Believing Lies (33 page)

“Don’t quit your day job,” I teased, sitting on the closed toilet seat.

She screamed and ripped open the curtain. “You scared the shit out of me! I thought you were going to Courtney’s after class!” She wiped some stray shampoo bubbles off her forehead. “Not to mention, I don’t have a day job.” She shut the curtain with a huff.

“I’m going to tell Adam tonight,” I blurted.

Her head popped back out instantly, and she squinted and cursed when shampoo dripped in her eyes.“It’s about time!” She wiped her face on her towel, water dripping everywhere in the process. “I’ll make myself scarce after I’m done in here. I’ll go hang out with Courtney.”

I nodded. “Okay, but please keep your phone on and stay close.”

“I’m sure it will go okay, but I’ll come right back if you need me.” She turned her compassionate expression into a sassy smirk. “Now let me finish my shower in peace. If you couldn’t tell, I was busy bringing sexy back.”

I rolled my eyes at her lame joke and wandered out of the bathroom to the living room, wondering what I could find on TV as a distraction. I peered at my phone to check the time. Four o’clock. Adam should be done with class any minute. Just the thought of what I was going to do made my gut churn with anxiety. My phone buzzed in my hand, startling me half out of my wits. It was Adam.

“Hey,” I tried to sound casual, but it came out shrill.

I could hear several voices in the background. “Hey back at ya. Listen, do you mind if I bail on you for a couple of hours? We got hit with a pop quiz that sucked ass, and a few of us want to have a beer now that it’s over.”

“No problem. You don’t have to check in with me. I’m not some crazy girlfriend who you need to report to.”
This could work out to my benefit
. Now I seemed like the cool girlfriend who doesn’t freak out. Plus, a beer or two would hopefully make him a little more relaxed when I dropped the bomb. “You’re still going to come over afterwards, right?”

“Absolutely. How about six o’clock? I’m getting hungry, so I’ll bring us something.”

“It’s a date. See you then.”

We said goodbye, and I clicked on the TV. I flipped through a few channels, found nothing interesting enough to distract me, and turned it off.

Sophie walked in and plopped into the chair. “Is he on his way?” she probed.

“Not yet. Six.”

“At least you have some time to get your nerves together.”

I let out a hysterical laugh. “I don’t think that any amount of time will cure these nerves.”

She gave me an understanding look. “Just remember that, no matter the outcome, you’re doing the right thing.”

I sighed in agreement and nodded.

After Sophie got ready and left for Courtney’s, I took out my laptop and tried to work on an essay, which was due next week. I stared at the blinking curser, stuck on the first paragraph for about ten minutes, before giving up. All I could think about was how he opened up his past to me

last night and how hard that must have been for him. Maybe Lorna was wrong, and I was special. At least to Adam, that is. I could do this.
I have to do this
.

The intercom buzzer snapped me out of my thoughts. I looked at the clock. He was early. It was only five-thirty. I walked to the intercom on shaky legs and pressed the button. It was a little rude to not say anything, but I was too frazzled.

I went back to the living room and began to pace like a mad woman. Loud knocking ricocheted from down the hall.
What the heck? He knows I always unlock our door at the same time I buzz him in
. Another loud knock echoed, so I quickly jogged to the door and pulled it open. Why in all that’s holy was Trenton standing outside of my door? Shock, then irritation flooded my emotions. Of all the nights to show up, he chose tonight? He had to leave. Now I just needed to think of how to get rid of him.

“You have to leave.” I guess I was going for the blunt approach.

“Hello to you too,” he sarcastically replied, sounding as tired as he looked. He must have come from the office because he was dressed in slacks and a dress shirt. His tie was hanging loose, and his hair was disheveled. Something was seriously off; I could just feel it. “Are you going to make me just stand here, or can I come in?”

A small part of me wanted to find out why he looked the way he did, but the rest of me knew that if Adam saw him, shit would hit the fan. “I’m sorry, but that’s not a good idea.”

“Why? Is
he
here?” Trenton’s voice was as hard as stone.

I pursed my lips and spoke in a clipped tone. “No, but he’s on his way. Now’s not a good time.” I sighed and softened my voice slightly. “I don’t want to be rude, but I need to ask you to please leave.”

