Authors: R.M. Alexander
The trembling deepened, her chest a rumbling earthquake. “I’m not going to like this, am I?”
“No, probably not.”
Hands planted firmly against the cushions next to her legs, she nodded. “Okay. Let’s hear it.”
He rubbed his hands together, and turned a head towards the desk as though searching for something. It wasn’t there. Returning his attention to her, clouds filled his eyes. “Everything has been a lie, Shannon.”
She felt like some beast was reaching into her chest and twisting the air from her lungs. She tried to gasp for air, but couldn’t. The room began to spin, a darkness reaching out to grasp at her. She hung her head, willing the world to stop spinning, then found a voice even as it stumbled over the words. “What do you mean? What’s been a lie?”
“The last two years,” he whispered. “Everything.” He looked away, then swung his head again to meet her in defiance. “Shannon, I’ve always known who I was. I’ve always known who you were, and our marriage.”
The restriction in her chest tightened and released in a single maddening moment. The room no long spun, it turned angry, blood red, and sh
e flew to her feet. “You what?”
“Listen.” Greg stood, holding his hands out, shaking his head. “I almost died. I could have died. I had one of those moments that … I just wanted to
be free for a minute. To live.”
She cackled, crazed with fury. “You wanted to live? Is that what you said? You wanted to be free?” Her voice cracked and shrieked with hysteria, while her mind ripped and tore
at her heart with clawed hands.
“I know it was foolish, I had the best here at home waiting for me. But my mind snapped, and I thought –"
“Shut up! Just shut up! I don’t want to hear it.” She turned away, stormed to the other side of the room, the sting of tears burning her cheeks.
Heavy footsteps fell behind her and she shuddered at the touch as a hand lay on her shoulder. “Please, listen to me. I want everything out in the open so we can get past this a
nd put our life back on track.”
She swiped the hand off and spun around, laughing, eyebrows high on her forehead. “Put our life back on track? Are you out of your mind? How can I ever let you touch me again after knowing you were lying, cheating, on me with every woman that crossed your path. I believed in you. I stood by you. I humiliated myself for
you
.” She pushed past him. “I’ve got to leave. I can’t stay here.”
“Shannon, please don’t go. When I saw your note that day, that you were gone and wanted a divorce, it woke me up. It made me realize everything I was doing was wrong, and I had to stop. That’s why I’m telling you this now.”
“How noble of you.”
“I’m not going to let you go.”
The voice changed, deepened, morphed into something she didn’t recognize. His footsteps pounded against the floor, and a hand shot out and grabbed her arm.
She spun around again, fire crackling in her eyes as she ripped the arm out of the tightened grip. “What are you going to do? Grab me again, push me against the wall? Do it! You can’t do anything worse than what you’ve already done.”
Something evil flashed in his eyes, and she steeled herself against the urge to cringe. “Don’t challenge me, Shannon.”
“Is that a threat, Greg? Don’t you think you’ve done enough?”
“I don’t have to threaten you, Shannon.” His mouth twisted upwards, the contorted face one she couldn’t identify. “You are everything you are because of me. I can take it away just as easily as I gave it.”
Shannon stared, wide-eyed, as Greg tried to grab for her. Yanking her arm out of reach before his fingers anchored to the skin, she hissed, “Don’t touch me. Don’t ever touch me again.” She raced out of den, illusions of decay hanging from every wall and ceiling, toying with her mind’s fragile grip on reality. Years of deceit and betrayal mocked the remaining sanity as she tore through the dining room.
His voice bellowed her name, she didn’t stop to turn around.
Shaking hands grabbed at her purse and keys, an arm knocking the food over the edge of the countertop as it plummeted to the ground, sauces staining the brown bag darker as moisture seeped through the paper onto the floor. She glanced down through a curtain of tears, blinked hard and kept moving.
In the garage, she fumbled with the car remote as she felt Greg’s looming presence close behind her. Her thumb jabbed at the green button and she pulled on the door handle, the chilled metal biting at her fevered flesh. The deadened sound of his heavy footsteps across the concrete ran a shiver up her spine.
“Leave me alone, Greg. I just need to get away, to think, to decide if I can come back to whatever it is we have. Right n
ow, I don’t think that’s much.”
