Falling for My Brother's Best Friend

CHAPTER ONE Riley. I always thought happily ever after was real. I lived it, or so I thought. But it seems fairy tales only exist in movies and books because my happily ever after crumbled to dust. As I stepped inside my husbands work building, the sleek marble floors and the low hum of fluorescent lights greeted me. With a bag of food in hand, I took the elevator up to the ninth floor, where Liam CEO of the Breaking Brief, a major Chicago newspaper, works. I’d moved with him when we married, even though my parents were against it. My big brother pleaded with me, but I wanted to make Liam happy. I only get to see my family during Christmas because he is always busy, but in three weeks, I will fly to London, my hometown, to spend time with my mom, dad, brother, his wife, and their kids. I’m eager to help my mom Anna put up the Christmas tree, just like we did when I was a child. It’s a feeling that brings back memories of twinkling lights, pine needles, and the magic of the holidays. The festive sounds of Christmas carols filled the air as we danced around the tree, carefully placing shimmering baubles on its branches. My brother Jackson, always the helpful one, would lift me so I could reach the very top and crown the tree with a sparkling angel. The moment we finished, we’d rush out to Regent Square, the twinkling Christmas lights a magical beacon. Holding steaming cups of hot chocolate, our faces beaming, as we watch thousands of lights illuminate the square. The sight always sent a surge of Christmas cheer flooding through me. As I’m lost in happy memories, the jarring ding of the elevator brings me back to reality. Brushing a tear from my cheek, I force a smile onto my face and head towards his office. Looking around, I don’t find his assistant at her desk like usual she must have gone out for lunch herself walking past I head straight for his door. It opens with a groan, and I’m immediately met with a low, unsettling moan that freezes me in my tracks. The smile vanishes from my face, and the bag of food from his favorite sandwich shop tumbles from my hand, spilling its contents onto the floor. For six years, I have been married to my husband. However, when I walk in on him with his assistant bent over his desk, he is too distracted to notice me. I can hear low grunts coming from his mouth as his head is buried in her shoulder. My chest constricted, each beat of my heart a painful thud against my ribs. A shivering numbness creeps through my body as I stand frozen, I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. How could he betray me like this? As I processed this I stood frozen, the bitter taste of betrayal lingered in my mouth, and I could feel my heart racing in my chest My hands shook uncontrollably as I covered my mouth to stifle a sob, the reality of his betrayal crashing down on me. My brain is screaming at me to turn tail and run, but my heart is a raging inferno of anger urging me to face this asshole head-on. Blindly I blurt out, “What the f**k” Suddenly Liam’s head snaps up, his eyes bulging, as his assistant gasps, her hand flying to her mouth. His f*****g assistant, Amy, I always knew something was going on the longing look in her eyes every time she would see me kiss him, then the dirty looks I would occasionally get my way, I just thought it was my paranoia. But it wasn’t paranoia, it was that gnawing feeling in my stomach screaming the truth, and I ignored it like a fool. All the late-night calls all the sneaky. Texts. It was right in front of my eyes. I thought he was always exhausted from work, which is why he hadn’t touched me in about two months. But it wasn’t that it was because he was always getting it from somewhere else. My stomach churns again just at the thought: How could he do this to me, to What We had? He’s destroyed it all and for what a piece of ass that he will get bored with at some point. He stands, speechless, his jaw slack, a picture of disbelief. How could he be shocked I’m not the one cheating? He snaps out of it and begins to take a step towards me, but I hold my hand up to stop him. He has no right to be upset none whatsoever. “don’t you dare touch me,” I say with venom in my voice. “How long has this been going on for Liam” He stares at me as if he’s a deer in headlights, not even bothering to answer my question instead, he reaches out to touch me yet again. Slapping his hand away I yell “I told you not to f*****g touch me answer my question how long” I stare at him, my anger becoming overwhelming at this point seeing as he won’t tell me I might as well ask the b***h in front of me maybe she will answer. Turning my gaze to her, I ask as I point to my so-called husband, “How long have you been sleeping together behind my back” She looks at Liam just as I am, and she seems to debate with herself before finally coming to a decision she signs and then looks at the floor, seeming to be embarrassed. “two years” Her words are like a physical