wyatt’s love and fidelity. He’d done nothing but show how much he loved her. She’d return his call, go home, and put the craziness of the day to rest.

About to leave, she glanced down the hall and stilled. Wyatt’s door stood open a crack. That made no sense. He would have locked up. Her shoulders tensed as she treaded lightly to the entrance. She’d call the police and run back to the car if she heard anything suspicious, like someone trashing the place.

She stopped short of the door and craned her head to listen. Soft music played, and someone hummed in the background. Her breath caught, and her stomach lurched. Not someone, a woman.

No, no, no. This couldn’t be happening. On wooden legs, she stepped to the door and eased it open. She gasped at the sight of Victoria, sipping wine on Wyatt’s couch, wearing one of his shirts. Unbuttoned, it gaped apart revealing a black bra and lacy panty.

Shockwaves rocked Anne’s body like a magnitude-nine earthquake. She grabbed the door for support and gulped for air. Her dreams crashed around her, crushing her soul. She hadn’t believed what Emily overheard, thought Victoria was lying, but here she sat almost naked on Wyatt’s sofa. The same one where Anne had spent hours cuddled next to him.

Victoria looked up and formed an “O” with her mouth. She shook her head. “Tsk, tsk, tsk. Wyatt is not going to be happy about this. Looks like the cat’s out of the bag.”

“Where’s Wyatt?” Anne choked out the words past her constricted throat.

Running her long, candy-red nails through her hair, Victoria shrugged. “No point in lying now. He went out for more condoms.”

The room wavered, and Anne clutched the door. Tears stung her eyes, and the strings that tied her to Wyatt snapped, plummeting her heart to her feet. How could he do this? How?

Victoria made no effort to cover herself or apologize. “This shouldn’t be a surprise. Did you really think a man like Wyatt was going to be happy in a boring, comfy marriage?” She crossed her legs and swung a stiletto-clad foot. “No offense, but the man has needs, and you aren’t enough to fulfill them, sweetie. He likes things a little wild and dirty.”

Anne trembled, her numb brain trying to make sense of it all. Boring. The word kept coming back to bite her. She’d believed Wyatt when he’d said he liked to do normal, everyday things with her. Lies, their whole relationship was nothing but lies. He’d played her for a fool, having his bimbos on the side the whole time.

She was blind and stupid. Stupid to believe she could ever trust a sports celebrity. She had to get out of there. The last thing she wanted was to see Wyatt pull up with his jumbo package of condoms. Hands shaking, she yanked off her engagement ring and hurled it across the room. “He’s all yours.”

Tears blurred her vision as she stumbled down the stairs. Somehow, she managed to get into her car. She covered her face with her hands and cried. Body-wracking, deep sobs she couldn’t stop. Salty tears wet her lips before she could brush them away.

She needed to go home and pick up the pieces of her life, which no longer included Wyatt.

As she drove, she couldn’t escape the image of Victoria with her breasts falling out of Wyatt’s unbuttoned shirt. Voluptuous and wild, what Wyatt secretly still wanted.

She parked in her apartment lot and got out of the car. Lightning flashed, followed by a loud boom of thunder. Nothing compared to the storm raging inside of her. She leaned against the driver’s side door, resting her forehead on her arms, and took a deep breath.

Another crash of thunder reverberated as the betrayal played over and over in her mind. She squeezed her eyes shut tight.

A car pulled up beside her, and a door shut.

“Anne?” Devon’s voice rang out. “Are you okay?”

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