Chapter 154

Aria’s POV

I was hoping that by the weekend, Liam would have enough time and energy to talk about everything, but on late Friday night, he apologized.

“I’m going to have to work this weekend,” he said.

Disappointment filled me, and I knew the kids would be upset too. Liam had promised to make time for us, but with his father’s continued onslaught against the company, he was constantly needed to help put out fires.

Leaning closer, speaking softly so the kids wouldn’t overhear, he told me, “I’m worried what will happen if I’m not there. I feel like Markus is closing in with a kill shot.”

“You don’t think the club will survive much longer?” I asked.

“I’m worried,” he admitted. “It’s scandal after scandal. It won’t be long until the shareholders lose faith in us. Or the public. Our merchandise sales are already dropping.”

“You have to go in,” I told him then. “It’s okay. We’ll make due until all of this is over.”

He gave me a sad sort of smile. “Thank you, Aria. I’m so sorry. I’ll make it up to you, I swear.”

“I know you will,” I said. I still had the check in my pocket. I hadn’t wanted to leave it anywhere, for fear that someone might see it or steal it, so I kept it on myself at all times. Even when I slept, I had it tucked under the waistband of my pajama pants.

After heading to my room that night, I thought of Samuel. I had considered waiting to see him again for a little while. We were friends from the past rebuilding that friendship. There was no reason to rush things.

But with Liam busy, I reasoned that perhaps now wasn’t such a bad time, after all. It would get the kids out of the house, and give us all something to do on a Saturday afternoon. Assuming Samuel wasn’t busy.

Quickly, I sent him a text, asking him for his availability.

He replied a few minutes later. I’m free tomorrow. That works great! He sent me the name and address of a local restaurant. Would the kids eat here?

It was thoughtful of him to consider them, knowing how picky children tended to be.

They would, I texted.

Samuel’s reply was instant, Let’s do that then.

With the schedule set, I went to bed eagerly anticipating the next day, when I would have another opportunity to catch up with my old friend.

The next morning, after getting the kids breakfast, we met Samuel at the park again and then took his car to the restaurant. After parking, as I was ushering the kids toward the front door, it opened with a couple exiting the restaurant.

I froze immediately.

“Dad!” William said.

Liam and Joanna were both coming through the door. Joanna even held a to-go container.

He was supposed to be working. He said he had to stay at the club to put all the fires out, worried about what would happen if he wasn’t there. Yet, he had time to be here, out to brunch with Joanna?

Betrayal slashed between my ribs like a blade, digging into my heart.

He’d said he wanted to be with me. He’d said so many wonderful things that I had believed against my better judgement. But now the doubts crept into my mind. What if Joanna had been telling the truth all along?

What if Liam only married me to escape his arranged marriage? What if he never loved me at all?

What if, even now, he was merely biding his time? Why not just marry Joanna? Why put up with me at all? Why fight divorcing me so much if money was all he ever wanted?

Hurt was driving my feelings. I could acknowledge that, but knowing didn’t stop the hurt. It only made things worse.

I didn’t know how to stop it. I didn’t know what the right move was.

I only knew that my hurt and jealousy were making me act foolishly, and for that reason, I turned back to Samuel, before every acknowledging Liam, and laughed as if Samuel had just told a very funny joke.

Samuel looked at me like I’d lost my mind a moment. “You alright?” he asked as he came to my side.

“Aria?” Liam said, coming to stand beside me from the other direction.

“Dad? What are you doing here?” Joe asked, tugging Liam’s sleeve. “Didn’t you say you were working today?”

“I am working, pal,” Liam said. Though he spoke to Joe, his eyes were on me and then on Samuel standing very near to my back. “Who’s this?”

“I see,” Samuel said. Like he was defending me, Samuel inched closer to me. “I’m a friend of Aria’s.”

“A friend?” Liam asked, raising a brow at me. His mouth was a hard, downward slash – as if he had any reason to jealous! I wasn’t the one claiming to be working and then going out with the woman I was supposed to hate!

“Come on, Aria,” Liam said, grabbing my arm. “I’ll take you home.”

I ripped my arm out of his grasp with maybe more force than was necessary. He hadn’t been holding me all that tightly. But I felt like making a show of it, somewhat, since I was so hurt by his actions.

“I’m not going home with you,” I said. “I’m going to have a nice lunch with my friend Samuel, while you go about… whatever it was you were doing…”

I narrowed my eyes at Joanna, but she just smiled, as if bemused by the whole ordeal.

“We are going home, Aria, where we will talk about this,” Liam said, lowering his voice.

Samuel bravely stepped forward. “The lady said no.”

Liam straightened, fixing the totality of his gaze on Samuel. They glared at each other a moment, both seeming to size up the other. For one terrible moment, I thought fists might start to fly.

And I seemed to be the only one who wanted to stop it.

The kids were mostly oblivious. They watched from the sidewalk with more confusion than concern. To them, bumping into their dad here was a nice surprise. They probably all imagined that we would have breakfast now like a big happy family.

They couldn’t see, as I could, that the two men were about to start throwing punches.

Joanna could tell, likely, but she only smirked as if she was looking forward to the show.

Quickly, I stepped between the two men, though I chose to face Liam.

Samuel was only acting in defense of me. Liam was the aggressor here. And he had no right to be. His being here with Joanna was enough of a betrayal that he should have just left quietly, without making a scene.

“Get out of the way, Aria,” Liam said. “While I have a few words with your friend.”

“No,” I replied firmly, my own coldness seeping into my voice.

He seemed surprised by it, like he had thought he was the only hurt party here. Was he truly so self-absorbed that he couldn’t see the damage he had caused to me by being here with Joanna, when he said he would be at work?

Driven by hurt and rage, I added shortly, “In fact, I think you should leave.”