Chapter 160

Aria’s POV

It seemed strange that a check that was worth so much was still the same size as any other check. For $5 million, I felt like it should be bigger, or glossy, or written in golden font. Instead, it was unassuming, the same as any check I might have written to pay the electric bill, for instance.

I wished I had time to talk to Liam about this money, his father’s attempted bribe, but even in our argument, there hadn’t been room for it.

Liam had been unreasonable and jealous, and I’d been so fed up with him putting so much distance between us again. We’d both said things we hadn’t meant and unfortunately, upset the kids in doing so.

We’d resolved to try harder and not fight in front of the kids, but that didn’t solve the heart of our issues. Liam still hadn’t told me the truth about our past, and I’d forgotten to tell him about this check.

There never seemed to be enough time to resolve all the barriers between us.

Unfortunately, these occurrences were reminding me of our life before I’d left the first time. The secrets then had also built up between us until they felt insurmountable. Then, Liam had been so busy with his career, too, always putting it first, with Sophia second, and me all the way in third.

I had no idea where I ranked now, but it felt like the kids and I were behind work and Joanna.

History seemed to be repeating itself and I hated it.

But no. We were both different people than we had been back then. We were older and smarter. We’d already worked hard to find our ways back to each other. We’d overcome Sophia, we’d combined our families, we lived together.

This was what made relationships last – the desire and drive to work to stay together.

I wasn’t tempted by the $5 million. I didn’t want to leave.

With Liam, I wanted to stay and sort through things, and make our family whole again. We could do it, I was sure of it, if we just found the time to talk things through.

We’d both lost our tempers this past weekend, but that had only been because we both still felt so strongly for each other.

I remembered the end before, when I’d finally been too tired to fight back. My empathy had dried up, and I just didn’t have it in me to care anymore. Likewise, Liam hadn’t tried anymore either. He had run when things became too hard, too real. He hid away at parties or events, leaving me behind and alone.

He wasn’t running now. And neither was I.

Returning the check to my pocket, I made up my mind. Maybe now wasn’t the best time for a conversation, but I was tired of putting things off.

To save our family, Liam and I needed to make time.

Leaving the boiler room, I took to the stairs, determined.

My confidence grew the closer I came to Liam’s office. I was even practicing what I was going to say.

This is bigger than the two of us. This is our family. Things like that.

Liam’s assistant wasn’t outside his office as I approached. That was strange. Liam’s door was open and there was talking within. Liam was clearly here.

Lifting my hand, I knocked on his door as I peeked my head into his office.

Oddly, Liam wasn’t the first person I saw, nor was his the first desk I encountered.

Joanna was sitting nearer the door, her desk pushed up against the wall. Liam’s was farther back in the room. He stood when he saw me, “Aria.”

Joanna smirked at me. “Well, hello, Aria. Isn’t this so nice? Liam and I are going to have so much time to be even closer to one another. It’s like he can’t get enough of me.”

“That’s enough, Joanna.” Liam walked around his desk then gestured for me to join him in the hallway.

The moment we stepped out into his assistant’s area, I whispered, “What is going on?”

“It’s the only thing I could think of to solve our space problem,” Liam explained.

“What?” I didn’t understand.

“I’m not the only one who is going to share my office, Aria. Everyone is. You’ll have a new roommate too. This will get you out of the boiler room.” He seemed eager to tell me this, as if expecting it to make me happy.

Maybe it did, in a way, but I was far too distracted by the feeling of upset. Liam and Joanna were going to be spending all day everyday together in a cramped office?

I started to feel unwell.

“Are you alright?” he asked me, touching my arm.

I shied away from his touch. Out here in the hallway, anyone could happen by. Softly, I tried to explain my feelings, “You and Joanna…”

His good mood dimmed. “I’m sorry, Aria. I know it’s not ideal. I wouldn’t do this at all if I didn’t have to, but there are no other choices. Until that annex is built…” He sighed. “I can’t have people working in the hallways.”

I understood his concerns and would normally applaud his leadership. But with all the insecurities swirling inside me about him and Joanna, it hurt to think of them spending so much time side by side and alone.

“Nothing’s going to happen,” he told me. “Do you trust me?”

“I want to,” I said.

“Then trust me.”

Still, the secrets remained buried between us. My determination to have our deep conversation dried up. It wasn’t a conversation we could have in a hallway.

“Okay,” I said, committing to at least trying to trust him. I still felt unsure, but there wasn’t anything either of us could do right now to help that. “But we need to talk. A real conversation. Soon.”

“I agree,” he said.

That gave me a bit more comfort. At least he could recognize that.

“Soon,” I said again for emphasis.

“Soon,” he replied.

Liam’s POV

I’d thought Aria would have been pleased with the new arrangements that I’d made to get her out of the basement, but, as I returned to my office, I couldn’t forget the stricken look on her face.

Of course she would be upset, given my new closer proximity to Joanna. I was still in the doghouse for not telling her that my ‘work’ this weekend had involved taking Joanna to lunch. I hadn’t properly been able to explain myself yet.

I’d wanted to, when we talked, but my own jealousies had come out instead.

Sometimes, in my relationship with Aria, I felt like we were both taking two steps forward and then two steps back. Or that we were walking around in circles.

“Did I upset the poor thing?” Joanna asked as I sat back down behind my desk.

“Stay out of it, Joanna.”

“She’ll adjust to my presence,” Joanna continued. “She’ll have to, when I become your wife.”

“I said to knock it off,” I snapped.

“So testy,” Joanna said. “We really need to work on your tone.”

Putting my elbows on my desk, I buried my face in my hands.

That annex couldn’t be built fast enough.