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“Just go away. Please,” she said with as much strength as she was able to muster.
After a moment, she heard footsteps retreat from the door followed by the sound of the front door banging shut. Closing her eyes, she continued to sit against the wall, even as she heard the footsteps come closer again. Resting her face on her knees, she watched through blurred vision as tears rolled past her legs and dripped onto the floor.
“Samantha? Unlock the door,” Bryce requested, his voice growing stern.
She didn’t lift her head. She simply raised her arm and flicked the lock.
The bathroom door creaked as it slowly opened, but she still didn’t bother looking up. Bryce didn’t speak. He simply sat down beside her and shared her silence. Just having him near her was enough to calm her ragged nerves. After what could have been minutes or hours, she finally broke the silence.
“Did you know?” she rasped.
When he didn’t speak, she dragged her head up to look at him. The hurt in his eyes caused her to inhale a sharp breath. “You really have to ask that question? You think I let you invite her over here knowing who she was?”
Relief washed over her even as she began to feel disappointed in herself for considering for one moment that Bryce knew that information and didn’t tell her. She knew better.
“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have asked you that,” she said before folding back in on herself, wrapping her arms tightly around her legs.
He placed two fingers beneath her chin and angled her face so she had no choice but to either look at him or keep her eyes squeezed shut. Reluctantly, she opened her eyes and met his gaze.
“You do not need to apologize. I should be the one apologizing. I had no idea, and I’m so sorry for putting you in this situation.” Bryce spoke without taking his eyes off hers.
With a ragged breath, she gave him a slow nod. “It’s so fucked up. Why would she come here? Here I was defending her and trying to help you two clear the air. I just can’t believe anyone would do what she did.”
“Not to defend her, but I really don’t think she had any idea until she walked in and saw you. I watched her whole demeanor change when you walked into the room, but I thought she was just nervous. If I figured it out, I would have said something. Or gotten rid of her. Something.”
Samantha listened as he spoke, not having the energy to participate in the conversation. She hadn’t allowed herself to think about the week leading up to Brandon’s death, and now it was all toppling down on her. Life was a strange thing. Until she was no longer in the situation and had found someone who treated her with kindness and respect, she wasn’t able to see just how abusive her marriage was. She knew she wasn’t happy, but she really did believe her marriage problems were equally her fault. They weren’t. The marriage was toxic because Brandon was toxic.
“Are you still feeling sick?” Bryce asked gently.
“No,” she answered. “I think I’m okay.”
“Let’s get you off this cold floor then.”
She allowed him to pull her to her feet. He was able to easily get her up, even while being careful with her. With his arm wrapped around her, as if he wasn’t convinced she was steady on her feet, he led the way to the bedroom.
“Get some rest. I’m sure this is a lot. You don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to, but I’m here if you do.”
“But the food—”
“I’ll handle that,” he interrupted. “I’ll put everything away. Just worry about you.”
“Okay,” she said after a moment. “I’ll freshen up and lie down.”
She wasn’t sure she would ever get used to being with someone who put her first. The dinner had been her idea, so basically the absolute disaster of an evening was her fault. And the mess should have been her responsibility to clean up. After brushing her teeth and washing her face, she stripped out of her clothes so she could climb into bed.
She threw on one of Bryce’s shirts and climbed under the covers, giving herself permission to dwell on memories until Bryce came back into the room. Once he was back, she would stuff the memories back into the past and end her little pity party. Brandon’s lies, abuse, manipulation, and infidelity were no longer relevant. It was over. Brandon was dead. But it didn’t stop her heart from feeling like it was being torn from her chest when she came face to face with the woman Brandon had chosen over her.
She didn’t turn to look at Bryce when she heard him enter the room. Staring at the wall, she willed her thoughts to return to the present. After some rustling around, the bed dipped as he joined her. He wrapped his arms around her, pulling her against him with her back to his chest. With a resigned sigh, she covered his arms with hers, silently acknowledging she was awake.
“You okay?” he asked, his words barely a whisper against her ear.
“Yeah,” she answered. “I think I am. What did she say before she left?”
After brushing her ear with a quick kiss, he settled in behind her before he spoke. “She kept repeating that she was sorry, and she didn’t know.”
For some reason, Samantha believed her. Even though they hadn’t talked a whole lot and Lizzy was being a bit stand-offish, with good reason apparently, she didn’t get the feeling Lizzy would intentionally hurt her. She had come off as quiet and maybe even slightly despondent, but Samantha didn’t get the impression that she was out to get her.
“Okay,” she breathed. “Okay.”
