Riley's pov

The words echoed louder in my ears than Susan had said it.

My eyes flickered to both of them instinctively.

“Are you serious about this?” I asked and Vivian nodded at Susan.

“We were coming from the club, when we saw him with that snake, Stasha.”

“My cousin?” I whispered.

She nodded. “All curled up in his arms. They were practically devouring with their tongues and all.”

“We were already tipsy and pissed off, so we ignored and planned to tell you but… forgot.”

The last time Stanley cheated on me, he somehow made me feel like I was the reason it happened. He said I hadn’t been there for him, that I was too caught up in other things. But how could I not be? Dad had just died, and my whole life was tied up in court hearings and police visits, trying to understand what really happened to him.

I was exhausted, broken, and barely holding it together. So when Susan told me what Stanley had done, and he came back with his apologies, I didn’t have the strength to fight. I let it go because I couldn’t carry any more pain on my shoulders.

Dad's was enough.

“I should’ve seen it coming.” I muttered, staring down at my feet. Heat clouded around my eyes, my fists clenched.

Susan stood up and walked toward the small kitchen area, grabbing a half-empty water bottle and tossing it to Vivian. “Girl, don’t do that to yourself. That’s on him, not you.”

She caught it but didn’t drink, instead she stood it next to me.

“It’s not your fault, babe,” She said softly, coming to sit next to me and rubbing my hand gently. “He never deserved you.”

“Yeah,” Susan chimed in from across the room, leaning against the fridge. “Forget him. You’re better than all that.”

But the tears had already pushed past my lashes, I couldn't hold back.

Susan noticed and walked back over quickly. “Aww, sweetie, I didn’t mean to make you cry.”

I shook my head and wiped my eyes with the back of my hand. “No. It’s fine. I knew something was up. I just... I didn’t wanna deal with it.”

Vivian shifted a little. “What do you mean by that?”

I leaned forward, resting my elbows on my knees. “Since Dad died, Stanley stepped up. Paid off some bills. Made sure we had food. Played the perfect man. So, when he’d come home smelling off or had hickeys on his neck, I let it slide. I convinced myself he was just tired. Or I was overthinking. I mean, we were engaged anyway,”

I stared at the floor, the tiles blurred, “I was scared. Scared to lose him. Scared to be alone again.”

The room went quiet again.

“But now it’s all out in the open. And it hurts.”

Susan dropped onto the couch beside me, letting out a tired sigh. “Man, this is all so messed up.”

I wiped my cheeks again and stood. “But it's all in the past now. You know what, girls?”

They both turned to look at me.

“Let’s go out tonight.”

Susan blinked. “Out? Like... to a club?”

“Yeah,” I said, stretching my arms like I needed to shake off the pain. “I wanna get dressed up, dance a little, maybe flirt with someone who doesn’t lie for a living.”

Vivian raised a brow. “You sure? Like, emotionally stable enough to be out in public?”

I laughed. “Barely. But I’m tired of crying. I’ve done enough of that.”

Susan grinned. “Alright. But if you start crying on the dance floor, I’m leaving your dramatic ass there.”

I walked over to the kitchen and grabbed a handful of grapes from the counter. “Deal. But I swear, if I find someone sexy, I might just let him take a bite outta this coochie.”

They both gasped.

“Girl!” Vivian shouted, walking up behind me and smacking my shoulder with a throw pillow. “You are wild.”

Susan snorted. “You’re seriously planning to bag another guy tonight?”

“If he’s sexy enough, I might let him taste this coochie,” I said with a grin.

Both of them choked, then burst into wild laughter.

“You’re nuts,” Vivian said, wiping tears of laughter. “You were just crying two minutes ago.”

“I cried. Now I’m healed. His loss, my bounce-back,” I said with a shrug.

Vivian held up a finger. “Fine. But no giving it up. Remember the rules…Anything aside, kissing and a little boob play is off limits. That’s it.”

I gave her a playful side-eye. “Would you rather I give it up to my future stepdad then?” I asked, throwing up air quotes.

Their laughter died instantly. They stared at me.

“Wait—what?” they asked in unison.

I nodded slowly. “I’m serious. If Mom’s really in love with him, I need her to see something real. Implication won’t cut it.”

Vivian pointed her finger at me like a school principal. “I said pretend. Seduce him. Not actually sleep with him. A crusty old man at that.”

“And you think Mom will leave just because he flirts with me?” I scoffed. “No. She’ll forgive him. Act like nothing happened. But if he touches me and she sees it, it's the end.”

“No way,” Vivian whispered.

“And you think I wanna do this?” I asked, turning to face her. “I don’t. I hate it. But Mom’s already slipping into his world, thinking about reuniting with her family and shit. The same family that wanted her dead. If I don’t do something big, she’s gonna stay there. And I’ll be stuck in it too.”

Susan stood and rubbed her arms like the idea gave her chills. “This ain’t some Netflix plot, girl. That man could really hurt you.”

I nodded,feeling my chest tighten. “Which is why I’ll be ready. Striking him off guard.”

Susan exhaled deeply.

“I can’t leave without knowing she’s safe. I can’t just disappear. This is my home too. My life. And I’m not letting some wrinkled sugar daddy take it from me.”