He shook his head. “How could you do it?”

“Huh?” My face scrunched in confusion.

“We were engaged, and you refused to sleep with me until after the wedding.” His tone was sharp, irritated. “Since you’re pregnant now, I can only conclude that a wedding ring was not a mandatory requirement for him.”

Fuck. My. Life. This is so not happening
. I opened the door and moved to the side, allowing him to enter. I didn’t need my laundry aired out for anyone in the hallway to hear.

“How did you find out?” I practically hissed as I closed the door.

He looked at me as if I had just kicked a puppy. “So it’s true.”
Crap
.
He hadn’t known for sure? He was baiting me?
“My mother called me about an hour ago to find out why I hadn’t told her that we were back together. Before I could reply, she also asked me why I didn’t tell her you were pregnant.”

“How in the hell did your mom find out?”

“She overheard your parents talking about it while eating dinner at the club.” I shouldn’t have been surprised that this was how he heard. Mrs. Wallace was a nosey gossip.

“Look, I can’t get into this right now. I really just need you to leave. I’m sorry you got dragged into this.”

“Do you love him?” His voice was mechanical.

There was no hesitation when I replied, “Yes, I do.” His eyes closed for a moment longer than needed before reopening. I could tell my response hurt him, and that wasn’t my intention, but today was about honesty. “I know that’s not what you wanted to hear, but it’s the truth. Now I want you to go home, Trenton.”

“Not until I get some answers.”

“I don’t owe you any more answers. This isn’t about you. I don’t even know why you felt you had the right to come here tonight. My life is none of your business anymore.”

“I guess I just had to hear it from your own mouth. I always thought we’d get back together. I really did. But now that you’re pregnant, that changes everything.”

“It changes nothing. We were never getting back together. I’m sorry if you thought that was a possibility, but I thought I’d made it clear to you.”

He raked his hand through his hair. “Yeah, well, you have now.”

I opened the door part way and stepped to the side, gesturing for him to leave. He looked at the open door, but didn’t budge. “Adam’s on his way, so will you
please
leave?” I pleaded. “He could get off the elevator any minute. If he catches you in my apartment . . .” Despite my efforts to sound neutral, an edge of hysteria laced my voice.

“You’ll need to buzz him in first, so calm down.”

“Don’t tell me to calm down, Trenton,” I stated forcefully. “You need to go. I made a huge mistake letting you in here tonight.”

A thud came from outside my apartment, and a second later, the door flew open with such force it was a wonder it didn’t come off the hinges. A pizza box lay open on the hall floor, cheese and sauce splattered everywhere. Before I could fully comprehend the situation, Trenton was slammed against the wall, Adam holding him up by the front of his shirt. Trenton managed to push him off, and Adam swung hard. His fist connected with Trenton’s jaw with a cracking sound, and blood splattered the wall.

I screamed and backed up until I was flush against the opposite wall, and I instinctively wrapped my arms around my stomach. Trenton noticed, and I could see him registering the reason why. Scared tears began to stream down my cheeks.

Trenton shoved Adam back hard and took a step toward me. “Sienna, come with me.”

“Get the fuck out of here!” Adam hollered at him, pointing at the door. “You have two fucking seconds before I kill you.”

Trenton looked to me. “He’s a psycho, Sienna. Can’t you see that?” He held out his hand to me. “Come with me,” he repeated.

I shook my head maniacally. “No.”

His eyes widened in disbelief. I watched him open and close his mouth a couple of times, ready to say something and then stopping himself. He gave Adam a look of pure loathing and disdain, and then left with a forceful slam of the door. This time, the top hinge splintered.

Trenton gone, I took in the sight of Adam. He was frozen, with his eyes closed and his fists clenched. It didn’t look as if he was breathing.

I quickly wiped my eyes with the sleeve of my shirt. “Adam? Please look at me,” I begged.

His eyes locked on mine, and all I saw was anguish. I’d never seen a person look so crushed. Just wanting to wrap my arms around him and bury my face in his chest, I took a step toward him.

His eyes narrowed into slits. He took two strides and backed me up against the wall once more. Adam slammed both palms on the wall, pinning me between them. He looked so angry, so intense. Before I could say anything, he crushed his mouth to mine in a hard, brutal, punishing kiss with such force that I knew my lips would be swollen and sore. He broke the kiss, and with only a fraction of space between our mouths, he harshly whispered, “Fuck you, Sienna.”

