Betrayed: Keeping her in the Dark Vol. 3 (17 page)

“Norah, I didn’t say that. Stop trying to pick a fight with me. Your breasts are perfect. You are perfect. I was trying to make a joke and obviously failed miserably.” She stood up and walked passed me to the closet. I heard her shuffling around and she came out in some capri pants and a tank top, and no bra might I add. But I wasn’t about to point that out, because I did not want to die. She had sandals in her hands and slipped them on. 

“I’m going shopping, I will be back later.” 

“We aren’t spending the day together?” 

“No we aren’t,” she shouted as she kept walking out of the bedroom and down the hall. 

Norah was still pissed. She said she was fine, but she wasn’t. Her being pissed was starting to piss me off. 

Norah 

I was still pissed. I couldn’t help it. I loved Liam and I didn’t want a divorce. But I was still mad. I couldn’t forgive him right now.  I could tell he was antsy.

 He was uncomfortable with our situation and I could sense his overall confusion. He wanted to be with me. He wanted to spend time together, but I just couldn’t stop thinking about him with another woman.  I couldn’t get Samantha out of my head. I was jealous of her before I met her, and then I met her. I didn’t talk to her or even see Liam talk to her. But Jane told me she wanted Liam back or to join her in her business, she wasn’t clear on the details. Liam never mentioned that part, but I didn’t expect him to. 

He knew telling me she wanted him back would upset me more than I already was. 

But now every time I looked at him I saw him kissing the tops of Samantha’s breasts. It wasn’t her he was with at the club but since I didn’t see the waitress, I pictured her. 

I didn’t think I could have sex with him and not think about her but it turns out I could. Our sex was hot, primal and passionate. I loved the way he touched me, the way he moaned my name, and the way he felt inside me. The problem was, Liam thought sex meant forgiveness. 

I had to get over it. I couldn’t hold this over him forever. I had to get over it or leave him, and I didn’t want to leave him. So I had to get over it. But I didn’t know how. Forgiveness wasn’t something he deserved right now. He deserved to suffer a little. He had to know that his behavior wasn’t acceptable. He couldn’t just lie to me or forget to tell me things and everything be alright. There were consequences for bad behavior.

Shopping was something I hated. I mean, I liked it a little more now having money, but it still wasn’t my favorite. However, right now being angry with Liam, I just wanted to piss him off. I thought that was best accomplished by spending loads of his money and no time with him. 

I bought four pairs of shoes and the cheapest pair was $750.00. I bought four pairs of shoes I would probably never wear, but it didn’t matter. 

I came home after lunch and Liam was outside walking around the pond.

 I thought about going out to see him but decided against it. I went to read instead and fell asleep in the library. 

When I woke up Liam was stretched out on the other couch and I had a blanket over me. I sat up and took a sip of my water. 

“Rosa is making chicken pot pies for dinner,” Liam’s voice was quiet. “I think she heard my complaining about all the Spanish food.” He sat up and ran his hands over his face.  

“I won’t be here for dinner, I have plans.” I got up and slipped my shoes back on. 

“Where are you going now?” he was standing behind me with his hands in his pockets.

 “I am taking a pottery class tonight. It’s something I’ve always wanted to try. I think it will relax me. Would you like to join me?” I asked. I thought I was being nice but I knew he would refuse. 

“Me? Sitting through a pottery class?” he laughed. “Couldn’t you just push me out into oncoming traffic instead?” 

“Well it’s your money, Liam, there’s no reason we can’t do both.” I went upstairs to change my clothes and when I came back down he was still standing at the bottom of the stairs. I walked passed him straight to the door. 

“You can’t stay pissed at me forever, Norah!” he shouted. 

“Oh, let’s find out,” I shut the door behind me. 

Chapter Fourteen

Liam

She kept saying she was fine. All week I asked her how she was doing, if she needed anything, if everything at work was ok. Her answer was always ‘fine.’ The word ‘fine’ was making me sick. I didn’t want her to say she was fine, I wanted her to be fine. I wanted her to be over this. I was tired of being patient. 

