Her heart skipped, and for a moment she wanted to step back and close her eyes, to keep herself from seeing what was behind that door. But her trembling hands refused to listen. She pushed it open.
The room was bright, and what she saw shattered every piece of her heart. Her fiancé was there, tangled up with Betty, her cousin, both of them naked on the bed that was supposed to be hers in three days.
Riley felt cold all over, her fingers numb as her heart pounded painfully inside her chest. She couldn't believe what her eyes were seeing. The man she loved, the man she trusted, was cheating on her right there, on what was supposed to be their matrimonial bed.
The lovers froze the moment they saw her. Scott, with his green hair and handsome face, jumped back, startled. Betty whimpered with excitement, still flushed from pleasure, while Riley stood frozen, unable to speak.
Scott hurriedly grabbed the bedclothes to cover himself.
"It's not what you think, Riley," he said quickly.
Riley blinked, unable to believe he still had the nerve to lie. She let out a dry, broken laugh. Men… what exactly went through their heads when it came to women? Were they fools, or just plain stupid?
"Cut the pretense, Scott," Betty hissed, sitting up and shaking her bare chest shamelessly, making sure Riley could see her.
Riley stared at her, speechless. She always knew Betty never liked her, but she never thought her cousin would go this far—to destroy her like this.
Scott pushed Betty's hand off his shoulder and stood up, wrapping a cloth around his waist. He started to walk toward Riley, his voice desperate.
"This means nothing to me, because you are my—"
Before he could finish, Riley's hand landed hard on his cheek. The sound echoed through the room. Scott's face turned, his eyes wide in shock.
Riley lowered her hand slowly, her face twisted with anger and tears burning in her eyes. "You are very, very stupid, Scott. I used to think you were one of the few men blessed with sense in this world, but I was wrong."
"How dare you slap him?" Betty was shocked as she knelt on the bed naked, still more angry than ashamed.
"Stay out of this, filthy slut," Riley snapped, her voice trembling with rage and heartbreak. She turned to her fiancé, tears blurring her sight. "Did I deserve this, Scott? What have I ever done wrong to you? Why now? Why didn't you show me this side of you all these years?"
He said nothing. He couldn't even meet her eyes. His head stayed low, filled with shame or maybe guilt.
"Coward," Riley muttered, her voice cracking. "I can't believe I was doing this with you." She pulled off her engagement ring and threw it on the floor. "It's over."
"Are you serious?" Scott finally spoke, stunned. He thought no matter what, Riley would never leave him because of how much she loved him. "What about your parents? What are you going to tell them?"
"None of your business!" she yelled, looking around for her things, her hands shaking. "You cheated on me with my cousin—the one who hates my guts—and you expect me to keep quiet? You're a sick bastard!"
"Hey, don't use the word cheat, cousin," Betty interrupted, pointing a finger at her. "I've loved Scott long before you came into the picture. We've been together for more than ten years. He was cheating on me with you, not the other way around."
Riley froze. The words hit her like a slap. Her heart stopped, her mind went blank. Slowly, she turned to Scott, searching for any sign that Betty was lying. But he said nothing. No defense. No denial.
And that silence broke her completely.
"You said we were going to try and make it work," Riley reminded him softly, her voice trembling as she remembered that painful day the doctor told her she couldn't have children.
"Oh please, Riley," Scott cut her off sharply, his tone filled with irritation. "Do you think I don't want a child of my own?" His eyes narrowed, his voice cold and cruel, like the man she never thought he could be.
"They said we still have a chance…" she whispered, trying to hold back her tears. Her heart ached as she searched his face for even a bit of the love he once showed her, but all she saw was disappointment and anger.
"I do not really care because I know you are not capable of it. You are barren and she is fertile," Scott said, walking back to the bed where Betty was still sitting. He leaned forward and kissed her lips, then looked at Riley and added, "It was not my fault that you could not tell the difference between a good show and reality."
Those words broke through her like shattered glass. Riley felt her legs weaken as she stepped back, her eyes filled with disbelief and pain.
Slowly, she turned and walked out of the room. Each step down the stairs felt heavier than the last. Everything that had ever mattered to her flashed through her mind—the surgery, the job, and now her fiancé.
Everything was gone. All of it disappeared in moments as if it never existed. Scott had made a fool out of her after so many years together.
He never showed a sign of disinterest. He never gave her a reason to doubt his love.
And now, instead of feeling even a little guilty, their laughter echoed from upstairs, cruel and mocking, making her blood boil.
Riley walked straight into the kitchen and grabbed the lighter Scott always used to smoke. Her hands trembled as she rushed outside to her car. She opened the trunk and brought out a small jerry can of fuel she had kept there.
"Now we will see who the fool really is," she muttered angrily, her voice shaking as she opened the can and began pouring the fuel around the house, making sure she didn't miss the corners that would catch fire fast.