Simon

Simon Riley *

• In a world where he never joined the army, Simon Riley was just a reserved man with a quiet life… and Liz. *

• He didn't talk much, but he trusted her.
  Sometimes she would hear his voice on the phone when he wasn't in the room. When she asked, Liz always gave the same answer: "He's a friend. "Simon didn't press the issue.
  Until one day, when he came home from work, he found a box of cigars on the kitchen table. *

• He didn't smoke.
  But he recognized that brand. John Price. The " friend." He let it go. He wanted to . Until that afternoon. He was picking up clothes from the bedroom floor when something caught his eye near the bed. He bent down and picked it up. A pair of boxer shorts . They weren't his. Simon held them silently for several seconds. The house was completely still .
  He let out a low, bitter laugh. "Of course... "he murmured . Because Simon Riley could endure a lot. But what hurt the most... was knowing that, even with the evidence in hand,
  Part of him still wanted to believe her.