blow, and I can’t hold back the tears that well up in my eyes. I turn my gaze to him, my voice barely a whisper as I murmur, “Two years.” The excuses about the published paper were a lie. He was with her while I was waiting for him every night. Sometimes with dinner already on the table that eventually went cold. “She is lying Riley; she seduced me, and I couldn’t help myself You know what us men are like” My throat tightens with unshed tears, but I can’t help but laugh, a raw, shaky sound. “No, not men, Liam I know what you’re like. “I spat out, my voice thick with hurt, ‘Was I never enough for you?” He moves closer, his hand outstretched, and I feel the warmth of his touch on my cheek, A chill ran down my spine as I pulled away from his touch, my mind racing with disbelief. “Baby, you are always enough for me. It will never change” I want to believe him, but doubt lingers in the air like a heavy fog. I can see right through him; his transparency is as clear as glass. I can’t shake the feeling of unease that crawls beneath my skin, prickling like a thousand tiny needles. How many women has he been with the thought of walking into a s****l health clinic for the first time in my life fills me with a strange blend of anxiety and apprehension. “But you said,” Amy starts, but he stops her. “Leave.” Ignoring him, I Turn back to her and ask. “What did he say?” My voice is a whisper, barely audible over the sound of my heart. “He said,” She begins watching him closely, “that he was leaving you for me that he has already signed the divorce papers, that he loved me, and he wanted to have children with me.” And in that moment, the tears I was holding back finally spilled over as I say “you know what he doesn’t need to lie to you anymore Amy because that divorce he told you about just became a reality for him” My voice breaks as I look at the man I once loved and continue “I’m done Liam I’m going back home to London today you won’t be seeing me ever again I hope you're happy with yourself because whatever we had is now done except the papers through the mail within the next couple of months” With a heavy heart, I turn, step over the bag I dropped, and head towards the elevator, the weight of my emotions heavy on my shoulders. With a sense of urgency, I forcefully press the button, the mechanical click resonating in the air. Time seems to stretch on forever as I wait anxiously, tears still spilling down my cheeks. Finally, the elevator arrives with a soft chime, the doors sliding open with a slight whoosh of escaping air. Just as I step inside, I’m greeted by a desperate plea, a voice filled with regret and longing. “Wait, Riley please let me explain” The sound of his voice reaches my ears, causing me to pause as his arm reaches out, to stop the doors from closing. I don’t want to hear any more from this man. When I told him I was done, I meant I was done. I’ve been nothing but faithful. I’ve never once looked at another male. I haven’t had the urge to, because he was it for me, my everything. It’s just a shame that I wasn’t the same for him. With a blank stare and no emotion in my tone, I say, “There’s no need for explanations. You’ve been having an affair with your assistant for two years I get it now I meant nothing to you and never will” His tone is full of pleading as he says, “Please, I didn’t mean for this to happen. It just did” My eyes narrowed in disbelief, because how could something like this just happen? he wanted, this wanted her, and he could have it. I don’t care anymore. The thought that he promised her kids while telling me he never wanted them is what hurt me the most. I chose to accept it, hoping he would change his mind someday. But now, I see it as a blessing that we don’t have children, sparing them from this chaos. With my throat thick with emotion, I yell “No, you just tripped and fell inside your assistant’s v****a” He takes a step towards me, and that’s when I raise my hand and slap him across the cheek. “Let me leave,” I spit I have never hit someone in my life, but he deserved that. His eyes widened in shock again, and he instinctively touched his cheek, feeling a burning sting where a red mark was already forming. Shaking his head, he drops to his knees in front of me “Please” he says wrapping his arms around my legs as he looks up at me “Just give me a chance to explain it was all her Riley you have to believe me” Why do men do that always blame women when it’s a two-way street yes, she may have seduced him if that’s even, true but if he was a real man and loved, me he wouldn’t have been tempted. A long moment passes as we stare at one another, my disgust at him touching me becoming overwhelming, but just as I’m about to push him away, his phone rings and that is the only thing that saves me. Work he won’t ignore. This is not even for me. With his eyes still on me he begs “Wait for me at home please, I will be there soon,” He must be joking. I’m not waiting for this asshole. I will never wait for him ever