Abby Ch. 09 - Betrayal

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This story contains graphic scenes, language, and actions that might be extremely offensive to some people. These scenes, words, and actions are used only for the literary purposes of this story. The author does not condone murder, racism, racial language, violence, rape, or violence against women. Any depictions of any of these in this story should not be construed as acceptance of the above.

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Chapter 09 - Betrayal

Dan and I woke up a little later than planned the following day, so we had to rush to get ready. As I hurriedly got dressed and grabbed a bagel, the lingering feelings from my dream began to fade, leaving me unsettled. It was like the feeling you have the day after dreaming that your lover betrayed you, and you know the only thing that will ease your feelings is time and possibly a tub of ice cream. I tried to remember more of my dream as Dan quickly showered at his place while I packed his carry-on bag, but the memory was too vague.

"It's a beautiful day," I said to Dan as we drove to the airport, trying to ignore my feelings.

"Yes. I'm sorry I have to leave, especially after our talk last night." He seemed on edge still. Pre-flight jitters, I told myself.

"I know," I said, turning to smile at him as I absently ran my fingers through the back of his hair. "It's OK. You'll be back soon."

We drove the rest of the way to the airport, mostly in silence. As the hot summer sun shone through the open sunroof, warming my skin, I began to feel rejuvenated as the dream seemed more distant. I was ready to forget everything that had happened and move on.

I kissed Dan goodbye at the airport, waiting to ensure he got a seat on the next flight before waving goodbye a final time before leaving. The heat of the early summer sun greeted me as I exited the cool air-conditioned airport terminal.

I decided to stop at the office and make a few phone calls, stopping first at the sex shop again on the way to return the dress as I looked over at the bag, now sitting next to me in the passenger seat.

"Well, you cost me more trouble than you were worth, buttercup," I said dryly, "at least I can take you back and let you find your forever person."

Pulling into the parking lot, I was disappointed to discover that the store was still closed for the next few hours, and I decided to wait and return it tomorrow instead rather than make the trip back today.

The rest of the day was routine, mostly spent touching base with clients and booking showings. I successfully avoided Brian, figuring it best to let things lay low for the rest of the week. No one else in the office seemed any different than usual, and the few other agents I chatted with seemed no different than they ever had.

"Hopefully, Brian had kept true to his word and kept anything he had heard to himself," I thought.

Arriving home later that afternoon, I tossed the dress in the bag on the counter as I looked forward to a lovely quiet, relaxing evening, reading and taking a long hot bubble bath before heating the leftovers from last night. Dan called to let me know he had arrived safely as I ate.

"Hey, babe. How was the flight?" I greeted him.

"It was good. I just finished checking in at the hotel. I meet with the client first thing in the morning, so I'll take the evening to prepare. I thought I'd grab a bite to eat first at the restaurant here in the hotel, but they don't open for another hour. Did you heat the leftovers from last night?"

"Uh-huh," I said with emphasis as I took a bite, "eating them now."

"Did you talk to your parents today?"

"No, why?"

"Oh, no reason. I thought you might have stopped in for a few minutes after dropping me off, was all."

"No, I went straight to the office. Well, I stopped to drop off the dress, but they were still closed," I said, looking over at the bag, "I'll take it back tomorrow."

"OK, well, have a good evening. I'll text you before I go to bed."

"Sounds good. Good luck with your meetings."

As I sat relaxing on the sofa after dinner, I looked over again at the bag on the counter, realizing that Dan had never asked to see it let alone see it on me. And then again, when I mentioned it this evening, he hadn't said anything about it.

'Maybe he didn't want to make me feel bad taking it back,' I thought, but I had to admit I felt slightly disappointed. I decided trying it on one more time wouldn't hurt.

Stepping out of my casual clothes, I took the dress out of the bag, stepped into it, and fitted my arms through the short sleeves before zipping it up in the back. Walking over to the full-length mirror, I turned from side to side, looking at how it hugged my curves. I had to admit it fit me quite well, pushing up my breasts seductively, the sheer midsection adding more sexual allure while the short length showed off my legs nicely. 'One of the perks of being on your feet most of the day,' I told myself. I briefly thought about keeping it, but if I was honest, there was nowhere I would likely ever wear it, so I decided against it. I took one final look at myself before slipping out of it and putting it back in the bag on the counter.

I enjoyed the rest of the warm summer evening on the patio, reading with a relaxing glass of Riesling, forgetting about the drama of the past few days until the sun had set too much to see the page comfortably. As I crawled into bed, I imagined Dan working on his notes for his meeting the next day, studiously covering all the objections they might raise, before finally falling asleep, a cool summer breeze blowing from the open window.

Laying in bed the following day, stretching lazily as I woke up, I thought about Dan mentioning my parents and decided I should visit them. Of course, I loved them and recognized that they were getting older and I needed to see them more, but I just wasn't interested in having religion shoved down my throat every chance they got.

I grabbed the dress to return after my visit and headed out into the overcast day. The weather had called for rain, but it had held off so far. Arriving at my parents, I found my father had to go to the church for a meeting with the other seniors, leaving Mom and me to sit around the kitchen table, discussing the weather and the upcoming annual summer fair.