Without waiting for a reply, she climbed in the car, stabbed at the garage door opener and kept her eyes trained on the rearview mirror until the opening into the night air was
wide enough to make an escape.
She barreled down the street, knowing no where else to go but back to the Grande. Cars honked and screeched as she raced away from the charade, heart pounding while tears streamed down her cheeks.
As she drew nearer to the hotel, her pulse slowed, the hazardous driving less dangerous. Her eyes shifted to the rearview mirror, half expecting to see Greg’s Infiniti behind her. It wasn’t. Color slowly flushed her knuckles once again, and as she pulled into the parking space behind the hotel, breathing became easier.
She stared at the refuge, the curtain faded lights through guests windows, the shining beacon of life on the main floor, unable to gain control of the moist river wetting her cheeks. She had been a fool. For the past two years, she’d played the naïve, idiotic fool to her husband’s every ploy. He co
uld take nothing more from her.
Chapter Twenty Five
The evening quiet enveloped the lobby as Shannon rushed across the marble flooring, not wanting to talk to anyone, hoping no one paid attention or saw her cheeks still flushed from tears th
at spilled from bloodshot eyes.
She slipped into her office and pulled up availability for the evening on the computer. One room left, 203. Her breath caught, and her fingers clicked the keys. Room 205 was still showing as occupied.
Triston hadn’t checked out yet.
She laughed, and dropped her head into her hands. The only room available would make her neighbors with Triston. Of course it would. Shannon lifted her head to stare at the screen, and cupped her hands over both ears, fingers laced in strands of tired hair. It was either be neighbors and hope to avoid him, or sleep on the office floor. She nodded, knowing she couldn’t do that. She needed a soft bed, a droning television, a steamy bath. Comforts to drown t
he thoughts and heartache.
She stood, retrieved the key and headed for the elevator. The door
dinged
and opened, and just as she stepped inside, Naomi called her name. Shannon stepped out of the elevator car. The tide turned in the past two weeks, the role of manager and owner had evolved into an inconvenience. Shannon expelled the notion, the career the sole normalcy in life.
“Ms. Winters? I thought you were off today?”
“Are you still here? Your shift ended hours ago.”
She nodded and smiled. “Yes, I know. Rebekkah called in sick, so Mr. Johnson called me in. I’m a couple hours early, but …” She shrugged.
“What? Oh, right, yes, okay. Thank you for covering the shift.” Shannon turned to face the elevator again, and Naomi stepped beside her with a craned neck, studying Shannon’s face.
“Ms. Winters? Are you okay? You don’t look well.”
“I’m,” Shannon closed her eyes and stepped away from the elevator with Naomi at her side. “It hasn’t been a good night.”
“Yes, I can see that. Do you want to go sit down and talk for a moment?” S
he motioned towards the lounge.
Shannon sighed and stared at the floor for moment, lifted her gaze to meet Naomi’s. “I’m not going to be very good company.”
“I wasn’t asking for company.” She laid a hand on Shannon’s shoulder. “I don’t think you need to be alone right now.”
Shannon scanned the lobby. Hiding away in an empty room, mourning betrayal and heartache or visiting with a sympathetic ear. The way her mind reasoned, the choice seemed obvious. She nodded. “Maybe you’re right.”
“Good.”
The women walked side by side into the small lounge. Shannon pointed to a couple chairs beside a large window accompanied with a small table set between them. The corner was out of the way of traffic and guests, but not close enough for anyone to overhe
ar the conversation.
They settled down, Shannon staring at trembling fingers, as Naomi asked, “What happened?”
“Oh,” Shannon breathed the word in a low groan. “I don’t know, Naomi. It turns out I haven’t known for a very long time. Greg wasn’t sick after all.” She shook her head and tightened dried lips into a grimace. “Not at all. Ever. At least not with amnesia. Apparently disease laden with I-don’t-care-about-my-wife-or-vows, but not amnesia. I’m been playing the part of the dumb-witted wife all along.”
Naomi leaned forward, voice low. “He told you that tonight?”
Shannon bobbed her head up and down. “Yes. Said he had a life and death experience and needed to … I don’t know. I don’t think I was even listening by that point, but something about sowing his wild oats.” She closed her eyes, squeezing her eyebrows together. “I can’t believe I’ve been such a fool.”