I wanted a united front for the dinner, but I was happy she had agreed to go with me.  I sat on the bed with my knees shaking waiting for her to get ready. She was in the bathroom and had been for an hour. I didn’t want to rush her. Well I did, but I thought that would be rude and I didn’t want her upset at the dinner.

She stuck her head out and looked around the room until she found me. 

“Can you help me, I need to be zipped up.” I stood up and walked in the bathroom. She was wearing a red, sleeveless, sweater dress, black tights and black boots the cam up to her knees. 

I moved her hair from her back and zipped up her dress. Then I pulled my present for her out of my pocket and placed it on the counter. 

“I bought this for you,” I whispered. She didn’t look up but placed her hands on the sides of the box and lifted the lid. She pulled out the sterling silver necklace with the double heart charm and held it in front of her. 

“Thank you,” she said. “Can you help me put it on?” She unclasped it and I took it from her. She held her hair and I hooked it behind her neck. 

I ran my fingers over the exposed park of her shoulders and back again. 

“Do you love me, Norah?” I looked directly at her in the mirror and she raised her eyes to meet mine. No words were spoken for about 45 seconds. Her face gave away nothing. 

“Yes,” she whispered not taking her eyes away from mine. 

“Still?” I asked. I wanted to hear the words but she didn’t want to say them. 

“Yes.” She blinked and looked down. 

“Norah, I...” but she cut me off. Her eyes shot back up and locked on me in the mirror.

“I know you said you’re sorry. And you don’t like to say it more than once. I also know that once you have apologized you expect for the situation to be dropped. I am trying, really I am. I know how this works, Liam, I haven’t forgotten.” She looked away again but then looked back at me when I started talking again. 

“Yes. I’m usually that way. But this is different. I understand you are still upset. As much I would like for you be over this, you have to do this in your own time.” She looked away from me, but I grabbed her arm. “But I still want your respect, Norah. You can be upset without the attitude.” I cleared my throat, “I just wanted to say,” I paused. “I just wanted to say you look beautiful and I miss you.” I locked eyes with her in the mirror. “I just miss you, Norah.” 

I walked out of the room and went to wait downstairs. She followed behind me not long after. 

“Do I look alright without a tie?” I was wearing black dress pants and a white button up shirt with a black sport coat. 

“No one is going to be looking at your lack of a tie,” she kept walking down the steps.

“You don’t think so?” 

“First of all, you said it isn’t formal. So you look fine.” She made it to the bottom to the steps and stood in front me. She straightened out my collar and I could smell her delicious scent. 

“Second, you look fine. You are fine. You are a very good looking man. When you walk in the room, the women will be disappointed that you are wearing any clothes at all.” She gave me a kiss and then walked outside. I guess my little pep talk in the bathroom changed her attitude. 

Norah 

It wasn’t a banquet room and it certainly wasn’t one of Liam’s big charity dinners. There were about twenty round tables with a few people sitting at each. There were long tables at the front with big name cards of whom I assumed were the current board members. Liam’s card was in the middle. 

“This is a very bland looking room.” I looked over at Liam. “Next year, hire my company to plan this for you. This room needs some color. Everything is white, cream and that awful gray. I might give you a family discount.” I winked at him. I was trying very hard to be the good wife.

We walked around the room and he talked to a few people, then we sat and ate dinner. Liam talked to Steve through most of dinner but kept his hand on my thigh.  He looked nervous and I wasn’t sure why. 

“Is the vote right after dinner is over?” I asked. 

“No. After dinner we will take short break. Then Steve will give a ‘State of Affairs’ speech, I will give a short speech, and then Marcy will read the list the names of the nominees and ask for any additional names.  Then we vote. After the voting there are a few prizes to be given out and then the new board is announced.” He took my hand in his. “Then the best part of the evening, we can go home.” I nodded and went back to my dinner. 

When dinner was over I got up and went to the bar. Liam was talking with Marcy and the other Ronettes from his office about passing out the ballots, so I decided to get a drink. Marcy and I exchanged a few words but I didn’t talk to the other girls. I knew they all shared a name but I honestly couldn’t remember what it was. At first I thought Liam was crazy for hiring 3 women, all with the same first name, but then I thought it was probably easier for him to remember.  

