Chapter 185

Liam’s POV

The next morning, Joanna sat in our shared office avoiding work and creating the official guest list for our engagement party instead. Occasionally, she would throw out a name. Again and again, I would remind her.

“I want this to be as small of a party as possible, Joanna.”

Again and again, just like the night before, my suggestions and desires were cast to the sidelines.

Last night, the meeting with Markus had gone so late that by the time I returned home, Aria and the kids had already gone to bed. Regret grew heavy on my shoulders. I kept missing things – maybe they were simple things like dinners, or playing with the kids, or drinking a glass of wine with Aria – but they’d been adding up.

Missing one dinner wasn’t the end of the world, but missing so many dinners that when I actually could attend, if felt more like a special occasion than the norm – that was an issue.

I didn’t want to be a spectator in my family’s lives. I needed to be an active participant.

This engagement party couldn’t happen quickly enough. As soon as it was over, I would go to Aria and work on rebuilding everything. Without Markus pushing for the team’s destruction all the time, I was sure that I would find the time I needed to return my life to the way it had been before all of this started.

“I understand you don’t want a lot of people to know about this, Liam, but Markus will not be satisfied if our guest list doesn’t include the right people,” Joanna said.

“You are planning to invite half of the town,” I replied.

“Don’t exaggerate,” she said. “I’m only inviting members of high society.” She gave me a flat look. “In fact, Liam, you would do well to get involved. I’m not sure how long I can keep convincing Markus on my own, without you at least pretending to care about this.”

“Even if this wasn’t fake, Markus wouldn’t expect me to suddenly be enthusiastic,” I said.

“He’d expect you to care a little,” Joanna countered. “All you’ve done so far is complain and stand against me at every turn.”

“I’ve only stood against you about this party.”

“The party is a big part of the engagement. It’s not my fault if you didn’t realize that before, but it’s too late to back out now. If we want people to believe this, then we need to show them this is legitimate.”

“We don’t need to convince people. Only Markus and your family.”

“Markus and my family will not be convinced without this engagement party.”

We were going around in circles. I still didn’t want to have this engagement party at all, but I was quickly realizing that no matter I did or say, I was going to lose. As Markus and Joanna were calling all of the shots, all I could do was going along with everything.

I felt way in over my head here. Maybe I never should have agreed to this at all, but it was far too late now. Backing out now reveal the ruse to Markus. If I wanted to keep up the lie, and keep Markus off of my back, then I had to play along.

Unfortunately, that meant that I had to go along with the engagement party, as much as I didn’t want to.

“If we have to do this, I want to get it over with as soon as possible,” I said. “Like, this weekend.”

Joanna lowered her hands to her desktop, looking up at me and away from her precious list. “That’s way too soon, Liam. Don’t be unreasonable.”

“That’s what I want,” I said firmly. “I’m making all these allowances for you and your party. Well, this is all I ask in exchange.”

Watching me, she slowly raises a brow. “If I can make it happen this Saturday, you’ll let me invite whoever I want?”

“Within reason,” I said. “I don’t have to tell you why I want to keep this a secret,” I said. If Aria found out about this, it could be the end of everything. I wasn’t going to risk losing her for anything. I’d only agreed to this in the first place precisely because I was trying so hard to save our family and our marriage.

“Fine,” Joanna said. “Saturday, it is.”

“What’s on Saturday?” said a familiar voice from the doorway.

Aria.

My heart leapt up into my throat. How much had she heard?

Suspicion was clear on her face as she looked between Joanna and me.

“A work event,” I said quickly. “Nothing more.”

Staying quiet, Joanna subtly moved the guest list she’d been working on under some other paperwork.

Aria watched her but didn’t call her out.

Aria’s POV

I’d walked in on something here; I could feel it. The mood of the room shifted drastically as soon as I’d come through the door. They’d been talking before but they were quiet now, and Liam’s inability to talk about whatever that work event was this week end was suspicious at best.

He’d been so secretive lately. Did he feel like he couldn’t trust me anymore? Or was it the reverse – my mistrust of him was what was really pushing us apart?

I didn’t know anymore.

“Did you… uh… need something… Aria?” Liam asked, his voice shifting as much as his eyes, never quite about to look at me fully.

“I just have the monthly reports for you to look over,” I said. Stepping into the office, I approached his desk carrying the paperwork.

“Ah. Good. Okay, thanks.”

I held the paperwork out for him and he accepted it. Then he placed it down onto his desktop without looking at it.

“Good work, Aria,” he said.

He hadn’t even looked at it yet.

“You could have just emailed,” Joanna added with a hint of annoyance.

Maybe I could have. Maybe I liked seeing for my own eyes what was going on in this office. Or maybe I just missed Liam.

“It’s fine,” Liam said, shooting Joanna a cutting look.

She met it and shrugged. “I was just saying…”

Liam sighed.

Looking between them, I was confused and disturbed by their ability to communicate a lot while saying very little – proof they had been spending a lot of time together lately.

“Liam,” I said, looking at him.

Finally, he lifted his eyes up to me. Our gazes locked for a moment, during which my heart lurched forward as it tended to do in his presence. But then, too quickly, he looked away.

Longing and hurt filled my heart. With how his face crumpled, he almost seemed ashamed. But of what? Of me? Of what we shared together?

Or did he have other reasons to feel shame? Reasons that maybe involved Joanna…

I looked at her sideways. She smirked, seemingly smug.

“If that’s all, Aria,” Joanna said. “Some of us have actual work to do today.”

This time, Liam didn’t come to my defense. It was almost as if he wanted me out of his office, too. The sooner the better.

“Right,” I said, looking at him.

“We’ll talk later,” Liam told me, but that sounded so vague.

Who knew when later really meant?

Leaving the room, I felt no better than when I had arrived.

Liam definitely seemed to be hiding something. I didn’t want to believe he was truly having an affair with Joanna.

But what else could it be?