Page 38 of The Lies of Bryn van Doren

“Not afraid.”

He offers her a small nod and then turns his back to her as he reaches for the door handle. “I’ll meet you in the hall when you’re ready.”

“Huey?”

He turns his head so she can see his profile, but he directs his gaze down at the floor as he waits for her to continue.

“Twilight?”

Stefano glances at his chest, thinking of the fifteen hundred dollars tucked away in his breast pocket. In that moment, he knows he’ll not only pay for their coffee and pie—he’ll slip her all of what’s left over.

“Of course, my dove.”

It’s late whenKhalohn inserts his key into the lock and twists the deadbolt open. He can’t remember the last time he was home before nine o’clock—but he also can’t remember a time in his life when he’s felt more alive. It’s been a year since he’s gone into business for himself. The work has been difficult and sometimes arduous, but the foundation he’s strived tirelessly to build has been worth it. He’s starting to turn a profit at a rate which seems unheard of at this stage in the game.

He’s surprised when he closes the door behind him and finds Hollie sitting on the couch, with a half empty glass of wine in her hand. “Hi,” he greets simply, locking up behind himself.

“Nice of you to come home.”

Khalohn halts, glances at the bottle of wine he surmises must be at least half gone, and then decides not to respond to her statement. He doesn’t want to fight with his wife. Any argument she may wish to hurl at him wouldn’t be completely unfounded. He’s aware the last year has taken a toll on the both of them—but his motives have not changed. Neither has his heart.

“I’m sorry I missed your call this afternoon. Is everything all right? How was your day?”

“Don’t. Don’t do that. Don’t beniceto me,” she demands. She sets her glass on the coffee table and stands to her feet as Khalohn shrugs his way out of his coat.

“Hollie, let’s not do this now. It’s late. You’re tipsy. Let’s just go to bed.”

“You want to fuck? Is that it? If you take the bait—if you say what you’re thinking instead of sweeping it under the rug for later, you know I won’t let you near me—is that it?”

Frustration niggles the back of Khalohn’s neck as his exhaustion settles into his bones. He lifts a hand and scrubs it down his cheek, covered in a day’s worth of stubble. He’s been here before. They’ve fought it out before. Tonight, he doesn’t have the energy.

“Hollie, this is not about sex. You don’t want me to touch you, I won’t—but I won’t fight with you, either. If you want to finish your wine, by all means, don’t let me stop you. I’m not hiding anything, not sweeping anything under the rug, I merely inquired about your day, which you seem not inclined to discuss. I’m going to take a shower and then head to bed.”

He’s halfway to their bedroom when she screams, “I fucked Tim. You want to know about my day? I met him for lunch, and he took me back to Blakney’s office and fucked me in the supply closet.”

Khalohn stops abruptly, his back to his wife. Her outburst hits him in the chest like an invisible force, meant to knock the air from his lungs. His organs burn until he finds the wherewithal to inhale. He draws in a deep breath through his nostrils. Before he can blow it out, Hollie continues.

“It wasn’t the first time. The first time was Fourth of July. You said you’d be home that weekend, and then you got stuck in the Bahamas. I felt guilty—but Timothy, he couldn’t stay away. You know what he says? He says you were the obvious choice. He said, all those years ago, when I first met you both, he never stood a chance. It’s why he never said anything. Why he never admitted he’s loved me since the moment he laid eyes on me. He said it was finally his chance, and he wasn’t going to let me go twice.”

Khalohn’s eyes fall closed as her words wash over him. The truth of her betrayal ignites a chain reaction beneath his skin. He can feel it as fury chills his blood, turning his veins to ice. In an instant, his body is numb. He can hear his pulse—slow and steady—as his mind falls silent. The world around him seems to come to an unhurried stop. A scowl pulls at his brow, and he realizes he can no longer hear his wife as she speaks.

He’s alone. It’s a feeling he’s experienced before. It welcomes him, like an old friend he hadn’t planned on meeting again. The clutches of his familiar companion soothe him into a state of calm which makes no sense. On his next inhale, Khalohn breathes in an awareness he recognizes—the truth that in this world, the person he can rely on the most is himself. No one, not even his wife, can be expected to fully appreciate who he is and love him anyway. It’s a lesson he learned as a child; one he’s been trying to forget for years. In this moment, he understands it is inescapable.

It isn’t until he feels the palm of Hollie’s hand strike his cheek that he opens his eyes.

All at once, the world begins to spin again.

“Are you even listening to me?!” she cries.

His eyes lock with hers, and he watches as her tears streak down her cheeks before they drip from the edge of her chin. He doesn’t resist the urge he feels to reach up and gently brush the back of his finger along her face. He perceives her pain, and he doesn’t dispute it. He loves her, and he finds no vindication in her broken state. He sees beyond the truth she’s laid before him.

For the first time, he understands the depths of her needs—needs he cannot meet. His ambition, his drive, his vision, hisplan, it has him on a path from which he cannot stray. To do so would be to betray himself—and as his wife and his closest friend have seen to that already, he will not do the same. He’s on a mission, a mission he thought they were on together. He understands now it isn’t a mission she believes in. Or, perhaps, she simply lacks the strength or the courage to see it through. Either way, her love for him has proven to be a cracked foundation on which nothing can stand.

“I’ll take the couch.”

“Excuse me?” she hisses, jerking away from his touch.

“I’ll call my lawyer tomorrow. I’m sure he can refer someone on your behalf, as well.”

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