Chapter 7: A Breath of Lies (Part 2)

Why does it feel different?

I had smiled. I had joked. I had nodded to everything he said. But there was a small, dark room in the back of my mind where the truth was screaming, and the door was starting to crack.

I closed my eyes, trying to wash away the doubt, but it clung to me like a second skin.

***

The shower hadn't even stopped dripping when the door opened. I was wrapping a towel around myself, my heart jumping into my throat as Archer stepped in.

"Archer?"

He didn't say anything, just wrapped his arms around my waist, pulling my back against his chest. He buried his face in the curve of my neck.

"You look incredible like this," he groaned.

I tried to shift, my hands clutching the top of the towel. "Archer, wait—"

"Why didn't you tell me you were getting in?" he murmured, his grip tightening just enough to be possessive. "I thought we could... enjoy the steam together."

I swallowed hard. "Archer, I just finished—"

"Then let's start over."

He didn't wait for an answer. He pulled me back toward the glass stall, the sound of the water drowning out my hesitation.

***

Dinner was a quiet affair—mostly the sound of cutlery against porcelain. Archer turned on the TV afterward, patting the spot next to him on the sofa.

"Stay the night, Evelyn," he said, his eyes tracing my face. "I don't want you going back to your place tonight."

I wanted my own bed. I wanted the silence of my own apartment. But I looked at him, and the habit of being 'the good girlfriend' won out.

"Okay," I whispered.

We watched some mindless show, Archer’s arm heavy around my shoulders. To anyone looking through the floor-to-ceiling windows, we were the picture of domestic bliss.

By 10:30, we were in bed. Archer fell asleep almost instantly, his breathing heavy and rhythmic.

I stayed awake. The shadows of the city danced across the ceiling, but I couldn't find rest. My chest felt like it was being crushed by a weight I couldn't see.

I’ll try again, I told myself. Yesterday was a misunderstanding. He’s here. He’s with me.

Then, the night was punctured by a vibration.

A phone on the nightstand—his phone—buzzed against the wood. I blinked, my heart hammering against my ribs. I reached out, my fingers trembling as I grabbed the device before it could buzz again.

The screen lit up the room.

Sienna.

The name felt like a physical blow to the stomach.

I barely got the phone back onto the charger before Archer stirred. I slammed my eyes shut, holding my breath, forcing my body to go limp.

Archer sat up, yawning. He grabbed the phone, and even through my closed eyelids, I could feel the shift in the air—the sudden, sharp alertness in his movements.

"Hey... I told you not to call this late," he hissed, his voice a low, frantic whisper as he slid out of bed.

I didn't move. My heart was beating so loud I was sure he could hear it.

"You want to meet? Now?" Archer’s voice moved toward the door. "It’s one in the morning."

There was a pause. Then, his voice dropped even lower, thick with a sickeningly familiar affection.

"...Yeah, I miss you too. But I have to be back before dawn, before Evelyn wakes up."

The words were a serrated blade, carving through the last of my delusions. I lay there, frozen, as Archer came back to the bed. He touched my arm, a light, testing shake.

"Evelyn... sweetheart?"

I didn't blink. I didn't flinch. I kept my breathing steady through sheer, agonizing willpower.

He finally stood, retreating to the bathroom. I heard the faint splash of water, then the rustle of clothes. A hint of his cologne—that expensive, sharp scent—drifted through the room.

The bedroom door clicked shut. A moment later, the heavy thud of the front door echoed through the penthouse.

He was gone.

The silence that followed was deafening. I curled into a ball under the expensive sheets, my throat tight, my vision blurring as the first sob finally broke through. I pressed my palm against my mouth, stifling the sound, as the tears soaked the pillow Archer had just been lying on.

"I’m such a fool," I whispered into the dark. "I'm such a goddamn fool."