I felt his warm hand on my back and then his fingers under my hair moving lightly over my neck. I leaned back into him, and realized it wasn’t Liam. I turned and saw a face I never thought I would see again. 

“Nick!” I said way too loud so I covered my mouth.

“What the hell are you doing here? Are you out of your mind? Liam is going to kill you!” I moved away from him. 

“I’m a shareholder. This is a shareholder’s dinner. I’m supposed to be here.” He was just as cocky as Liam. But I couldn’t believe his nerve.  

“Don’t try to be funny, Nick. This is serious. He will kill you, do you understand me?” I tried to walk around him but he took my arm.

“I can’t believe you married him, Norah. What were you thinking? I thought we were making progress, finally getting close and then you just let him take you away from me?” I couldn’t believe his memory. I guess people remembered things the things the way they needed to.

“Well rumor has it that you love birds haven’t been getting along to well recently. Is that true?” He still held my arm.

“Our relationship is none of your business!” I spat back at him.

“Well Norah, you know how to find me if you ever want to leave him,” he winked and let my arm go. I walked around him and moved fast to find my husband. I put my hand over my neck. Nick had told me about an apartment he had here in London. It was his mother’s name. I assumed that was what he was talking about when he said I could find him. I cringed thinking how angry Liam would be if he knew I might have been able to find Nick for him this whole time.

I saw him talking with Steve again and he raised his arm to me as I walked closer to him. 

“Liam, come this way. We need to go be over here,” I tugged at his jacket and pulled him away from Steve. He apologized to Steve and walked with me. 

“Norah, I know you said I’m very good looking, but really, sweetheart, we need to wait until we get home.” I stopped him and made sure his back was to the bar where Nick was standing. 

“Nick is here,” I said quietly and urgently. His eyes went dark and his face completely changed. 

“Nick is here and listen,” I tried to calm him down by putting my hands on his chest. I could feel his chest moving up and down very fast and his heart felt like it was about to beat out of his chest. He was looking at me but I wasn’t sure if he was really seeing me. 

“He’s here?” his voice was harsh.

  “Yes, and I think we should just ignore him. He approached me at the bar and I told him he needed to leave.”

He turned his head around the room and I grabbed his face and made him look back at me. 

“He approached you? He has the nerve to speak to you!” I tried to pull him near me so he wouldn’t walk away, but it was hard. His eyes kept scanning the room and he was trying to pull away from me. 

“When he first touched me, I thought it was you, but I told him he had to be crazy,” He yanked his arms away from me. 

“He touched you!” he yelled. “He touched you!” He yelled again. “I’m gonna fucking kill him!”

“Liam!” It was too late, he was walking away from me. 

“I’m going to kill him,” he said under his breath but I heard him. “I’m going to fucking kill him!” He moved fast through the crowd until he saw Nick standing at the end of the bar. He ran up to him and shoved him in the back, making him bump into the person in front of him. Nick turned around to see what had happened and Liam punched him in the mouth. 

“Liam! Please!” I yelled. “Will!” I tried to get his attention. He had just walked up to see what the commotion was about. “Will stop him! Please!” 

Before Nick could react, Liam punched him again. His lip was bleeding and he dropped his drink. The glass hit the floor in front of him and shattered. Nick lunged forward and punched Liam in the stomach. They struggled with each other for a bit. Nick ripped Liam’s jacket and punched him in the mouth. I saw blood dripping down his chin and I screamed again.

“Someone do something! Stop this!” I shouted.

“Someone call security!” someone else yelled.

Two men jumped on Nick and pulled him off Liam. I ran in front of him, putting myself in between both of them. I touched his face and tried to make him look at me. 

“Are you ok?” I asked. He pushed me out of the way and lunged at Nick, who was still being restrained by 2 men. He punched him in the face, making him step back, lose his balance, slipping on a napkin on the ground and fell down. 

“I will kill you son of a bitch! Do you hear me?!” Liam started to move over him, and I jumped in between them again.