The kitchen floor was uncomfortable, but she hadn’t wanted to move in case she woke Steff up. At the same time, the worry of not moving and Donnie walking into the house to find them entangled in one another had a grip on her throat. She knew that even though Donnie had made it clear things were over between them, he’d still lose his shit if he found his wife and brother, his best friend, in a position they couldn’t lie their way out of.
She sat up slowly, allowing Steff’s arm to fall gently from around her shoulder. Layla got to her feet and the wine headache hit her almost instantly. How could she have been so stupid to think that sleeping with Steff to get revenge on her husband was a good idea? She was never going to get away with this. Donnie would kill her when he found out; he’d kill Steff too. And he would find out. He had a way of knowing things that he shouldn’t.
Creeping upstairs to the bathroom, Layla passed through the hallway and chose not to look at the huge, framed picture of her and Donnie on their wedding day. Guilt, remorse and anger coursed through her veins at the best of times because of Donnie’s betrayal, but now she was no better than he was. At least he was having an affair with a stranger. She’d slept with the one man that Donnie trusted most in the world. He’d use that betrayal to fuel his rage.
Pushing the door open, Layla stepped into the bathroom and splashed her face with cold water. The sobering thought of Steff lying naked on the kitchen floor snapped her back to reality. He had to leave; she had to get him out of the house.
Just as she was about to go back downstairs, she heard Steff’s phone ringing. It would likely be Donnie, asking where he was. Would Steff tell him?
‘A’right, mate?’ Steff’s voice filtered its way up from the kitchen, and Layla’s heart was in her throat. She couldn’t help but listen in.
‘Calm down, what do you mean she’s gone?’
Layla froze. Who were they talking about?
‘He did what? Jesus! Where are you now?’
Another pause, and Layla worried her heart was going to burst out of her chest.
‘Fucking hell,’ Steff sighed loudly. ‘And you’re sure he’s dead?’
Layla’s hand fell across her mouth as she listened.
‘Right, I’ll meet you back at the yard. Have you heard from Goran? Does he know?’
Goran? Who the fuck was Goran?
‘Donnie, I said I’d meet you at the yard. Calm the fuck down, eh? I’ll be there as soon as I can.’
Layla listened as Steff hung up the phone and he cursed under his breath. Patting her face with the fluffy towel hanging on the rail next to the sink, Layla composed herself and walked back to the kitchen, pretending that she hadn’t listened in on the phone call.
‘Hey,’ she said, barely able to look Steff in the eye.
His expression was hard, troubled. But it soon softened as he looked at her. ‘Hi. Look, I don’t want to leave but I have to be somewhere.’
‘Oh? Everything okay?’
Layla tried to disguise the deep breath she took in. Something felt terribly wrong.
‘Just work stuff.’ Steff pulled Layla in at the waist and kissed her lips. ‘I can come back later?’
Layla faked a smile but shook her head. ‘No, it’s fine. Go and do what you have to do. I’ll see you later.’
Steff seemed unaware of how uncomfortable Layla was feeling, but that was a good thing. She didn’t want her guilt to shine out from her eyes.
‘Can I ask you something?’
‘Anything,’ Steff replied. He was holding her tightly, as though he knew she wanted to move away but he didn’t want to let it happen.
‘I overheard your conversation. Who’s Goran?’
Steff’s expression didn’t change, although his eyes did flicker at the question. ‘Just a guy we’re doing business with.’
‘Is Donnie in trouble with him?’
‘Why would you think that?’
‘Well…’ Layla hesitated. Should she come clean that she heard the whole conversation? Would that implicate her in some way if something truly awful was going on?
‘You asked Donnie if he was sure someone was dead.’
Steff’s cool expression fell then, and it was replaced by something a lot colder.
‘Layla, it’s best you don’t know.’
Yeah, she thought. That was how she’d been throughout her entire relationship with Donnie. She knew he was in on the criminal world, with Donald, their father, being Glasgow’s biggest gangster. But she’d always chosen to remain blind to it all; she loved Donnie and that was all that had mattered. She really had been so stupid for twenty years of her life. Layla sighed angrily then.
‘You know what, Steff? I think you’re right. In fact, I think it’s best that I know fuck all about anything Donnie’s involved with, including you.’
He frowned, loosened his grip on her waist and took a step back.
‘It’s really nothing, Layla.’
‘Bullshit, Steff! We both know that’s not true. I’ve gone through my life and marriage with Donnie keeping my mouth and eyes shut to the kind of work the Blacks do. I can’t do it anymore. My god, is Mel in on all this too? This criminal business you’ve got going on?’ She stopped and took a breath. ‘Donnie ending things with me was probably my only way out. I’m sorry, this thing between us’ – she waved her hand between them – ‘it should never have happened. I thought it would be a good way to show Donnie that I could be a cold-hearted bastard too, but in truth, it’s just going to make things so much more complicated than they need to be. I’m sorry, Steff. I shouldn’t have used you like that. But overhearing that phone call just put things into perspective for me. I’m just angry it has taken me this long to see things so clearly.’
Steff shook his head. ‘I think you’re reading too much into this, Layla. It’s just a bit of business trouble. No one’s dead. I think you’ve misheard what was said.’
‘No, I won’t be gaslighted. Not by you or Donnie.’
That seemed to stop Steff in his tracks then, and Layla moved towards the front door. Pulling it open, she stood to the side and said nothing, only glared at Steff.
He knew that she wanted him to leave. ‘I’m sorry you feel that way, Layla. I really am.’
Layla parted her lips to speak but refrained from letting her voice be heard for fear of bursting into tears of anger.
As Steff passed by to leave, he leaned in and kissed her on the cheek. She wanted to pull away but was rooted to the spot.
Closing the door behind him, Layla couldn’t get the words from the overheard phone call out of her head.
What do you mean she’s gone? Are you sure he’s dead? Does Goran know?
What kind of business was this?