CHAPTER 5: The Decision

ARIA'S POV

I drove to Jordan's house on autopilot. Didn't remember getting on the highway. Didn't remember taking the exit. Just suddenly I was there, parked crooked in her driveway, and the sobs were coming so hard I couldn't catch my breath.

The porch light came on. Jordan appeared in the doorway in pajamas. Took one look at me and ran.

She opened my car door. "Come on. Come inside."

I couldn't move. Couldn't make my legs work.

"Aria. Look at me." She crouched down. Put her hands on my face. "Breathe. Just breathe."

"He has a baby," I managed. "She's seven months pregnant."

"Okay. Okay." Jordan unbuckled my seatbelt. Helped me stand. Kept an arm around me as we walked to the house. "We've got you."

Her spouse, Ryan, was in the living room. Saw my face and immediately grabbed car keys. "I'll take the twins to the park. Give you space."

The twins. Maya and Zoe. Three years old. I'd held them when they were hours old. Had watched Jordan build the life I'd thought I was building with Flynn.

Jordan guided me to the couch. Disappeared and came back with a blanket and a box of tissues. Sat next to me and just waited.

The story came out in pieces. The bank statements. Flynn's refusal to explain. Rebecca's call. Driving to Sellwood. Seeing Sienna with her pregnant belly and my husband's vase on her counter.

"Seven months," I kept saying. "Seven months."

Jordan's jaw was tight. Her hands kept clenching into fists. "I will help you bury his body. Just say the word."

I almost laughed. Almost. "I need a lawyer, not an accomplice."

"Sarah. I'll text her right now."

"It's almost midnight."

"She'll answer." Jordan pulled out her phone. "What are you going to do tonight?"

"I can't go home."

"You're staying here. That's not a question." She typed fast. "Ryan already made up the guest room. We were expecting this."

"You were?"

"Babe, I've known something was wrong since Monday. I just didn't know how wrong."

Her phone buzzed. She read the message and showed me. *Tell Aria I'm sorry. I can see her first thing tomorrow morning. 8 AM. My office.*

Tomorrow was Friday. I was supposed to be installing the new exhibit. Meeting with artists. Living my normal life.

But nothing was normal anymore.

I didn't sleep. Jordan stayed up with me. We sat on her couch eating ice cream we couldn't taste and watching terrible reality TV. At some point, Ryan brought down pillows. Made sure we had water. Didn't ask questions.

Around three, Jordan fell asleep. I covered her with a blanket and sat there in the dark. My phone kept buzzing. Flynn calling. Texting. I didn't read any of it. Just watched the screen light up and go dark. Light up and go dark.

At dawn, Ryan came downstairs. Found me still awake, still staring.

"Coffee?" He asked.

I nodded.

He made a whole pot. Scrambled eggs that I couldn't eat. Toast that sat on the plate getting cold.

Jordan woke up at seven. Looked at me. "Did you sleep at all?"

"No."

"Okay. Let's get you ready."

She found clothes that fit me. I showered in their bathroom. Watched water circle the drain and wished I could disappear down it too. When I looked in the mirror, I didn't recognize myself. Eyes swollen. Face pale. Hair wet and tangled.

I looked exactly how I felt.

We made it to Sarah's office by eight. She had coffee waiting. Her office smelled like leather and old books. There were photos on her desk. Her kids, maybe. A dog.

"Aria." She shook my hand. Firm grip. Direct eyes. "I'm so sorry you're going through this."

"I need to file for divorce."

"Let's talk through your options first."

"No." My voice came out harder than I meant. "I don't want options. I want out."

Sarah studied me. Nodded. "Okay. Let's do this."

She asked questions. I answered them. How long married. Assets. Bank accounts. Property. Did I want to try counseling first.

"No," I said to that one. "He's having a baby with someone else. There's nothing to counsel."

"Oregon has a ninety-day waiting period," Sarah explained. "I can file today. Process servers will deliver the papers within forty-eight hours."

"Good."

"Where will you be staying?"

I looked at Jordan. She nodded without me having to ask. "With me," she said. "As long as she needs."

"But I need to get my things," I said. "Some of them."

"Want me to come with you?" Jordan asked.

"Please."

We left Sarah's office at nine-thirty. I had a folder full of papers I hadn't really read. Jordan drove us to the house.

Flynn's car was in the driveway.

"He took the day off," I said. "He never takes days off."

"Want me to come in?"

"No. Wait here. This won't take long."

He must have heard my car because he opened the door before I reached it. He looked terrible. Same clothes from yesterday. Hair a mess. Eyes red and desperate.

"Aria. Thank god. I've been calling—"

"I'm here for my things."

"Please. Let me explain. I love you. This isn't—"

"Don't." I pushed past him. "Don't say you love me. Love doesn't look like this."

"It's not what you think. Sienna isn't—"

"I met her, Flynn. I saw the apartment. I saw the baby things. I saw the vase I bought you on her kitchen counter."

He went pale. "You went there?"

"What did you expect me to do? You wouldn't tell me the truth."

"I was trying to protect—"

"I don't care." I headed for the stairs. He followed.

"Where are you going?"

"To pack."

"Pack? Aria, wait. We can work this out."

"There's nothing to work out." I grabbed a suitcase from the closet. Started pulling clothes off hangers. Underwear from drawers. My art supplies from the desk I never used.

"Where will you go?"

"Anywhere you're not."

He stood in the doorway. Watching me pack up pieces of our life. "I can explain everything. I just need you to trust me."

I stopped. Looked at him. "You had three years to earn my trust. You spent eight months destroying it. We're done."

"Aria-"

"I filed for divorce this morning."

The words hit him like a punch. He actually stepped back. Grabbed the doorframe. "No. You can't. We.. We can fix this." he whispered.

"There's nothing to fix." I zipped the suitcase. "You made your choice. Now I'm making mine."

I walked past him to the bathroom. Grabbed my toothbrush. Face wash. The jasmine lotion I loved. In the mirror, I caught sight of my left hand. The ring caught the light.

I twisted it off. It stuck a little. I'd worn it every day for three years. My finger felt naked without it.

I walked to the dresser. Set it down carefully. Three years of promises reduced to a circle of gold I couldn't bear to touch.

"Aria, please."

I picked up my suitcase. My bag of art supplies. Walked past him without looking back.

Jordan had the car running. I put my things in the back and got in. Through the window, I could see Flynn in the doorway. Still in yesterday's clothes. Still looking destroyed.

Jordan put the car in reverse. "Ready?"

I didn't look back when I closed the door. That was the first time I didn't look back.