Shock slammed into him like a blow. His hand flew to his mouth to smother the sound that threatened to escape. For a moment, he stood there, paralyzed, unable to step forward, unable to retreat.
His mind screamed, but his body refused to move.
His heart hammered painfully, as if trying to tear itself out of his chest. He couldn't breathe. He couldn't think. All he could see was Thaddeus, his closest friend, the man he trusted most in this world, locked in a heated kiss with Kayden. His son.
The world tilted.
Ryland staggered backward, slipping quietly inside the house. He leaned against the wall, pressing himself into the shadows, hiding like a coward. He didn't want them to know he had seen. He didn't want to believe it himself.
So Lena was right all along.
The thought poisoned him, burning in his chest as he crouched in the corner, the weight of betrayal pressing down. He had trusted Thaddeus with his life, with his family, with his son and this was what Thaddeus had done?
