Riley swore he'd never known a more unreasonable woman. What had he done that was so unforgivable? His crime had been to delay letting her know about the training cruise so she wouldn't fret about him going. He was being kind. Thoughtful. Just as a husband should be. Instead, the whole thing had blown up in his face.
Riley was prepared to argue with her when the doorbell rang. For a split second he couldn't decide if he should answer it or not. In the end he decided it wouldn't do any good to talk sense to Hannah. She was bent on thinking ill of him, and he wasn't likely to say or do anything that could change her mind.
The weekend passed in a haze for Hannah. Riley barely spoke to her, which was just as well since she worked equally hard to avoid any contact with him. The tension in the house was as thick as a London fog; thick enough to slice up and serve for dinner, although it would have made bitter fare.
Hannah spoke only when asked a direct question. Riley was constrained and silent. No unnecessary words passed between them. Nor looks, and certainly no touching. He camped in one area of the house and she in the other, and they both went overboard to be certain their paths didn't cross.
Monday morning Hannah heard her husband rummaging through the house several hours earlier than normal. Realizing he was probably preparing to leave for the Atlantis, she lay in bed, trying to decide if she should make the effort to see him off properly.
Her preference was to leave matters as they were, but soon the decision was taken from her. Riley politely rapped against her bedroom door just loud enough to wake her if she were sleeping, but not enough to frighten her. She sat up, holding the blankets protectively against her breasts, although it was unnecessary since she wore a thick flannel nightgown and the possibility of him viewing any part of her anatomy was highly unlikely.
"Yes?" she called out, working hard to put a frosty tone in her voice.
He opened the door, and his six-foot frame was stiffly silhouetted against the light that spilled into the hallway from the kitchen. He didn't move into the bedroom and continued to hold on to the door handle. "I'll be leaving soon."
She nodded, confident there was nothing she could add to the announcement.
"I left two phone numbers on the kitchen table for you. If a problem arises and you need anything, call either one of those numbers." His words were heavily starched and devoid of emotion. He might have been discussing the weather, for all the feeling he displayed.
"All right."
He dropped his hand away from the door and hesitated for a moment. "Goodbye."
"Goodbye," she returned just as tautly.
He closed the door, and with willful determination, she laid her head back down on the pillow. Closing her eyes, Hannah stubbornly decided to go back to sleep and ignore her husband the way he'd ignored her. She supposed she should consider herself lucky he'd taken the trouble to bid her farewell.
An achy heaviness weighed down her chest, and Hannah realized she was on the verge of tears. She hated the wetness that rolled down the sides of her face, dampening the pillow. She hating Riley for making her feel so loathsome, as though she'd done something very wrong. It felt wrong to have him leave for six weeks of sea duty when so much remained unsaid between them.
Rolling onto her side, she was determined to ignore her husband, the Navy and her conscience. Closing her eyes, she waited for the void of sleep to willingly claim her once again. If there was ever a time in her life when she was looking for the escape of slumber, it was now. Instead, the painful weight pressing against her breast threatened to suffocate her with every breath she drew.
Tossing aside her covers, she sat on the edge of the bed, her pride battling her conscience. If she rushed out to him, what could she possibly say? Hannah didn't know. That she was sorry? The words would have lacked conviction, and Riley would know immediately and would use it against her. She didn't want him to leave like this, but she knew of no way to end the tension and keep her pride intact.