The Trench

Chapter 45 - Put In Place

Austins POV

I scrub my face and neck in the running water, rinsing away any stray hairs that clung to my skin. I cup my hands one last time and splash my face before shutting the faucet off, with water dripping off my cheeks and chin I grope to my right for the towel sitting on the shelf and scrub myself dry.

As my face is in the towel I hear muffled voices coming from the living room, I bring the towel down and cock my head. I pause for a second standing there in my shorts trying to decipher who Riley was speaking to; I pull my black t-shirt back over my head and open the bathroom door. Once the door is opened I hear the voice that makes my teeth grind together and I grimace, this can't be good.

Val.

After a few seconds I walk down the hallway quietly and I hear Riley hesitantly ask her who she was. I turn the corner and Valerie is staring over Riley's shoulder directly at me and my stomach turns.

"I'm Valerie Michaels, Austins wife." Her smile was sickeningly wicked, knowing somehow that Riley was here for me. As she says this Riley turns to look at me, her face a very scary mixture of confusion and loathing. My chest feels tight and the back of my eyes are burning. For the first time in a long time I'm out of words, nothing I say in this moment will make anything better, nothing I say is going to make Riley stay and hear me out.

"Riley, I can explain." I croak out, my voice betraying me as I hold my hands up trying to diffuse the situation. Her head starts shaking back and forth, her eyes shining as she tries to blink back tears and I feel a lump in my throat.

"No, nope, nope..." She's still shaking her head and pointing an accusing finger at me, jabbing it in the air while she backs towards the door like a trapped animal. I glance at Valerie who is looking down at her triumphantly as Riley exits the door, and a burning sensation rips through my heart.

My peripheral vision gets blurry with rage and I run my hands through my hair, pulling at it and growling in frustration as I pace the living room. I stop by the kitchen entrance and put my hands on my hips, staring down my closest enemy who has made herself at home on my couch.

"Babe, you need to calm down how else was she going to find out?" She rolls her eyes as she picks at one of her fingernails, crossing her legs and bobbing one heeled shoe up and down.

I stand there staring at her in disbelief, I don't know whether I'm more angry or more appalled at the situation. I contemplate whether or not to stay here and risk strangling this woman or go after Riley. I just stand for a second, my mouth open before I move towards the door.

"You need to get the fuck out of my apartment, Val." I say quietly but firmly, emphasizing every word to keep my voice from shaking. I hear her sigh and see her shoulders sag as she uncrosses her legs and stands back up to face me.

"I'm serious, you need to get out right now." I open the door and stand to the side, she saunters over and puts her hand on the door and slams it shut before turning to look at me again.

"I wouldn't kick me out if I were you, I think Kane's reputation and freedom depends on your actions right now." Her cool voice is directed at me as she crosses her arms in defiance. I sigh and pinch the bridge of my nose with one hand, the other still on my hip.

"We can't keep doing this. Don't you want a real relationship, with someone as crazy as you are who can handle your boarder line abusive behavior? How long are you going to blackmail me into being married to you, because honestly whatever shit Kane got himself into I'm over it. Okay? I'm done. Just sign the papers and the divorce will FINALLY be final." I wave an X in the air with my arms, giving weight to my speech.

She taps her fingers against her crossed arms, staring at me calculatingly.

"You know, there used to be a time when we were happy. You married me willingly, what happened Austin?" She deliberately avoided my question about blackmail and now there's a small wrinkle in between her eyebrows, her smile turned into a frown. She looks defeated, sad, and scared.

But I know better.

"What happened? I found out what a psychotic crazy bitch you were, that's what happened!" I gave her a fake smile before dodging to my left, my ceramic mallard duck sitting on my end table came whizzing past my head and smashed against the kitchen wall behind me.

"Jesus, did you ever play softball?" I say jokingly and I can see her face getting redder by the minute. She started spewing Russian insults at me and I shrug my shoulders.

"Valerie, you know I can't understand you when you speak another language."  I stare at her blankly for a moment, watching her take deep breaths trying to compose herself.

"You know damn well if they re-open the case regarding that House girl, Kane will be the first one they convict. The only evidence they had pointed all fingers to him, I made it all go away because I cared about you. I still do, Austin. I love you, but you're making things too damn difficult." It's her turn to pace the floor, I'm tempted to go pick up the pieces of my poor duck but I'm frozen in place.

"I warned you, if you left me I'll have the case re-opened. I have those ties to the force and you know that, you're playing a dangerous game that you can't win. All you have to do, is break off whatever inappropriate fling you have with this student of yours and be with me, really be with me. I mean come on, her? Really?" She scoffs and shakes her head in disgust.

 "She's average, at best. Who goes anywhere in sweatpants." I see her roll her eyes as she adjusts the gold bracelet on her wrist. Frustrated, I crack my knuckles and take a deep breath before responding.

"I would rather see her in sweatpants than you in literally anything. You used to be everything I wanted when I was young; beautiful, well dressed and groomed, high class, popular. Once I got older I realized all of that wasn't good enough, I wanted someone I could make a family with. I wasn't blinded by the trivial things anymore and I found out who I really married. Not enough Louis Vuitton and make-up could hide your ugly personality. Riley is genuine. She cares about others, she doesn't need a lot of money and high dollar things. When I take her out or do something for her, she APPRECIATES it. She doesn't hide who she is and she doesn't try to manipulate me. She's gorgeous and I can see myself spending a long time with her. She's everything you're not, and she's everything I need."

I stand there staring at her as I finally shut my mouth, while hers is hanging open. For a second I felt bad. For a second I thought I saw a tear, but then I remembered snakes don't cry.

Slowly I opened the front door again and waved my hand, signaling our conversation was over. She stood up straight and brushed a hair from her face as she picked her purse off the couch and walked past me into the hallway, her confidence deflated.

She turned around to face me once again, mouth open as if to say something. I took one look at her pretty face, and slammed the door shut on it.