THE DRUGGED BRIDE

CHAPTER THREE : The lie we live

Riley's POV

The shower dwarfs my own room. The water feels hot, so pure, yet my mood stays bad. I rub my skin till it burns red, trying to wipe off a lost night. My body wears strange marks, and how I got them remains unknown. On my arms, my neck, my sides. Each bruise asks things best left unsaid.

I find clothes in his spare room that seem just right. A sweater, jeans like he planned ahead. Like he knew a girl would need them soon. That thought sends chills down my back, yet I dress anyway. I must seem okay. I must seem like a girl who spent the night happy with him.

When I check the mirror, I see a stranger there. My hair is soaked, a mess. My eyes seem puffy, quite red from tears. Marks dot my neck, which I try to hide. I seem like someone used and hurt. I look like one who suffered wrong, but Landon said I can't be that way.

I try a smile in the looking glass. It seems false, almost broken. I tried it once more, still not right. My face can't fake it, but I must teach it how.

The bell rings at exactly noon sharp.

I hear Landon greet his mom at the door with a kiss. Their voices float closer down the hall to me. His voice feels smooth, so unlike the tone used on me. His mother's voice seems keen and full of sharp concern.

"Hey, meet a person," Landon states, entering the room where I sit still on the couch, acting like I'm settled. Acting like I'm in love.

His mom's built like him, with dark hair and similar keen looks. Her suit likely costs more than my old vehicle, and her stare seems judgmental and clever. She eyes me as if reading my whole past in a flash, and looks let down by the visible story.

"Mom, meet Riley Andrew," Landon says, doing a move that makes my pulse quicken. He leans down and grabs my hand, intertwining his fingers like we hold hands all the time. Like we are so relaxed together. "Riley, this is Victoria Cooper, my mother."

"Hi there." I stand up trying to seem bold even though I want to be sick. "So glad to meet you."

"Are you?" Victoria lifts a brow and settles down uninvited. "I'm shocked our meeting is under such odd conditions. Landon never invites females. He doesn't have them stay over."

Landon holds my hand a little tighter. A simple signal. "Riley's special, Mother."

"Sure looks that way." She crosses her legs while looking at us like she is trying to solve a weird puzzle. "Riley, what does your father do? I think I know Andrews."

"He sells properties. A manager at Riverside," I say softly. Truth is safer than lies, but it feels alarming.

Victoria's face shifts. Not wowed. She's thinking hard. "Riverside's a real place. Not special, yet real. What about your mother?"

"Passed away when I was young," I mentioned. "My dad got remarried, and Vanessa is my step-sister, and—"

Victoria butts in, "Your stepsister means zero to me. What rattles me is why my boy parades a normal realtor's kid like she’s gold."

Landon drifts near, his arm slung 'round my back. His gears are turning, decisions brewing. "She's unreal, Mom. Last night, boom, I never felt this. I need you two to click."

Victoria cackles, a hollow sound. "Last night? And now here? So unlike you, Landon. So out of left field. Like a big whoops."

My heart drums wild; she could hear it. She’s onto us. I sense it deep. She knows this whole thing's a charade.

"Not a whoops," Landon shoots back, solid. "Sure, quick and wild. But sometimes you just sense a soul's worth."

"Worth how?" Victoria angles close, eyes sharp as blades. "Love vibes? 'Cause that's the sole excuse for this. And you dodge love, Landon. It deals, might, rules. Love is chaos."

Landon's grip hugs me tighter, hauling me close. Gotta look like I fit, like I'm all in. So I inch in, though my gut screams to bolt.

"Maybe time for a switch-up," Landon throws out.

"Or maybe she pulled a sneaky trick," Victoria spoke, like ice. "Maybe she charmed you real good. Maybe she tricked you to get here. I've seen that movie before, Landon. Girls spot a cash guy and boom, a plot forms. They start their game. The man gets dizzy and makes dumb choices."

"No way that's how it went," I blurt, voice all wobbly but I push on. "I didn't set anything up. Didn't even know Landon existed till"—I almost blurted about Vanessa. "Till last night when we met."

Victoria stared, like reading my soul. Then she stood and fixed her jacket. "Well, now. This is wild. Either you're a pro liar, or you're clueless enough to land here. Either way, you're here now, son brought you to mom, so something's gotta give."

"What's that mean?" I questioned.

"Means Landon ain't a fling guy, Riley. He doesn't bring girls home for one night. So, either it's love, or it's a strange moment and bye forever." She strolled to the glass, checking out the city. "Knowing him, I bet it's not the second one. He ain't that messy."

"Mom—" Landon tried, but she stopped him with a hand.

"I need you at dinner tomorrow," Victoria told me, eyes still on the view. "We all eat together on Sundays. If you're sticking with Landon, meet the gang. Know what you're signing up for."

"Sure thing," I mention, despite my tummy fluttering. "I appreciate you asking me over."

"Hold your horses," Victoria pivots, flashing a smile that chills me. "My folks aren't easily impressed. We like things a certain way. We expect a lot. And we recall those who wrong us forever."

She pecks Landon's face and strides toward the exit. She glances back at me right before leaving.

"One tiny detail, Riley. Smart people spot trouble fast. Super smart ones ponder this: Does Landon Cooper grab what he fancies, or does he make people pay?"

She's gone before I reply.

Landon is silent for a while. Then his blank eyes fix on me as he utters something that freezes me to the bone.

"Pack a bag. You're stuck with me."

"Huh? Where to? What's up?" I wonder, but his look says I'm now on a one-way trip with no return ticket.