Take It Back - Bucky Barnes x OC

Chapter Twenty

Its been a few weeks since Bucky and Ashlyn started couple therapy and it had gone a little bit better than expected. Things started to brighten on Ashlyn's side as Bucky began to make certain changes in the way he now treated her.

With Doctor Banner helping him in opening his mind to new possibilities and helping him conclude on his own that Riley's intentions had been anything but innocent, Bucky began to take a new look on his situation and ultimately decided to do what would be best for him and his wife.

Doctor Banner didn't have to tell him this directly for Bucky to quickly assume this.

Going into therapy, Bucky had no belief that what Riley had done to him had been out of malice. He didn't think she had used him in any way, shape, or form.

Things had simply started to develop and they had gotten into a relationship that crossed a line it wasn't supposed to. That was it.

But Bruce asked him if it made any sense for Riley to have suspected such bad qualities in Ashlyn even before she began to show anything negative. Bucky soon began to think that the reason he saw what he did in Ashlyn was that it had been planted in there by Riley.

Right?

Sure, he knew Ashlyn's intentions were bad with the will that she and his father had conjured up behind his back, but was she just there for his riches? He now found that hard to believe as he watched her attempt to cook them a nice dinner, cursing to herself as she burned the sautéed vegetables.

Was someone really that capable of doing something so awful?

Had it really been Riley this entire time that wanted his riches?

He knew very well that by the end of the night him and Riley had shared, he had been willing to give it all to her.

Bucky knew it was a big thing for him to assume about her, considering how much he loved Riley, but what if Bruce was right?

Bucky had to harbor down tears at the thought of her purposefully hurting him; of her warning him against Ashlyn, about the things Ashlyn wanted when in fact it was her who wanted it all.

He wanted to deny it. He did.

But if it were true, he was hurt, because even after all he and Riley had been through, he had fallen in love with her.

He no longer loved Ashlyn, but he loved her.

His life had become something he no longer wanted to deal with anymore.

After getting angry feelings off his chest to doctor Banner, some things had become less tense in his marriage. There was a mutual peace.

There was no love, except only from Ashlyn, as it was desperate that she was trying hard to gain back Bucky's love and trust.

Bucky's nightmares continued, and his thoughts still lingered back to Riley when he would be alone in his office or alone in his living room watching tv.

She was his everything. And now she was gone.

She didn't care about how much he suffered. She had lost, so she ran- as easy as that.

Bucky had spoken to Steve a couple of days ago and his face had fallen when Steve told him he was transferring to another company. Bucky had so many questions as Steve reluctantly broke the news to him, almost like he was afraid that Bucky would realize why.

It had become a silent agreement between them that neither would mention Riley ever again.

Bucky had simply wished him good luck and hadn't seen him since.