Synonym

Chapter 48

"I can't believe I'm doing this."

Finn muttered while staring at the beautiful row home in Soho Manhattan, his hand intertwined in my right one. We left a day early to have time in the city, or more specifically a certain house in New York.

"No one's making you do it. It's still up to you." I comforted him while eyeing the home.

"Is this your way of saying that you don't want me to?" He asked with a hopeful tone and a quirked eyebrow.

"Nice try, but no. I'm indifferent." I replied with a smirk. I wasn't indifferent, I wanted him to do this but I wouldn't tell him that. In the grand scheme of things it didn't actually matter, but to Finn it did so I wanted him to make an unbiased decision.

"You're starting to sound like me," He groaned in frustration. Serves him right.

"Have a taste of your own medicine."

"Let's do this, I guess." Finn's tone was resigned, but deep down he wanted to do this. He was being pulled two different ways, and it seemed like the pull of his heart couldn't stop his stubborn brain.

We mounted the tan concrete steps before Finn dropped my hand to ring the doorbell to the large city home. After a moment, the black painted wooden door opened to reveal a tall and lanky man with almost white hair. He had to be an inch or two taller than Finn and certainly less fit than Finn's father. The Senior Riley had some muscles that showed under his suit, while this man was like a slim model to match his wife.

I didn't even get to process the man in front of me before a small dirty blonde haired girl appeared from behind her father and hugged Finn's leg. "Hi! My mommy said someone was comin'." The small three year old mumbled out in her broken English.

That was Danielle. The straw that broke the camels back. The bastard child that destroyed her half brothers parents.

I held my breath for a split second, waiting to see the trickle of regret in Finn's face but there was none. Instead, a smile broke out on my boyfriends face, his dimples showing when he crouched down to her level. "Hi, I'm Finn. What's your name?" He asked the outgoing little girl in a comforting voice.

I think my ovaries just exploded.

"Danielle. Come see my brothers." She ordered in that adorable tone three year olds used. She seemed more well spoken, closer to a four or five year old than a three year old who couldn't string sentences together very well. Her small hand grabbed two of Finn's fingers, pulling him into the house. Finn's emerald eyes flickered to Johnathan who stepped aside and gestured to the room were the twins probably were. With a smile plastered on his face, Finn followed the mini girl version of himself. Danielle's eyes were almost exactly like his green ones, but slightly lighter most likely due to her age. Her long, thin hair already had the same honey hue as Finn's too.

I stepped into the foyer of the home while John closed the door behind me. After a moment, our eyes flickered over each other, judgments probably passing between both our minds. John wore his pilots uniform, signaling that he probably had a flight later tonight.

"Johnathan. Sylvia, I'm presuming?" He asked while holding out his hand. I shook it with a small smile.

"Yeah. It's nice to meet you."

Not.

I don't know if he was still cheating on his wife, but he had done it before, on top of being a home wrecker. That was enough for me to harbor distaste for him, but the surprised look he tried to hide when his eyes looked me over made me feel selfconscious. It was a look I was sadly becoming more accustomed to now that people were starting to stare at me. It wasn't often that you saw such a thin yet muscular girl with Kardashian hips that you usually only saw on the internet, in real life.