ARIA'S POV
I am speechless for the next few seconds as his words hit me like a freight train. I wait. I wait for his hard eyes to soften with remorse at the harsh words he threw at me but that doesn’t happen. He is glowering at me, nose flaring angrily.
“Adam, how…how could you say that to me?” I say, my eyes crossing over to Sophia who is now hiding her own frame behind his tall, muscular one, “In front of her?”
“Because it’s the truth!” He yells again, startling me into making a small helpless sound. Adam has never yelled at me. And even though it hurts me to admit that he is truly saying the truth, he has never said it to my face and I never really thought he would. I have always known it yet it hurts to hear it come from him. It feels like a thousand needles are pricking my heart and making me bleed out with so much pain.
He runs his fingers through his hair, seeming frustrated. Like he would rather not have this conversation with me. And just when I think it is over, he continues to speak, breaking me even further.
“You were nothing but a mere secretary who wormed her way into my life. If you hadn’t forced yourself on me that night, none of this would have happened! This marriage would have never happened and you know it.”
He brings up the past. Our past. The night that meant everything to me but clearly means nothing to him. I swallow over and over again till my throat and mouth become dry. I can’t cry. No, I can’t appear weak. Not in front of Adam and definitely not in front of Sophia so I keep my tears at bay, urging them to return before they spill down my cheeks.
“I never forced myself on you, Adam. Why won’t you believe me?” I manage to say but he raises a hand to tell me to stop talking and I clamp my lips shut.
“Do not stand there and try to look innocent, Aria because that is far from who you are. I simply said the truth and I do not care if you cannot take it.” He says and stares at me intently.
“Do not let what happened today repeat itself again. Know your place and I will not have any reason to talk to you like this. Do you understand?”
He lays emphasis on every word of warning he is giving me and turns his back against me before I can even open my mouth to speak again.
“Are you okay?” I can’t believe how his voice goes from hard to soft in the next second as he fusses over Sophia. Sophia makes a face that has me balling my fingers into a fist. A face that clearly says she is not okay.
“The coffee was hot and I think I might have to visit the hospital to prevent the burn from leaving a scar.” She says in a quiet voice. I look down at my own body that is also drenched in the same coffee. The coffee wasn’t hot enough to cause a burn but Adam believes her instantly. He pulls her into a hug and embarrassment washes over me like a bucket of ice.
“I’ll drive. Wait here, I will get my keys.” he says as he pulls away, rushing to his office table to grab his car keys before coming back to her side. He takes her purse from her and leads her out. They both seem so lost in each other that they forget my existence totally, leaving me to stand alone in the middle of the room.
Silence falls over me and I am left with my thoughts, licking the wound that his words caused. I have never been able to convince Adam that I didn’t force myself on him yet till this very day, he still believes I drugged him into sleeping with him on the night we were having dinner with his family three years ago. I can never forget the pure look of disgust and shock on his face when we both woke up in each other’s arms the next morning.
I knew since then that Adam would never love me, yet I was hopeful. As the years go by, the hope keeps dwindling with his grandfather, being the only support system in everything.
Sighing, I return to my office and pick up my phone. My eyes widens when I see that a number has called my phone repeatedly all the time I was in Adam’s office. The dread that fills me stems from the fact that I recognise the number as the hospital’s number.
I call back instantly, my heart racing. They pick up on the second ring.
“Mrs Miller, we have been trying to reach you all afternoon!” A female voice says.
“Why? Is something wrong? Is my grandmother okay?” I ask, rushing my words as I am filled with dread and panic.
“You need to be at the hospital, your grandmother—”
I don’t wait to hear the rest of her words. I race out of the room and call on a taxi to drive me to the hospital. I go straight to her hospital room but the sheets and blankets are already being neatly arranged and the bed is empty. More panic. More dread.
“Where is my grandmother?” I ask, “Where is she?”
The nurse cleaning the room gives me a look of pity that nauseates me.
“I am sorry, Mrs Miller but your grandmother died ten minutes ago and has been moved to the hospital’s mortuary. I am sorry.” She says.
The world around me stops and I don’t know how I am able to walk on my two feet to the mortuary where the Nurse leads me. She stops at the door and points to my grandmother laying on a table in the room, her body covered in a white sheet from head to toe.
I walk to the bedside with shaky legs and the moment I take the sheet off and set my eyes on her pale face, I burst out into a loud sob, wishing I could go back to a month ago so I can prevent that accident that made her this way. The accident that took my only living family away from me.
