Thomas looked back sharply when he heard her voice.
Damn it. He had not realised that he had spoken out loud. That was why he left the bedroom to the living room, after all. He should have just gone downstairs to the sitting room or the library. Yeah, the library would have been okay.
With all the volumes of books in there and the soundproof padding his wife had installed in there as it doubled as her workspace when she wanted to as well, he could have shouted all he wanted and she wouldn't have realised.
He knew that his shout was inevitable, even as he blamed himself and turned in the direction where he heard her soft footsteps. He knew he couldn't have helped his reaction, not even if a gun had been put to his head when he opened his email earlier.
Even a hardcore guy would have reacted as he did.
Thomas was no hardcore guy. Just a 35-year-old man looking for a soft landing in life. Ah, what would he do? He thought as he recalled the message that was burning a hole through his phone at the moment, even as it seemed to him like his wife's footsteps had slowed.
Did she mistake where he was? That wasn't possible; she wouldn't have heard him like that if he had gone to the kitchen or…
"Oh, here you are," Reyona said as she saw him facing her; his phone was not in his hand.
"Must be in his pyjama pocket," she thought as she smiled and made her eyes look drowsy as she came to him, she hugged his neck and gave him a brief kiss.
"What was that? I thought I heard a voice. Oh yes, it was a shout. Something like... what the heck or something? I don't know. Was that my imagination, or you really shouted like that?" she asked innocently, like she was not sure of what she heard.
She wanted to see if he would take the bait and lie more or simply tell the truth.
Of course, he took the bait.
Thomas summoned all the acting skill in him to calm himself down when he realised that he was fidgeting and he returned his wife's smile with guile "What, what shout?" he said, like he was confused "No, babe. Could it be that you were dreaming and it seemed like a reality to you?" he asked, and wished fervently that that would work.
He had no idea if he could explain anything to her right now without messing up. No, he needed time to recover from the shock he just got."What would I do? Susan is waiting for me to come to save her" he thought in anguish even as he smiled at his gullible wife.
She believed it, it seemed. Just as she had always believed every other thing he told her. He really should feel sorry for her. Thomas thought, but he knew that he was in no condition to feel sorry for anyone right now. He was in more mess than she was. Maybe when all this was over and he was ready to leave with his woman, this time he might write her a more lengthy note than the one he had in mind to write before.
In fact, he might be so generous as to give her a call and explain things to her directly when he was safely on the soil of Luxembourg, but for now, he wouldn't dare. If the gibberish that seemed to be sent to him in the form of mail was correct, then he would have a lot to do to build his finances back.
This time with less time than he had before. She couldn't be so stupid as not to realise this time around. No, not if he spent as much time as he did the last time.
Reyona nodded her head "You are right. It must be a dream."
Then she laid her head on her husband's chest as he hugged her to himself. It was more to hide the rage that shone in her eyes as she wondered how many times she had gullibly believed him like this.
When he told her something, she'd never had a reason to mistrust him, and she had vowed not to let any negative feelings in her marriage so she had been open with him about everything and expected the same from her.
How long had she been hearing lies and accepting them as truth? Had he always lied to her? Was there anything, anything at all in their sham of a marriage that had been built on truth and not lies? Had he ever said the truth to her at all, even once?
"I thought as much," she said drowsily as they stood there holding each other like two lovebirds, one holding him tightly as an alternative to the urge she felt to wrap her hands around his neck and wrung it.
The other held her as the tension left his body. The tension of what he would have told her if she wasn't such a sleepy head that believed she was dreaming. Tension about what he would do about this new development.
He couldn't even go to Luxembourg without his damned passport. The Kayooma anti-drugs agency would not look lightly upon him if he told them he wanted to go to Luxembourg to sort something out, would they?
Of course not. He would be an idiot to even contemplate that. He might even get himself taken in like Susan. He thought.
Reyona looked up at him with a pout "What are you doing out here by the way? You should be in bed, not out here skulking about"
Thomas gave a curt laugh as a chilling feeling went through him as he sensed hatred flashed at him beneath his wife's drowsy, heavy-lidded look, but the look passed, and he sighed as he thought that he must have grown fanciful from the jolt his system got earlier."What do you mean by skulking about? I ain't no squirrel, woman," he said with laughter as he playfully bopped her on the nose.
Reyona grinned "You don't look like no squirrel to me, maybe something bigger," she said in a low tone as she drew him closer and ran her finger down his chest before looking up back at him seductively.
"I want you back in bed with me. I want you" she said suggestively.
Damn it, right now?
Thomas doubted if he could get his brain up right now not to talk of a certain member.
Drat!