again. Without another word, he grabs the phone from his pocket, turns, and walks away, giving me the freedom to leave. As the elevator begins its descent to the ground floor, I close my eyes and lean against the railing, completely drained of energy. Pressing the back of my head against the cold metal, I silently hope that he doesn’t come home while I’m packing. I know he won’t let me leave otherwise. I take a few moments for myself before I dive into action. Grabbing my phone, I rush to my car and book the closest flight to London. Then I begin driving, eager to reach the house as quickly as possible. As soon as I arrive at my parents’ house, I will ask my father’s friend louis who is a lawyer, to prepare divorce papers for me. I don’t want to be married to this man any longer than necessary. It takes me ten minutes to reach the home we once shared, and as I approach, my tears begin to fall. All I can see is him carrying me in bridal style after our honeymoon, the laughs we shared while cooking dinner together in the kitchen. And the cuddling on the couch as we watched movies together. Shaking my head, I clear my mind and ignore the lingering pain in my chest as I walk past the kitchen and head directly to the bedroom. I grab the suitcase from the top of the closet and pack as many clothes as I can into it. There are some items I don’t need because they were for events I won’t be attending, so I leave those behind. Additionally, I can always get whatever I need when I reach London. I have some money saved from working as a substitute teacher when the regular teachers at Liberty High are out sick. While it doesn’t compare to what he has, it’s enough for me. Besides, who needs millions of dollars? Not me. I grab my makeup bag from the bathroom and stuff it into the front of the case before zipping it up. Then I head for the door without bothering to look in the mirror. I didn’t care what I looked like; I just lost my husband, and I have every right to look however I want. After a long check-in line, where a woman became frustrated because her ticket time was incorrect despite booking it herself, I finally found myself in the boarding line. That’s when my phone rings. I know it is him, so I don’t bother looking at it or answering. I was fortunate to get a flight immediately, which means I won’t have to wait for hours. I know that if I did, he would come looking for me This is for the best; I have to leave. I can’t and won’t stay with someone who can cheat one thing for, certain I’m not dating another, man not for a very long time. There’s no way I’m putting myself through this—not in a million years. One heartbreak is enough; I don’t need another. As the line moves down, I grab my case and walk towards the woman in a red hat, paired with a matching skirt and blazer. She greets me with a wide smile as I approach. “Boarding pass please” Gathering as much energy as I can, I give her a small smile and hand over my pass. She checks the details and then scans it all the time, keeping a warm smile on her face as she gives me the pass back, she says “thank you for flying with American airline Have a safe flight” Without a word I walk into the tunnel ready to touch down in London, I should be home by seven or eight o’clock. It’s currently one o’clock, so that’s about seven hours — not bad, to be honest. I don’t like flying; the jet lag makes me sleep for a while. But knowing I won’t be doing this again anytime soon, I don’t mind. I won’t let anyone try to talk me out of leaving this jerk. Maybe his mother and father would, but my family will support me in every way they can, and for that, I’m grateful. Taking a deep breath, I step onto the plane and find my seat. After securing my bag in the overhead storage, I sit down. Since it will probably be a while before we start moving, I quickly send a text. “Hi Jackson, don’t tell Mom and Dad just yet, but I’m coming home early for Christmas. I’m already on the plane. I will see you soon. Okay, remember to keep it a secret. I love you. Riley x” A couple of minutes pass before I receive a text back. “wait for your coming right now why you don’t usually come this early you like to wait until it’s a couple of days before Christmas because of Liam and work” I close my eyes for a moment as I read the last line, then I take in a deep breath and begin to write again. “He isn’t coming this year” I bite my lower lip as I look for an excuse I hate lying to him, but if he finds out, he will kill him, and I would rather have my brother not in jail. Telling myself it’s just a little white lie until I get there, I said. “He has work I have to, go but we will talk when I get to moms, ok, I love you” With that, I put my phone in airplane mode, then place it in my pocket and lean my head back, closing my eyes as I wait for the plane to take off that moment, I tell myself. I refuse to let the shadows of his deceit define my future; I am reclaiming my life, and this time, I will choose happiness on my terms.