“Grandma…” I call in a broken voice as I reach for her hand. They are too cold, so lifeless and the tears begin to leave my eyes in torrents as I remember how warm these hands used to be when they held my face.
“I’m sorry…I’m so sorry.” I cry, holding tightly unto her and hating myself for not being there in her last moments. I should have been there with her but I was too busy worrying about my place in my husband’s life.
The nurse comes into the room and says, “She asked us to give you this.”
I wipe my tears, sniffling as I take what seems to be a key chain from her. I couldn’t think of a reason why grandmother’s parting gift to me would be a key chain but I can’t seem to care. Her cold hands slammed me into the reality of what had happened. Grandmother is dead. I fall to my knees by the bed and weep, muttering and calling for her to return to me.
“Aria.” Adam’s voice calls from behind me. I am both surprised and relieved to find him there. He must have been contacted by the hospital as well and stopped by since he already came here with Sophia anyway. Sophia is standing in the room with us but I ignore her. I focus on Adam because I need him. I need someone to hold me and tell me everything will be fine.
“Adam.” I cry as I walk over to him and hug him without a second thought, my tears gathering and falling again. His body stiffens at my touch but I don’t let go. I need his warmth. I need him because he is really all that I have left and I can’t bear to lose him too. I expect him to push me away but he doesn’t. He doesn’t hug me back too but I can’t find it in me to care as I sob uncontrollably. My tears subside and I sniffle repeatedly and slowly let go of him.
He clears his throat and takes out his phone, saying; “I’ll place a call to start making preparations for her funeral.” He turns around to leave with Sophia also following him but I can’t bear the sight of him turning his back to me and leaving. I grab his hand.
“Stay.” I sound so weak and helpless but I do not give a damn, “Please, don’t go. Stay with me.” I beg.
Adam opens his mouth to say something but a sharp cry stuns us both. We spin around at the same time to the source of the cry and she is crouching, holding her stomach with an expression of pain. Adam rushes to Sophia’s side in a heartbeat and my heart sinks further down my stomach.
“Sophia, are you okay?” He asks with concern ringing high in his voice.
She shakes her head, “There is something I’ve been wanting to tell you but didn’t know how.” She says, holding her stomach as she looks directly at me.
“What is it?” Adam asks, still very much concerned.
“Adam…I…I am pregnant.”
ARIA'S POV Grandmother’s funeral is being held on a gloomy day, much to my displeasure. I listened to the weather forecast so I could choose the perfect day for the funeral, and according to the forecast, the day is supposed to be sunny and bright just like Grandmother. I feel duped standing by grandmother’s grave with the sky covered in clouds that only worsen the dark and depressing feeling that has settled in my guts since her death. I have cried so much that I have no tears left to shed at grandmother’s grave and now have to wear dark sunglasses to hide how red and puffy my eyes are rather than to complement my black dress. There are a few people hanging around the other graves in the cemetery to pay their last respects to their loved ones and at each grave, there are at least two people; couples holding each other, families comforting each other and even church processions. I am alone, with no one to comfort me since no one else bothered to attend my grandmother's funeral. W
ADAM’S POV I want a divorce. The words circle around my head non-stop. Of all the shits I have had the pleasure of hearing–and trust me, I hear a lot of crap as a CEO–Aria asking for a divorce out of nowhere has to be the worst. I am a man who takes pride in my strength and ability to handle situations no matter how unexpected they are. It comes with the job, yet for some reason, I am unable to utter a single word or move my feet until she gets into the car with my uncle. When I finally come to my senses, she is long gone, leaving me to drown in the pool of shock she created. I am shocked at her audacity; the way she looked me in the eyes as she hit me with those words. Aria’s cold hazel eyes totally betrayed the meek and timid trait that I have only ever known her for. I am equally shocked at myself for actually being affected by it when I shouldn't have batted an eyelash, after all, I never wanted to marry her. The three years of living with Aria felt like I was in bondage creat
ARIA'S POV I’m thankful that Regis doesn’t ask any questions as he drives me back home. He offers to drive me into the compound but I turn him down and wait till he drives off before I sigh and walk into the house. The house is brimming with maids who rush over to me the instant they hear the door open but I raise a hand to stop them all from coming close to me. I am no longer the mistress of the house. I walk past them all to get to my room. Adam and I only share a room when he is looking to satisfy his sexual urges. He crawls into my bed and peppers kisses all over my body till I give in and that is the only time I ever feel wanted by him. As I walk into the room, I refrain from staring at the bed for longer than I should, afraid that the memories of us tangled up in sheets with him buried deep inside of me will break my resolve. And right now, I have only one resolve–to leave Adam for good. I begin to pack while that resolve is still strong, not even stopping for one moment to