Naomi leaned forward and patted Shannon’s knee. “You couldn’t have known. He played the part perfectly. Not many people could have seen through it.”
One of the waitresses came over, dressed in the black and white uniform, hair pulled into a ponytail, and asked if she could get the two women anything.
Naomi answered as Shannon turned away. “A couple of waters, please, Liz. Thanks.”
Shannon waited until the girl had moved away before answering. “But that’s the thing, Naomi. I should have. I’m his wife. I should have seen exactly what Greg was doing. I should have known him better.”
“Maybe a part of you did know, Ms. Winters.” Naomi paused, head cocked gently to one side, hair flowing smoothly across a shoulder. “Didn’t you ever sense something was off?”
“Please, we’re talking about my marriage here. You don’t have to call me Ms. Winters. Shannon is fine. And I don’t think I did. I mean, I wondered about some things. He’d remember names out of the blue, not know where one room in the house was but remembered where he left a piece of paper a week earlier. Yet, I dismissed it all.”
Naomi smiled and nodded. “Of course you did. Nobody does something like that, Shannon. You couldn’t have …” She stopped short as her eyes
lifted past Shannon’s shoulder.
Shannon turned around, jaw dropped to see Triston standing behind her. “I thought you were going to be checking out.”
He looked from Shannon to Naomi and back to Shannon. “I’m sorry to do this in front of your employee, and in your hotel. But you need to come with me. Now.”
He reached down to take her hand, but she snatched it away. “What do you think you’re doing? And how dare you talk to me like that. I’m not going anywhere with you.”
“You’re spitting your venom at the wrong person, Shy. I didn’t want to do this here, in front of everyone, but if you’re going to force my hand, I will. It’s not like I’m afraid to shout my feelings for you from the rooftops, and it doesn’t seem like there’s much room for pride anymore.”
Shannon flushed and she turned to Naomi, who was smiling coyly. She nodded. “Go on, Shannon. You deserve this.”
“Don’t encourage him, Naomi.” But she smiled, in spite of herself. In spite of what she learned that night from Greg. In spite of, everything.
*
Shannon followed Triston to his room on the second floor, not altogether sure it was a good idea. But another scene in front of Naomi, the rest of her employees, the guests didn’t turn her head, and so she followed closely behind, seething, simultaneously curious and happy.
As the door closed behind them, Triston turned and pressed eager lips against her mouth. It lasted for only a moment before he backed away, satisfaction shining on his Cheshire
cat grin.
She wrapped the lingering moisture from with the tips of her fingers and glared. “What do you think you’re doing?”
“I’m fighting for the woman I love.”
“Did I ask you to fight for me? Did I give you any indication …”
He smiled a cock-eyed smile. “Actually, Shy, you did. The river cruise, dinner, the look on your face when you saw me downstairs, the lack of resistance the moment my lips touched yours. You’ve given me every indication you need someone to love you. And that someone is me.”
“You arr
ogant fool!”
She spun on her heels, and reached for the door just as his hand grabbed her wrist, twirled her to face him. He backed her against the wall, palms flat against the surface and inches from either side of her head.
“Shy, I love you. I know I promised I’d let you go, but I can’t. I left. See, my suitcase is right over there.” Triston nodded back to a suitcase Shannon couldn’t see. “I called the office to inform them I was coming back early. Everything was set for me to go back to my life, without you, even though it ripped my heart out. I was nearly an hour and a half away at two this morning when I was so tired I couldn’t go any further. I stopped at a hotel, and everything became so clear I needed to come back and warn you. Even if you don’t listen to me. I can’t let you keep going like this.”
She sighed, her face dropping in exhaustion. “What are you talking about?”
“It’s that husband of yours. He doesn’t have amnesia, Shy. It’s all fake. It has to be. Too many pieces don’t fit into the picture and –"
She held up a hand and turned her head, not able to meet the fierce gaze. “I know. He told me tonight. Confessed it all.”
