Chapter 24

Sweeping my leg out, I manage to take Hunter to the floor. A smirk curls my lips as I stand over him with my hands on my hips, one foot planted on either side of him.

A squeak escapes me, followed by a throaty laugh when I'm grabbed by my waist and flipped. My body tenses, waiting for the impact of the floor to jar me, but I should have known better. My back gently meets the padded floor and within a second, Hunter's straddling my waist. His face hovers a couple of inches above me, his fisted hands beside my head.

His dark hair, damp with sweat, falls over his forehead. The light scruff on his face, along with the proud look in his eyes, has my breath stuttering in my throat. He is without a doubt the sexiest man I have ever met.

"I finally got you," I say, smiling up at him.

His white teeth flash as he grins. "You sure did, baby." Doing a half push up, he places a kiss against my lips. "You're getting better every day. Before long, I'll be no match for you."

I snort. Hunter and I have sparred for years, and while I have gotten better, he's delusional if he thinks I'll ever be as good as him. He grew up fighting on the streets. It was necessary for him to learn if he wished to survive. "I appreciate the vote of confidence, but we both know I'll never be a match for you."

"I don't know. I'm pretty sure the kick you gave my thigh earlier will leave a hellacious bruise."

Now that has me rolling my eyes. Hunter doesn't bruise.

With my hands around his shoulders, I tunnel my fingers through his hair and pull his head down until his lips meet mine. I moan into the kiss, our tongues sliding together, and he matches the sound with a groan. I lift my hips, pressing my pelvis into the V of his legs.

Our moment is interrupted by the sound of the doorbell. With a muted growl against my mouth, he yanks his lips away. He lifts his head, a scowl narrowing his eyes as he stares at the stairs leading from the basement. Using his fists to leverage himself, he leaps up and extends a hand to assist me. He yanks hard enough for me to fall into his arms once I'm on my feet, where he presses another hard kiss against my lips.

"I'll change out the clothes in the washer and then make us a quick lunch," I tell him.

"Sounds good."

Walking up the stairs ahead of him, I laugh when he lightly smacks my ass when he leaves me in the laundry room. I transfer the sheets to the dryer before reloading the washer with clothes. Having it grilled into my head as a child from my mother, I always check pockets before I wash clothes. Hunter never leaves anything in his pockets, so I'm surprised to find something soft inside a pair of slacks. Frowning, I pull out the material. When I realize it's a thong, the pants fall from my hands.

A wave of nausea nearly causes me to heave as I feel my heart drop to my stomach.

Why are they in his pocket? Where did they come from? And to whom do they belong? All questions a woman would ask herself. All questions that point in the same direction. Hunter is having an affair.

The mere thought of that makes my chest feel like it's being clawed open and my heart gouged out.

It can't be true. There's no way Hunter, my beloved husband, is seeing another woman.

Touching her.

Kissing her.

Making love to her.

Whispering sweet words in her ear.

Making her body light on fire like he makes mine.

There has to be another explanation.

There has to be.

But what possible explanation could there be? What could he possibly say to explain why he has another woman's underwear in his pocket? There is no reason for it whatsoever. Nothing he can say can justify it.

I barely muffle the loud cry that erupts from my lips with my hand.

Never, in all the years that Hunter and I have been together, have I ever doubted his love and dedication to me. I knew to the marrow of my bones, to the depths of my soul, with every fiber of my being, that he would never touch another woman intimately.

How could I have been so wrong?

Could it be something I did? Is there something he gets from this other woman that he doesn't get from me? Am I not enough for him anymore? Do I no longer please him?

No answers to these questions would be acceptable excuses for cheating. No reason is good enough. Nothing gives him the right to hurt me like this.

And this certainly hurts. The pain is so intense that I wouldn't be surprised if I looked down and saw my shredded heart on the floor at my feet. It hurts to breathe, so I hold my breath. Part of me wishes I could hold it forever until the blistering pain stops. It will never go away, though. I'll feel it for the rest of my life.

The ache grows and festers, becoming a permanent lesion on my soul. My eyes water, and my lips tremble.

Hearing the front door close, I blink and force back the tears. I'm not ready to confront him just yet. I shove the pain aside, refusing to let it cripple me just yet. I need time to think. I need time to process. Later, I can fall apart.

Putting the thong in my pocket, I haphazardly throw clothes into the washer, no longer willing to check pockets. What if I find more damning evidence?

Suddenly, a memory resurfaces. This isn't the first sign that Hunter has been with another woman. He came home with the scent of another woman a few weeks ago.

