Chapter 208

Aria’s POV

I wasn’t ready to go home yet. Upset as I was, I worried what the kids would think if they saw me like this. I also had no idea how I was going to explain to Isabelle just how wrong she had been about all of this.

So I told the cab driver to take me to the park, and there, I exited and paid him.

After hours, the park was dark and empty, which was how I’d hoped it be.

Feeling like a ghost, a shell of myself, all hollowed out in the middle, I walked toward the swing set and sat down on one of the swings.

My pain continued to cloud my thoughts, making me unable to truly think or feel anything outside of betrayal and hurt, as well as regret for all of my previous decisions that led to me trusting in Liam again.

After everything we’d been through since our reconnection, I’d thought he’d earned a second chance.

What a fool I’d been.

I didn’t know if I could ever forgive myself for believing in him again, after he’d fooled me so thoroughly. I truly thought he loved me.

This pain was my own fault. I’d allowed myself to trust him. I should have been more cautious.

But after everything we’d been through, I truly had not seen this betrayal coming.

And now I didn’t know what to do next. We would have to get a divorce. That much was clear. I hated the thought of breaking up our family, but I didn’t see any other option. If Liam was going to marry Joanna, he couldn’t be married to me.

Unless Liam agreed to leave, I’d have to move out of the house. Perhaps we could share custody of the children. It seemed unfair for Joe to lose his dad. I didn’t know what this meant for William, but I would fight to share custody of him as well, as if he were my own son. In my heart he was, even if I hadn’t given birth to him.

I sat on that swing, unmoving, so lost in thought that I didn’t notice someone approach me until they sat in the swing beside mine.

Fear struck through me for a hot minute – who else would be at the park at night? But when I looked, I recognized Samuel.

“I’m sorry for scaring you,” he said. “I saw you from my house there.” He pointed at a house across the street from the park. “You looked like you needed a friend.”

Yet again, Samuel was being too kind to me, a supportive friend when he had every right to just walk away. I’d accidentally mislead him and then Liam nearly fought him. What a mess everything was.

Even so, I was glad to see a friendly face tonight. Samuel might not have full information about everything going on, but he was still someone in my corner. I knew he’d support me even without my having to ask.

“Liam, he…” That was all I could manage through my tears.

“Your husband?” he asked.

“Not for much longer,” I said miserably. “I thought he was going to propose again. I wore this dress, went to a fancy event banquet hall. But when I arrived…”

Samuel waited patiently for me to finish, his gaze on me, watchful.

“You don’t have to tell me,” he said, after several long moments.

“Liam proposed to someone else,” I said.

“But he’s married to you.”

“For now,” I said.

Holding onto the chain for balance, Samuel leaned back a little on the swing. “I see.”

He didn’t say anything more than that, for which I was grateful. I didn’t really want to talk about it, or anything else. Instead, he just sat beside me quietly, a silent support, as I let myself fall apart and then began to pick up the pieces once again.

This wasn’t the first time I needed to make hard decisions, though, this time, the decisions seemed like they were already made for me. Instead of making things easier, that only made them more difficult. I had to be strong to survive this, not just for myself but for the children.

They were collateral damage, caught up in all this. Those poor innocents, they deserved better from Liam and me both.

“It’s getting cold,” Samuel said. “You shouldn’t stay out here for too much longer.”

He meant, dressed as I was, in my dress. I hadn’t worn a jacket.

“Can I drive you home?” he asked.

“I can’t impose…”

“It’s no imposition,” Samuel said. He offered me a small smile. “It’s the least I could do for a friend.”

Comforted by Samuel’s words, at least in part, I pulled myself off the swing and joined him on the walk across the street to his house. There, he opened the passenger door to his car and I slipped inside.

In silence, he drove me the few blocks to my house. When he pulled into the driveway, he told me, “I’m sorry for everything you are going through, Aria. If you need anything…”

“Thank you, Samuel,” I told him and meant it.

He didn’t follow me as I stepped out of the car and walked toward the house. There, I unlocked the door and stepped inside. Through the window in the door, I watched as he drove away.

This late, fortunately, the kids were already in bed, so they didn’t have to see me walking like a specter with ruined makeup into the kitchen. They didn’t hear the sharp gasp Isabelle made when she saw me, or the way her face crumpled.

“He didn’t propose,” she said, regret in her voice.

“He did,” I told her, “But not to me.”

“What?”

With a sigh, I said, “I’ll explain everything in a moment. But first I just want to check on the kids.”

“They’re asleep in their rooms,” Isabelle said. “Take your time. I’ll put some coffee on.”

Leaving, I headed upstairs, then slowly and carefully opened the door to Joe’s room first.

Joe was fast asleep, his arms stretched out over his head, his eyes closed tightly. He’d kicked off some of the blanket in his sleep.

Careful not to wake him, I moved to his side and adjusted the covers back over him. Then I tucked him in.

Leaving Joe, I checked in on William next. He was sleeping more soundly, with half of his face buried in the pillow, snoring slightly. Still, I made sure the covers were tucked snugly around him too.

I didn’t fall apart until I stepped outside of William’s room, closing the door behind me. Then, right there in the hallway, I fell down to my knees, buried my face in my hands, and sobbed.

I was worried for myself and my future, but doubly so for my kids. They’d already been through so much, and now their whole lives were going to be uprooted once again. William had even asked me if Liam and I were getting divorced. I’d promised him that we weren’t.

Now I had to go back on that promise…

For now, I’d let them sleep. I’d let them have one more night of believing that everything is okay. Tomorrow, everything would change.

And I hated it.