Page 15 of In the Lonely Hour

His hand dropped as he breathed deeply. “I’m still trying to figure that part out, beautiful.”

“Can you tell me when you figure it out?” Layla requested, gripping one of the belt loops on his gray slacks.

“You’ll be the first to know.”

She smiled softly, shoulders hiking as she giggled when he kissed her cheek and neck. Closing the door, Andres headed to his side. As they headed to their destination, they listened to Leon Bridges latest album within a comfortable silence.

When they made it to the restaurant, they were seated almost immediately. The small, dimly lit section only had one other couple in it, and when Andres saw who it was, he cursed under his breath.

“You wanna go somewhere else?” he asked as Layla stared at Carlos.

Prying her eyes away from him, she gave Andres a forced smile before shaking her head. “No, it’s fine.”

“Are you sure, Layla?”

She nodded. “Yes. I’m fine. Really.”

They sat next to one another in the booth, and Andres was glad they weren’t at a table sitting across from each other. He needed her close. She might have been able to lie with herwords, but her body and vibe would tell the truth. His arm wrapped around her and he relaxed into his seat as their waiter introduced himself. They gave their drink orders and Layla waited until the waiter left to say…

“I’m sure you’re wondering why my husband is on a date with another woman.”

“It crossed my mind.”

She smiled softly. “When we legally separated, he was free to date other women. He just can’t marry anyone else until the divorce is finalized. Before that, we pretty much had an open marriage on his end. I told him to be honest with me about everything, so the first time he cheated, he told me. It was pretty much downhill from there.”

“Have you been with anyone else?”

Her head shook. “No.”

“Were you okay with him being with other women?”

Layla released a shaky breath. “Not really, but I didn’t have a choice. I wanted to make my marriage work and I understood that he needed an escape. I felt like even if he cheated, he would never leave us. Then he met her.” She looked over at them briefly. “And don’t get me wrong, it’s not just on Carlos. I may not have cheated but I definitely wasn’t a present wife. I didn’t take care of his needs like I should have for quite some time, and that’s why he had to go to someone else.”

“That’s bullshit.” Andres thanked their waiter for their drinks and ordered them an order of the spicy shrimp and shrimp cocktail as their appetizers before he continued. “If he wasn’t satisfied, he should have said something so you could correct the issue, not step out and get that shit from someone else.”

She smiled bitterly and shook her head. “I just… try to take some kind of blame and responsibility so I can try to heal somehow, you know? Because how else am I supposed to heal from his actions when he clearly doesn’t give a fuck or see thewrong in his ways? I’ve devoted my entire life to him and his daughter. I gave up the vision I had for my own life. And this is how he treats me. Us.” Her chin trembled before she clenched her jaw. Body shaking violently, Layla inhaled a deep breath as Andres took her hand into his.

“Look at me,” he commanded. “You will not break down over him in his presence. Do you understand me?” Her head bobbed once as she released another shaky breath. “Breathe and count with me,” he ordered.

“Okay,” she agreed, voice cracking.

“Inhale while I count to four.” She did. “Hold your breath for four.” She did. “Exhale for four.” They repeated the action until her body stopped shaking and her eyes dried. When she released her last breath she laughed, gaining Carlos’s attention.

He wasted no time standing and heading in their direction.

“Do you want me to get rid of him?” Andres checked. Quite frankly, he’d wanted to knock Carlos out since the day they’d met.

“No, it’s fine. He feeds off reactions. If you acknowledge him, that will only motivate him to go harder.”

“Good evening,” Carlos spoke, looking directly at Layla. “Where is my daughter?”

“With my parents.”

“So what is this? A date?”

“If you would have answered my call earlier, you would have known I needed a support partner while Dior was away this evening. Since you weren’t available, Andres offered to come to dinner with me so I wouldn’t obsess over how things were going with our daughter.”

Carlos’s face softened briefly but he quickly returned to his stone expression.

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