I made excuses then, since the alternative was unbelievable. But the thong? There is no plausible explanation for it. I can't even say they belong to one of the girls from the club. That maybe he found it randomly and it doesn't belong to someone he's been intimate with. If that were the case, he would have tossed them away. There's a reason why a man keeps a woman's panties. Because they mean something to him. There's only one reason why he would have them.

I also watched from the window a few weeks ago as he put his ring back on. Why would he have taken his wedding ring off?

Hurt weighs heavily on my shoulders and in my heart. But there's also anger. So much anger.

How dare he do this. How dare he destroy what I've always thought was special between us.

"Hey."

My shoulders stiffen when his deep, rumbly voice comes from behind me. I wipe all emotions from my face before turning to him. I must do a terrible job because he's in my face the next instant. My eyes well with tears when he cups my cheeks and looks at me like I'm the most important person in the world to him.

For years, I thought I was.

"What's wrong?" he demands, his tone deepened by worry that looks so genuine.

I paste on a fake smile, but I'm sure it looks more like a wince. "Nothing. I feel a headache coming on."

For the first time in my life, I'm able to make use of my headaches. And it's not a lie. I feel the beginnings of one in the back of my head.

He pulls my head forward and presses a kiss against my forehead. "How about you let me take care of this? We'll get you some medicine and you can lie down for a while."

"Okay," I mumble, too afraid to say more and give away the large lump in my throat.

We enter the kitchen, and I stand numbly while Hunter grabs a pain pill and a glass of water. After swallowing the pill, he leads me upstairs. I feel like I'm on autopilot. Walking naturally because that's what people do, but not caring or understanding where I'm going.

As the bed presses against the back of my legs, I automatically sink down.

"Let's get these off you," Hunter says, his voice sounding miles away.

When I lie down, I barely feel him remove my pants and place the cover over me. I let my head fall to the side, and I notice his phone on the nightstand hooked up to the charger.

I roll my head back to Hunter. "I left my phone downstairs. Can you grab it for me?"

"Sure, baby. I'll get a cool rag for you too."

Before he leaves, he places a soft kiss against my lips, and another flood of tears threatens. My eyes follow him out of the room. When I hear his footsteps on the stairs, I grab his phone from the nightstand and unlock it. I click on the text icon, scrolling past the people I know.

My heart thumps heavily as my finger hovers over an unfamiliar name.

Scarlett.

Before I can second guess the move, I push down on the name.

Scarlett: I need you.

That was the last message sent, which was two days ago.

Before that, the same three-word message was sent ten days ago. Before that, it was two weeks. Hunter's response is always the same.

I'm on my way.

Bile rises in my throat, and I barely manage to swallow it down.

So it's true. Hunter is seeing someone else.

A small part of me wished and hoped it was only a one-time occurrence. Not that once is even close to forgivable, but maybe it would hurt a tiny bit less if I knew it was a spur of the moment encounter. One that he regretted deeply.

But no. He's been seeing her for months. Possibly even longer. The messages sent and received indicate that it happens about once a week. From the looks of it, it seems that Scarlett is always asking him to come see her. He never initiates it.

My throat feels tight and a tear slips free. I dash it away angrily. Having seen enough on his phone, I carelessly return it to the nightstand. I roll away from the side of the bed, knowing that's the side Hunter will approach. I don't want to see his face right now.

When I hear the thumps of his feet on the stairs, I slam my eyes shut and try to regulate my breathing. He's only been gone a few minutes, not enough time for me to have fallen asleep, but long enough that I can pretend to be drowsy.

I feel rather than hear him come to the side of the bed. A shadow appears in front of my closed eyes as the mattress dips. I barely crack them open and see him hovering over me.

"Your phone is on the nightstand," he says quietly. "I'll be downstairs. Use your phone to call me if you need anything."

"Okay," I whisper.

He doesn't move with my answer, and I feel his eyes still on me. His lips touch my cheek a moment later. "Are you sure everything is okay?"

I push my tremulous emotions back and roll my head to the side so I can look up at him. I force my lips into a small smile. "Everything's fine. I'll be better once I sleep this headache off."

His eyes flicker back and forth between mine, looking for something I hope he can't see. I don't know if I hide my pain well, or if he's giving up for the time being. After a silent moment, he drops his head and gives me a gentle kiss.

He's not out the door before the tears start falling. I bury my face in the pillow, only realizing it's Hunter's when I'm suddenly engulfed in his scent.