Sweet Subterfuge

Chapter 31

Travis did not want to argue with her. He replied softly, “I’m still working at the company. Is there something you need?”

“Travis Hardy, what kind of motherfucking bullshit are you talking about!” Amber cursed loudly. “I already asked your other colleagues, and they said you left an hour ago!”

Travis panicked. He hadn’t expected Amber to have set a trap for him to fall into.

“Tell me the truth, where are you now?” Amber demanded. “Are you in some cheap bitch’s bed?”

“I’m not,” he quickly denied. “What nonsense are you thinking? I was just tired from work so I went out for a drink with my friend.”

“Why did you lie about working overtime then?” Amber persisted.

After juggling his marriage to Larissa and his affair with Amber for so long, Travis had long mastered the skills of coming up with excuses on the spot.

“I just didn’t want you to misunderstand! Your emotions have been so unstable lately. If you get too worked up and drive yourself crazy, I’ll be the one to suffer!” he said softly.

Amber knew how he used to deceive Larissa. She wasn’t going to fall for it that easily.

“Who are you drinking with? Have him answer the phone.”

Travis looked anxiously around the empty bedroom.

Suddenly, an idea struck him. He said to the empty air, “My wife wants to talk to you.”

After a few seconds, he said again, “Just answer it. If you don’t, she’s going to get

suspicious.”

‘Just help a brother out, will you?”

His one–man show went on for a while before he told Amber, “He said he doesn’t know you too well and feels too embarrassed to answer the phone.”

“Ha!” Amber mocked him coldly. “Travis, do you think I’m that stupid ex–wife of yours who takes your words at face value? You have half an hour. If you aren’t in front of me by then, I’ll break everything I can find at home! You know as well as I do that I’m capable of doing that!”

Travis‘ frustration resurfaced.

He didn’t want to go back, but he had to. Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive © material.

The house was rented under his name, and most of the furniture inside belonged to the tenant. If he let Amber destroy everything, he would be the one paying for the damages, and it would not be a small amount of money.

Given their current financial situation, they would pretty much be broke when he was done paying for the losses.

He rubbed his aching temples and, before he left, hoisted Larissa onto the bed.

Larissa didn’t think she would ever return to the bedroom she shared with Travis

when they were married.

In fact, she could not remember how she’d gotten there at all.

She wandered around the house and found that her and Travis‘ personal belongings were gone. All that was left were large pieces of furniture too heavy to be moved and some cheap decorations.

The house was very dusty. It was evident that Travis did not live there.

The only cleaner places in the house were the bed in the main bedroom, and a corner on the living room couch.

Larissa did not know if she’d done that or if someone else had.

When she returned to the hotel, she asked her assistant, “Did I go home by myself yesterday?”

“Of course not.” Her assistant didn’t know why she would ask her something like that, but she informed Larissa honestly. “You were very drunk yesterday, and we didn’t know where you lived, so we gave your husband a call. He was the one who brought you home.”

“My husband?” Larissa’s face paled in shock. “Are you sure it was my husband?”

“Of course.” Her assistant nodded. “Didn’t you used to have a picture of you and your husband as your lock screen? I recognized his face, and the person who came to pick you up last night looked exactly like that picture.”

Larissa’s temples pounded. She felt as if her brain was about to explode from all the newfound information.

She just didn’t know if it was the aftermath of her hangover or her fear of the

possibility of having spent the night with Travis.