ARIA'S POV Adam hands the flowers over to one of the maids, asking her to put it in a vase or whatever. He clears his throat, trying and failing miserably to hide his embarrassment in front of his mother, his sister and the maids. “The flowers weren’t for you.” He says, voice hard as he stares at me for a brief second. I barely even feel anything when he says that because I genuinely don’t care anymore, I just want to get the hell out of this house and never return. I don’t even care about the rest of my things which I am yet to pack, I just want to turn my back on this horrible life already. I hear Eva sniggers. Adam seems like he wants to say something to me but then he decides against it and turns to his mother instead. “Mum, please return the bracelet to her.” She snorts and shakes her head stubbornly, “I am not letting her leave with it.” Adam grunts, a sign that he is slowly losing his patience, “ I have never seen that bracelet mother, it belongs to Aria. Please, give it b
ARIA'S POV It begins to rain heavily the moment I step out of the house, a manifestation of the dark clouds that have been present since I was at grandmother’s grave. I am unprepared for the sudden change in weather and I contemplate turning back to seek shelter till the heavy rain passes but what does that make me? A spineless woman who can’t stand her ground. So I power through the rain, dragging my suitcase behind me as I do. The streets are empty without a single car in sight which means I can’t even flag down a taxi. And what if I can? Where would I go? Right there and then, it fully dawns on me what the consequences of my thoughtless actions are. I don’t have anywhere to go. I don’t regret my decision but my helplessness has me hating myself. I burst into tears at once. Tears that are real, not just triggered by an allergy. The sound of the rain muffles my loud sobs while the drops of water flow down my face along with my tears as I continue to drag my heavy suitcase along.
ARIA'S POV The feeling of waking up makes me light for several seconds, like I am floating in the realm between life and death until I finally feel my consciousness slip back in. My eyes flutter open after that. I blink once, twice and some more when the vision in front of me doesn’t change into a familiar one. I sit up, expecting to see the dull blue walls of my room but the room I woke up in is painted differently in a brighter and warmer color that makes me feel relaxed to be here. Before I start to question the changes I am not used to, a fast train of memories slam into my mind and it all starts to make sense. Everything that happened from Grandmother’s funeral to me standing in front of the hotel, drained and desperate. From there, I remember nothing else. I must have fainted, completely blacked out and was brought to this strange place. I find it strange because it clearly isn’t a hospital room which I assume I should have been taken to if I fainted out of nowhere. The room
ADAM’S POV Three days–that’s how long it’s been since Aria worked up the nerve to walk out of our home. As a businessman, a few hours is enough for me to get over losses, as only a fool will continuously mourn a loss when he should be moving on to the next best opportunity to make up for it. It has always been like that with people too, I don’t care who leaves because in the long run, there is always someone better who can replace them. Yet, it’s been three whole days and I can’t get over this foreign feeling that tightens my chest each time I think of her. I can’t seem to attach my usual logic of loss and replacement to the one person I shouldn’t even care about losing. Unable to accept that the tight feeling in my chest means something, I resort to the ones I can actually cope with. I let the feelings of distress, anger, humiliation and total disrespect take root in my mind because really, those are basically the things Aria has done against me in the last 72 hours. The reasons f
ARIA'S POV My shock at Regis’s claim is evident, in the way my jaw slacks and the way my eyes go beyond their normal size. I stare at him and he in turn continues to stare at the key chain like he is just seeing it for the first time. Perhaps, the realization that he is familiar with the one it belongs to is the reason he is now looking at the key chain in a new light. I also discovered that besides the color of the jewellery piece, I know nothing else because I haven’t properly looked at it since my grandmother's death. The shock and the preparation for her funeral gave me no time to do so. So I wait for Regis to clear up the air about what he knows about the piece of jewellery adorned with rubies and emeralds. “Did you say your grandmother gave this to you?” Seconds pass before Regis finally hands the key chain back to me. I take it in both hands, nodding absent-mindedly at Regis while I take a proper overdue look at the memento. I discover there isn’t much to look at anyway, d