Triston stepped backwards, head dropping to the side, eyebrows high. “That’s why your eyes looked so lost and tired, you looked so beaten, while you talked to your employee.” Shannon gritted her teeth, and Triston smiled, closed the distance between them, and lifted her chin to catch her eyes. “You still look
beautiful
. Even broken, you take my breath away. And I knew. I couldn’t just walk away. I had to fight, because I don’t think you want to be married to that fool you call a husband. I think you’re tired, and you want a real man to show you what love is. To make you feel like the rare, precious treasure you are. To put you up on a pedestal the way you put your man on a pedestal. You deserve those things, Shy, and I can give them to you. Because you and I both know we never stopped loving one another.”
She closed her eyes and tapped her head on the back of the wall. “Why is it all you men think you can just turn my life upside down and it doesn’t matter
?” She couldn’t stop the tears.
He leaned forward, the magnetism heavy between them. “I turn your life upside down? Honey, you have no idea what it means to me to hear you say that.” He backed up, and she could feel the gaze boring into her. “Wait. Tell me what that monster told you.”
She shook her head in quick, tiny movements. “I don’t want to talk about him.”
“Tell me.”
Shannon recoiled from the anger in Triston’s voice, but recovered. He was protecting her. Doing what Greg should have been doing all along, but never had. Defeated, she dropped her shoulders, pushed past Triston and settled on the bed. She shrugged. “He knew all along he was cheating on me. It was all a lie.”
He knelt in front of her, encasing her hands in larger palms. “That was quite a performance he gave.”
“One I always believed in, even when he’d act so off the wall and then remember Stevens’ name. The doctors said it was amnesia, why would I doubt. But it was all an act. He never forgot anything. He just wanted to do … whatever he wanted to do. Never mind our marriage. Never mind me. It was all just one big joke.”
Triston dropped his head against her knees for a moment, and when he looked up, a fire burned within them. “When I realized it at the hotel in Middletown , a small part of me hoped it was my love for you making me assume the worst. Now I want to beat the living breath out the man. Please tell me you’re not going to stay with him now. Please tell me you’re walking away.”
Her breathing quickened, the tears plummeting down her cheeks. She spoke in a grainy whisper, “I have nothing to stay for.”
Triston stood and gathered Shannon in eager arms, cradling her as he walked around the side of the bed and eased her down. She shook her head. She didn’t want to make lov
e, needed casual sex even less.
He smiled. “You misunderstand me, love. I won’t lay a hand on you in that way until the day the divorce papers are legal, and you are free to be mine in every way. But what I do intend to do is hold you until the sun comes up. Wipe your tears, mend your broken heart. And make you fall in love with me all over again.”
She closed her eyes, the scent of the hotel sheets filling her senses: clean, fresh, unsoiled. The bleached detergent sparked a yearning for an internal cleansing from all Greg stripped away. He made a mockery of everything she believed in.
As the bed yielded to Triston’s weight and the blankets tightened around Shannon’s body as he settled on top the covers, she sighed, body tingling for a moment when the heaviness of his
arm settled against her waist.
“It’s okay, love. You can cry. You can scream. You can do whatever you need or want to do. You’re not going to hurt my feelings, and it doesn’t matter if it would. I’m here for you. That’s my promise. I will never abandon you again.” His fingers pushed strands of hair that lay haphazard against her cheek. His lips caressed the soft skin, then he restrained. “You deserve happiness, blissfully real happiness, Shannon. Don’t punish yourself any longer with him.”
Triston’s words struck a cord somewhere within Shannon and the dam which had been so tightly secured broke free. Her body quaked, the floodgates open, rapids of suppressed anguish pouring forward. Hands pet her hair, wiped away the salt water, held tight to her angst-ridden body. The ferocious storm of anger erupted as depression subsided, drying the tears as parched as the desert. Her ears reddened as thoughts tallied the women he had cheated on her with. The risks he brought to her. Disease, jealous rampages, anything could have happened. He could have brought back any kind of poisonous vipers into their home, ready to strike as a result of his escapades. She gritted her teeth, body tightening. Followed by a wash of relief. It was over. She no longer had to tolerate him, or his ways.
All the while, Triston held her. He never fell asleep, never complained
, never got up and walked away.
She fell asleep in his arms, at peace for the first time in more yea
rs than she cared to count.
And she didn’t have to count them … not ever again.