Page 17 of Twisted Betrayal

Chapter Seven

Riley finished thedishes and wiped her hands on a towel before folding it and hanging it over the sink.Before leaving the room, she looked around to see if she had missed anything.

She walked past the office on her way to the laundry when she heard her name being said and Gloria’s voice.She stopped, stood in the doorway, and listened.It seemed to be a video of the horrible night before.The guy must have taken it and sent it to Rick.The things being said made her stomach ache.The guy was lying about what really happened, and Gloria seemed to be thrilled when she thought her plan had worked and Riley’s marriage was broken.

For so long, she thought Gloria was a nice person, that she was just misunderstood, and no one gave her a chance.Rick had known from the beginning what type of person Gloria was, but Riley hadn’t listened.

Jesus, the things being said were so far beyond anything she’d ever heard, and it made it ten times worse that her friend had wanted her to hurt.What kind of friend did that?Hell, this woman wasn’t her friend and never had been.Riley thought enemies, the people that disliked her wouldn’t try to do this much damage, but Gloria thought she was being a friend.

The woman was sick.Riley had ignored Gloria’s comments about her husband over the years and the fact that Gloria flirted with Rick every time she saw him.Riley knew it pissed Rick off, and she had talked to Gloria about it a few times, but she always said she was teasing, and he needed to loosen up.

Riley could feel her limbs start to shake as the video ended.Her husband’s head jerked toward her when she asked a question, and then he held out his hand.

Her sweet husband held her and let her cry until she was out of tears.After cleaning her face, he suggested they take a nap.He carried her up the stairs and laid them both down.Riley tried to get as close as she could, and she could feel Rick’s grip on her tightening.

The turmoil of the night before and that day made staying awake impossible for her, and she felt herself drift off immediately.

They woke up an hour or so later, and Rick suggested they make sandwiches for lunch.

After their meal, Riley cleaned up while Rick got some work done.She was sitting on one of the family room chairs, reading, and her body jerked when her phone rang.She glanced at the number, and her stomach immediately tightened in dread.Gloria.God, she was the last person she wanted to talk to.She walked into Rick’s office, and he looked up when her phone rang again.

“It’s Gloria.What should I do?”

He sat back.“Don’t answer.Let’s come up with a game plan before you communicate with her.”

Riley relaxed.“Okay.I’ll go plug this in to charge in the kitchen.”

“I say neither of us answer any calls today.Gloria might bring a few of our friends in to help her contact us.”

Riley nodded.“She would do something like that.She did that when she asked a few other people to lie about the affair.”

“I wouldn’t put anything past her.I also think we should hunker down and make it look like neither of us is home.I already pulled your car into the garage, so it’s out of sight.”

She nodded.“Then I won’t start the laundry because you can hear it from outside,” she said.“I’ll also keep the TV off down here.”

“I’ll be in here for a while.Why don’t you go lie down again?I can still see the dark circles under your eyes.”

“I think I’ll do that.”She bent and kissed him before she turned and walked out.

In the bathroom, she used the toilet and then washed her hands.When she got a look at herself in the mirror, she cringed.Her face was pale, and she also noticed the dark circles under her eyes.Her hair looked crazy, like she hadn’t brushed it in a week.She remembered having wet hair the night before when she sat down to watch a movie and eat the dinner Rick had ordered, and she hadn’t done anything with it then.

She stripped and stepped into the shower.She took her time washing and conditioning her hair before bathing her body.It took a while, but she dried her hair completely and then put lotion on her body.Riley slipped on one of Rick’s shirts and lay down in bed.

As tired as she was, she still couldn’t slow down her mind.Everything Gloria had said and done kept repeating in her head.How could she have been so wrong about her?Everything she had thought she knew was a lie, and it made her sick to her stomach.

Riley thought about the look in her husband’s eyes and shivered.She’d seen him angry before, never at her, though.The dark, violent fury she saw made her feel not only safe but also confident that he’d deal with the woman.

She would make sure Rick didn’t kill the woman.

She awoke when she felt Rick’s hot body curl around her and tuck her tight against his body.She realized how dark the shadows were and realized she must have slept a couple of hours.

“Hello, Wife,” Rick said and nuzzled behind one of her ears.

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