He dropped his arms and quickly went to the door, leaving me too stunned to move, to react, to do . . . well, to do anything at all. Poised at the open door, he stopped, hand still on the doorknob. Without so much as another backward glance, he spoke coarsely, “I never once cheated on you. I can’t believe you cheated on me—especially with him.”

At the sound of the closing door, my knees buckled, and I sank heavily to the ground. My mind was spinning frantically.
He saw me standing in a doorway with Trenton, and he automatically jumped to the conclusion I was sleeping with him? What am I missing?
My mouth fell open in horror.
Oh shit. The door was open. What did he hear?
I quickly replayed my conversation with Trenton through my mind, starting with the moment the door opened.

Adam’s on his way, so will you please leave? He could get off the elevator any minute. If he catches you in my apartment
. . .

You’d need to buzz him in first, so calm down
.

Don’t tell me to calm down, Trenton. You need to go. I made a huge mistake letting you in here tonight
.

Oh, no. No. NO!
I needed to catch him. I stood up, tore open the poor, abused door, and sprinted toward the elevator. I banged on the button frantically, praying for it to hurry. The elevator ride down seemed to last for ages, but the moment the doors opened, I shot through the lobby, wearing only my pajama top and a pair of boxers. I didn’t care who saw me. I didn’t care when the frigid air hit my skin and the cold cement bit my bare feet. I quickly scanned up and down the street and spotted his car only a few yards away. I ran along the sidewalk, hoping I’d reach him before he drove away. Thankfully, I did.

Adam had his forehead on his steering wheel. Metal music was blaring, and the engine was running. I tried to open the passenger side door, but it was locked. I banged on the window with my open palms. He looked over at me, and anger burned in his eyes. He grabbed the shifter and put it in drive.
No, no, no
. I banged again, hollering his name even though I didn’t know if he could hear it over the music. Relief flushed through me when he put the shifter back in park, turned off the music, and rolled down the window halfway.

“Stay the fuck out of my life. I’m done with you.” His voice was so hard, and his tone so absolute.

My lungs were having trouble with the task of inhaling as I struggled for breath. “Don’t say that.” I shook my head back and forth. “You don’t understand. It’s not what you think.”

“Don’t play me for the jackass. I
heard
the two of you. I especially loved the part about me needing to be buzzed into the building. I guess you didn’t factor in what would happen if I got here right as someone else was leaving.” He started to reach for the window button.

“I swear you have it wrong, Adam. Please hear me out.” Desperation seeped into my request.

I saw him hesitate. For a brief second, I truly thought he would let me in the car, we would talk this out, and everything would be okay. I was so wrong.

Adam looked me dead in the eyes. “I never want to see you again. You’re nothing to me anymore.”

The window started to roll up, and I panicked. “I’m pregnant!” I said the words without stopping to consider the possible consequences. I just knew I had to tell him. I hoped my honesty could now right the wrongs that my dishonesty had caused.

The window stopped moving. His eyes slowly drifted to my stomach. He let out a humorless laugh. “That’s fucking priceless. Tell him congratulations for me. Tell him he won.” Before I could say anything else, he sped away.

I started to sob. Fat teardrops plopped onto the sidewalk and splashed on my toes. Every fiber of my being wanted to shut down and give up. But not this time. I had to fight, and not just for me. I ran my hand over my wet face, shut off my emotional floodgates, and ran back to the lobby door. I gave the handle a hard tug.
Nooooo
. I hadn’t grabbed my keys or phone, and now I was locked out with no shoes and barely any clothes on. Desperate to get into the building, I started to press all of the call buttons. Surely someone would help me. After the fourth button, I was buzzed in. Apparently, I wasn’t the only one who just buzzed people in without using the intercom.

Reaching my apartment door, I hopped over the splattered pizza, opened the partially broken door, and ran to my room. I threw on a hoodie, a pair of jeans, and tennis shoes, and grabbed my phone and keys. I called Adam’s number numerous times in the elevator, but each time it went straight to voicemail. I sent him a text before getting in my car.