On Dublin Street The Bonus Material - Samantha Young Page 0,22
he walked sedately into the building. His footsteps were light so as not to alert anyone to his presence, and as he approached the door to the flat, he heard a familiar giggle followed by an equally familiar male voice.
Braden pushed open the door and quietly followed the voices to the sitting room. He stood in the doorway watching them for a moment. They were lying on a couple of blankets, naked and writhing against one another. Analise. His wife. Gavin. His old school friend.
Braden felt cold. Cold but surprisingly calm. Yes, his heart was banging like mad against his ribcage, but he’d expected anger. Fury. Violence. He’d feared ever feeling that way again after losing control a number of years ago, a loss of control that could have devastated his future. He’d gone ballistic back then on a man who had violated his girlfriend at the time. Braden thought he’d go ballistic now because he couldn’t imagine any man touching his wife. But Analise hadn’t been his for months.
He felt cold. But calm. Pride stung. Humiliated that people he trusted would do something so cheap and cruel. Betrayed by a friend he’d stood by even when everyone else told him Gavin was a shitty person. Braden knew he was a shitty person. But there were times when they were kids that Gavin had his back and Braden had felt he owed him a certain amount of loyalty.
He swore under his breath. That son-of-a-bitch.
A gasp tore through the room as Analise caught sight of Braden over Gavin’s shoulder. “Braden,” she breathed in panic, her round eyes even rounder, her pale skin even paler.
Gavin swore and fell to his side. “Fuck, Braden, Jesus… man, look—”
“Shut up,” Braden demanded quietly.
Gavin’s mouth slammed closed.
“Braden.” Analise attempted to sit up, clinging to the blankets to cover herself as if he hadn’t seen her naked body hundreds of times before. “We did—”
“You too,” he clipped out. For once she listened to him.
Braden’s young wife was a beautiful woman. Tall and slender with long blonde hair. The first time he saw her was in a bar on George Street. He was with a date at the time and she knew Analise from university and brought him over to meet her. As they started to talk, he was quickly charmed by the Australian. She was funny, sweet, intelligent and sexy as hell. It was an asshole move but it was only his third date with her friend, so he asked for Analise’s number when they had a moment alone. She didn’t even blink, slipping her number to Braden without even pretending to hesitate over loyalty to her friend.
Braden should have taken that as a sign.
He let out a huff of bitter laughter, turning away from the sight of them together. “I want a divorce.”
She sobbed his name but he was already walking away.
Outside the flat, Braden pulled out his phone and called his father. He answered on the second ring, which meant he’d been waiting for his son’s call.
“Son?”
“Next time you have something to tell me, why don’t you just fucking say it,” Braden spat.
“You’re not angry at me, son. And you would never have believed me. You had to see it for yourself.”
“Well, thanks for the lesson, Dad.”
“Braden… If you don’t want to tear the world apart right now, if you didn’t swing for that fucker for daring to touch your wife… she isn’t the one for you.”
The main door to the apartment building slammed and Braden turned to see a now fully-clothed Analise hurrying down the path toward him.
Staring at her beautiful face, Braden felt her betrayal cut him open.
He was hurt. He was angry.
His pride was stung.
And he thought he was heartbroken. There was a sharp pain digging into his chest that suggested it was so. Braden just wasn’t sure what the heartbreak meant. Was it for her? For him? For their young naivety?
What Braden did know was that he didn’t want to tear the world apart.
“Thanks,” he said flatly down the line to his father. “Very fucking comforting.”
He hung up on him.
Analise and Braden stared at each other in silence. Her eyes were red from crying, tears staining her cheeks. He felt impatient. Impatient to be done with the knife-like pain in his chest. To be done with her betrayal. Impatient to be done with her. He couldn’t stand the sight of her now. He looked away.
“Braden… things have been awful between us for months. I know it’s no excuse,” Analise called out