A Dirty Secret With My Best Friend’s Dad

~Sienna~

The gate screeches while I push it open and step into the compound. It is late at night and too dark to see clearly, but I know this building well.

I spent a summer here with my best friend Nova and her family.

I key in the house code Nova sent over the phone, an alarm beeps softly as the door unlocks, and I slip inside the lake house.

My throat tightens, so I skip the light switch and flick on the torchlight on my phone instead. The last thing I need is someone calling the Garrisons about an intruder.

I walk past the large living room, move deeper into the house, and barely glance at the decor.

My chest burns, my jaw clenches, and my teeth grind together.

I refuse to cry. I will not give those bastards the satisfaction.

My steps slow when I spot the glassware on the wine shelf, so I drop my bag on a nearby couch and walk over to the bar and sink onto a barstool. My little black dress rides up my thighs.

But I do not care. No one is here to see me.

My eyes shut at the memory of why I wear the dress and the place I thought I would spend the night.

I dressed to impress my boyfriend, my ex-boyfriend now, because I was sure he would propose. I found the ring in his suit pocket last week but kept quiet, and when he invited me out for a surprise date I thought this was it.

My heart raced with joy as the taxi drove me to the hotel until my phone buzzed with an anonymous photo of my boyfriend and someone I once called a friend tangled in a kiss. The same hotel room number I would be staying in with him was attached.

My brows furrowed and my hands shook as I stared at the image.

It could not be. With Julian's controlling nature and hatred for cheaters he would not, and he always made me believe that.

There had to be a mistake.

I stumbled out of the taxi, my legs trembled in my heels as I crossed to the hotel.

I hesitated between knocking and punching in the room code, but my need for truth won.

A gasp tore from my lips, my eyes widened as the door opened, and my hand gripped the doorframe for support.

Right there on the bed, tangled in sheets and clothes, were my boyfriend and my friend, groaning and moaning without shame.

My shoulders sagged as the weight hit me.

How long had it been going on, why did I not see it, and where was the man who did everything to earn my trust.

My breath came short and I struggled to keep up with reality.

Everly always claimed to hate Julian and ranted about his ego.

But now it made sense. She wanted him all along.

And I missed it.

The two of them