"So, have you set a date yet for the wedding?"

Great, I thought, it was only a matter of time. "No, mom. No date yet. We'll probably pick the date later this summer."

"You're not getting any younger, you know, dear. Most of your old friends from school have settled down and are starting their families by now. Some are even having their second child."

"Thanks, Mom," I said, rolling my eyes. "You know that I'm not even sure if I want kids or not. I know you want grandkids, but one step at a time, please. OK?"

I tried to change the subject before she could continue hoping to avoid another escalation like the last time. "Your flowers are blooming well," I nodded out the patio doors at her flower garden. She didn't respond, the silence hanging like the growing storm clouds, ready to let loose their heavy rains.

"Honey," she finally said pensively, "how are things with Dan?"

"What do you mean?" I asked, immediately suspicious.

"I don't know. I mean, are you guys getting along OK?"

"We're getting along fine, Mom. I'm not sure what you mean exactly. If you've got something today, then please just say it."

"Are you seeing another man?"

"What???" my jaw fell open at her suggestion, "Why would you ask such a thing?"

"Well, I don't know. I couldn't imagine who could have put you up to such a thing as going to a sex shop like... like one of those other girls."

"Mother!"

"What? I'm only asking. Word gets around, you know, and a reputation like that drags people around you down too."

"You're worried what your church friends will think of you," I said with more sneer than I intended.

"Watch your tone with me, young lady."

"Young lady? It seems you think I am nothing more than 'one of THOSE girls'...."

I felt all the tension I had been feeling rise again. 'Those girls,' the exact words Dan had used the other night after I had told him to choke me during sex. I imagined myself strangling Dan's ex-girlfriend. This was all because of her petty jealousy, thinking I had stolen Dan from her. She was lashing out at me, trying to get back at me desperately, or maybe even hoping that spreading gossip like this would make Dan turn on me and she could get him back somehow.

"I'm going to kill her," I muttered under my breath.

"Kill who?" my mother seemed genuinely confused.

"You know exactly who. This is all coming from Dan's ex-girlfriend. She is trying to stir up trouble to get back at me because she thinks I stole Dan from her."

My mother was conspicuously silent.

"Look," I continued, "I don't want to fight. I've been through this with Dan, and things are fine. There is no other guy."

I got up to leave without giving them the expected traditional hug, "I'll see you later, Mom," I said as I turned and headed to the door.

I heard my mother get up behind me as I entered the kitchen.

"Will we see you again before Dan gets back on Wednesday?" she called after me.

I immediately froze in my tracks, my mind processing what she had just said. Before calmly replying, "I never told you when Dan was coming back, Mother."

"Oh, no? Oh, well... That's..." she tried to find the right words.

"How did you know?" my lips were tight as I spoke.

"Well, Dan just dropped in yesterday afternoon to say hi. He was worried about you and...."

"Dan dropped in?" I felt pure rage building inside me as I turned to face her, repeating my last question, "Dan dropped in? And you never thought to mention this to me directly?"

"Well, I figured he would have told you?" she said, trying to make it look like she was an innocent bystander in this.

"You had a conversation, with Dan, about me, your daughter, and you never thought to bring it up." My rage continued to rise.

"Honey, I don't know why you are getting upset...."

I spun around quickly again, turning to leave. Her last words were white noise in my ears as my rage grew ever closer to the edge. It was all I could do to keep my composure until I reached the car.

Starting the car, I pulled out of the driveway too fast, my tires squealing lightly against the hot asphalt as I made a left turn onto the street.

"Fuck!" I yelled for the second time in two days, my anger finally finding an outlet.

"Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!"

My eyes filled with tears as I pulled into an empty parking lot just out of sight of my parents' house. As I stopped the car, I burst out in uncontrollable sobs, tears streaming freely down my face just as the rain started to pour finally from the dark grey clouds in the sky above, seemingly in solidarity.

Dan had betrayed me. He had gone to my parents behind my back and told them, my judgemental and conservative religious parents, about the sex shop. More than that, he had lied to me last night, to my face, telling me he had worked late. It felt like my whole world had been suddenly flipped upside down. This morning it had seemed so right with Dan. Like we were invincible together, able to take on whatever happened from his gossip-spreading ex-girlfriend's scheming.

Now, I felt utterly alone.

Work was against me, my parents were against me, and now even Dan seemed to be against me. It was just me. Alone. I stared out the car windshield blankly in shock as the rain continued to pour, my brain trying to rationalize everything as I told myself there must be some mistake. Maybe he had told me last night, and I had just not heard him. But little things started returning to me as I sat, dazed, like how he had seemed a little uneasy that last night and asked me on the phone if I had seen my parents.

Finding a tissue in my purse, I wiped my eyes, checking the rearview mirror to see how badly my tears had ruined my makeup. Still numb over Dan's actions, I put the car into gear again, leaving the parking lot and heading home. My head was hurting from crying, and I just wanted to sleep. To then wake up and have this be just another bad dream.

As I drove, I remembered the dress still in the bag on the seat next to me. A wave of angry determination washed over me as I collected myself, pushing down all the hurt and rage I felt, letting a strong feeling of resolution take its place instead as I looked over at it, sitting on the seat.

I was going to the party tonight.