Chapter 37
Aria's POV
I tried to focus on the spreadsheet in front of me, but the numbers blurred together. It was no use. My mind kept drifting back to that night—finding the divorce papers on Liam’s desk.
It had been a reckless decision to take them, one I hadn’t fully processed until now. At the time, it felt like a power move, a way to get back at him for editing the documents.
But now, the weight of what I’d done pressed on me more each day.
I sighed, leaning back in my chair. How could I even bring it up to Liam?
The last thing we needed was another fight over something I couldn’t even explain to myself. I hadn’t thought about it clearly when I took those papers, and I still wasn’t sure what I’d been hoping to accomplish.
Maybe there was some part of me that wasn’t ready to let go. Maybe I wanted to hurt him the way he’d hurt me.
Either way, it didn’t matter now. The papers were gone, and we were back to square one.
I glanced at my phone, my finger hovering over Isabel’s contact. If there was anyone who would give me an honest take on this mess, it was her.
Meet you at the usual spot at six.
By the time I reached the café, Isabel was already sitting at a corner table, her tablet open in front of her. She glanced up when I walked in, her eyebrows lifting slightly.
“This is about Liam, isn’t it?” she asked, closing her tablet and pushing it to the side as I sat down.
I let out a dry laugh. “When isn’t it?”
She gave me a sympathetic look. “Alright, spill. What happened now?”
I hesitated for a moment, then blurted out, “I took the divorce papers.”
Isabel’s eyes widened. “You what?”
“I found them on his desk a while ago... he changed the terms, and I just took them. I don’t even know why. It was impulsive. Now, I’m sitting here wondering if I should come clean.”
She didn’t respond right away, just studied me with her usual piercing gaze. “Aria,” she said slowly, “you’re playing with fire.”
“I know.” I stared down at my coffee, feeling the familiar knot of guilt tighten in my chest. “I know I shouldn’t have done it. But it’s too late now. I just—”
“You just what?” she cut in, her voice firmer than before. “What did you think would happen when you took them? You were finally getting somewhere, a divorce is a negotiation and he’s going to want to argue his side, too.”
“I don’t know.” I exhaled sharply, feeling the frustration build. “I just didn’t want to deal with it in that moment. But now… I think he’s looking for them. His assistant mentioned something earlier today—said he’s been asking around about missing papers. I panicked, but I just brushed him off.”
Isabel shook her head, her expression softening. “Aria, you have to be honest with him at some point. This isn’t something you can hide forever.”
“I know,” I said again, quieter this time. “But it’s not just the papers. It’s everything. Every time I think about confronting him, I get angry all over again. We’re stuck in this cycle, and I don’t know how to break out of it.”
Isabel leaned forward, her tone more gentle now. “Look, I get it. You’re hurting, and this whole situation is messy. But you have to think about the long-term consequences. What’s going to happen when Liam finds out on his own? Because he will, eventually. And if he hears it from someone else or figures it out before you tell him, that’s going to hurt him a lot more than whatever you’re feeling right now.”
I bit my lip, nodding. “You’re right. I just don’t know how to bring it up.”
“You’ll figure it out,” she said, squeezing my hand across the table. “But don’t wait too long. The longer you sit on this, the worse it’s going to get.”
Later that evening, I was at the garage, helping with some last-minute preparations when Joe wandered in. He was carrying a crumpled sheet of paper, his usual playful grin plastered across his face.
“Hey, mama!” he called, waving the paper at me. “Guess what I made!”
I smiled at his enthusiasm. “What is it, Joe?”
He handed me the paper, and I unfolded it to see a drawing—a simple sketch of the three of us: Joe, me, and Liam, all smiling with race cars in the background. My heart gave a little squeeze at the sight of it.
“It’s us,” Joe said proudly. “Me, you, and Liam! Like a family.”
A lump formed in my throat. “This is really great, Joe.”
He beamed. “Logan stopped by earlier too. He seemed kinda mad, though. Said something about Liam.”
That caught my attention. “What did Logan say?”
Joe shrugged, clearly not too interested in the details. “I dunno. He was just grumbling about something. But who cares, right? Look at my drawing!”
I tried to push the thought of Logan out of my mind as I smiled at Joe’s artwork. He was so innocent, his world so simple compared to the mess that Liam and I had created.
In his eyes, we were a family. But the reality was so much more complicated.
Still, something about Joe’s drawing tugged at me. Maybe I was overthinking things. Maybe Logan’s frustration with Liam didn’t mean anything.
But it made me realize that I couldn’t keep running from the truth forever.
The next day, I attended a work event, one of those high-profile networking parties where everyone was supposed to be on their best behavior, smiling and shaking hands.
It wasn’t my favorite kind of event, but I needed to be there. My reputation in the F1 world was growing, and staying visible was crucial.
As I moved through the crowd, making small talk with sponsors and journalists, I spotted a familiar face—Claire, one of my old mentors.
She was the one who’d helped me get my foot in the door years ago when I was still struggling to find my place in the industry.
“Aria!” Claire greeted me warmly, pulling me into a quick hug. “It’s been too long!”
I smiled, grateful for the familiar face. “It really has. How have you been?”
We exchanged updates, her telling me about her latest projects, and me trying to avoid mentioning anything about the mess with Liam.
Claire had always been someone I looked up to, not just for her expertise but for her ability to stay above the drama.
“You’re doing well for yourself, I see,” Claire said, gesturing around the room. “I heard your name mentioned a few times tonight. People are impressed.”
I felt a surge of pride, but it was quickly tempered by the nagging thoughts in the back of my mind. “Thanks. I’m just trying to keep up with everything.”
Claire gave me a knowing look. “It’s not easy, I know. But don’t lose sight of why you’re here. You’ve worked hard to get to this point—don’t let anyone or anything derail that.”
Her words struck a chord. For so long, I’d been so caught up in the mess with Liam that I hadn’t stopped to think about my own career.
I was good at my job, and I was building something for myself, apart from him. Maybe it was time to start focusing more on that.
As the evening went on, Claire introduced me to a few high-profile attendees—team owners, corporate executives, people whose names carried weight in the F1 world.
I could feel the shift happening, my status in the industry growing.
But as I shook hands and smiled, I couldn’t shake the thought of what waited for me once I left this event. Liam’s questions, the missing papers, Logan’s cryptic remarks—it was all building to a breaking point.
And I wasn’t sure how much longer I could keep it all from coming crashing down.
