Page 72 of Forever Fallen

“No, thank you.”

He lied to her?!

Things had been so beautiful between them, and she felt so incredibly in love that it never dawned on her that he might actually lie to her or look elsewhere.

Who was that woman anyhow? Was that the new receptionist they had helping to answer the phones until Harley came back in a few weeks?

Was she pretty?

Hearing the front door open, Sophie didn’t even bother to walk out of the kitchen to greet him. Instead, she kept putting the biscuits on the cookie sheet to cook them instead of the rolls that she would have preferred.

“Hey Sunshine…” he called out happily. “I’ll be right there. I just want to wash up and empty my pockets.”

Sophie felt tears sting her eyes at his words. Was he washing off some woman’s cologne? Surely not! Why on earth would he tell her he was working overtime… only toleavework?

Putting the biscuits in the oven, she set the egg timer and walked back towards the bedroom to confront him. This was not something she was going to be able to handle, and her temper was only growing and growing into an uncontainable inferno.

“Can we talk?” Sophie said tightly – only to see his head peer around the door frame of the bathroom curiously.

“Sure… what’s on your m-mind?”

Curse him, he sounded nervous and actually stuttered.

“I don’t know how to ask this without sounding like a fish-wife, harpy, or shrew… but where were you?” she asked bluntly, feeling her temper boil over to the point where she was fuming. “I called Flyboys looking for you and you weren’t working overtime.”

Ryan came out of the bathroom, looking at her in disbelief as that cool façade slipped over his features.

“Were you checking up on me?”

“I was going to ask you to get some dinner rolls because I made a lasagna for us… only to find out that you left hours ago.”

“Karen…” he sighed, rolling his eyes.

“Her name is Karen?”Sophie uttered thickly, her voice laced with disbelief as she lay a hand over her heart to stop the pain. A sob slipped out, threatening to choke her.

How could he? He was so open and blunt about it, too?

Her heart was breaking.

“The receptionist’s name is Karen…” Ryan said, kneeling before her and taking one of her hands in his.

“You’re screwing the receptionist?” she snarled, yanking back her hand and openly crying now as she shot to her feet immediately. “Oh my gosh… I’m so stupid! I knew this was too good to be true!”

“Sophie!” Ryan said desperately, grabbing her as she moved quickly to flee their bedroom. “Sophie! No, baby… Soph…” she wrestled against him, feeling his hands and arms tighten painfully as she got upset, feeling red rage brimming inside of her.

“Put me down…” she growled angrily, refusing to yell at him.

“I’m not putting you down,” he snapped. “I was in Tyler running a few errands before Friday.”

“For what? Hmm?” she snarled. “Was Karen with you?”

“No, she wasn’t, and I don’t give a fig about Karen. You are the only person I have ever cared about in this world, and you’ll just have to trust me, Sophie!”

“How can I trust you?” she snapped angrily, tears running down her face as she looked at him. “You lied to me and said you were working overtime and then I find out you had left. How am I supposed to do that when you won’t tell me what is going on?”

Ryan released her and looked beyond devastated, before turning away.

Sophie stifled a sob, covering her mouth with her hand, as she put her other one over her stomach to keep from vomiting from the overwhelming anxiety in her.

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