Left With Nothing

For some reason, those four words almost made me cry again. No one had said that to me today. Not Jason. Not my family. Just a stranger. Alexander Steele. 

The car slowly turned through the large iron gates of the Reid mansion. I swallowed hard. The house that once felt like home suddenly looked like a courtroom. I stepped out of the Rolls-Royce, and thanked them for their hospitality.

Inside the Reid mansion, the front door felt heavier than it had ever been. I pushed it open slowly. The living room was already full. Richard Reid sat in his favorite chair, his legs crossed, his face hard as stone. Victoria sat beside him, quietly holding a cup of tea. 

Jason was on one couch. Lila sat beside him. Not across from him, beside him. That alone was enough to make my chest ache.

Everyone looked at me. Richard was the first to speak. "Sit down, Ariana." His voice carried the same coldness it always did. Richard cleared his throat. "We're here to settle this matter once and for all."

"What matter?" I asked quietly.

"The marriage."

I looked at him. "My marriage?"

"Yes."

I turned to Jason. "So you've already discussed everything with my family."

Jason finally looked up. "We thought it would be easier."

"Easier for who?"

"For everyone," Jason answered.

I smiled bitterly. "Everyone except me." Nobody replied.

Victoria finally spoke. "Aria..."

I looked at her hopefully. Maybe… Just Maybe she would finally stand up for me.

"Holding on to a man who doesn't love you anymore won't bring you happiness."

My hope died.

"You too, mom?" I whispered.

Victoria sighed. "No mother wants to see her daughters fighting over the same man."

"Daughters?" I repeated.

"Lila is hurting too." She said.

I stared at her in disbelief. "Hurting?"

Victoria nodded. "She never planned for this."

I laughed. A loud, broken laugh. "She slept with my husband!"

Victoria frowned. "Lower your voice."

"My voice?"

I couldn't believe what I was hearing. "I'm the one who was betrayed!"

Victoria placed her cup on the table. "Lila didn't steal Jason. Lila didn't force him.” Victoria looked at Lila with soft eyes. "They simply fell in love."

The room became very quiet. Lila suddenly began crying. "I'm sorry, Aria," Lila whispered. "I never wanted to hurt you."

"Stop crying," I snapped.

"I'm trying to explain."

"I don't want your explanation."

Jason immediately reached for Lila's hand. "It's enough," 

"Don't pressure her." Jason said firmly 

I looked at their joined hands. My husband holding my sister's hand. Right in front of me.

Richard leaned forward. "That's enough." He reached for a brown envelope on the table. He pushed it toward me. "These are the divorce papers."

"You told me Jason was the best man for me. You watched me build my whole life around him.”

Richard remained expressionless.

"And today dad you're asking me to walk away like nothing happened?"

Richard slowly stood. He was taller than I remembered. More frightening. "You seem to have forgotten something. This marriage... He paused...was arranged."

The words echoed through the room. I stared at him.

"It was an arrangement between families. It was never about love. It was business. I agreed because it benefited everyone."

I couldn't feel my legs anymore. "And you still let me believe Jason married me because he loved me?"

Richard looked completely calm. "Feelings were never part of this."

I slowly turned toward Jason. "Is that true?"

Jason lowered his eyes. "Maybe."

Victoria finally reached for my hand. "Aria..."  

I pulled away immediately. "Don't touch me."

She looked hurt. "You'll understand one day."

"I hope I never do." I replied.

Lila wiped her tears. "I really love Jason." I looked at her "And I loved you."

She lowered her head. "I'm sorry."

"No." I shook my head slowly. "You're only sorry because I caught you."

Jason stood. "Enough." He picked up a pen. "Let's end this peacefully."

He placed the pen beside the papers. "I'll sign first." Without hesitation, he signed. His name appeared clearly across the page. Jason Hayes. Seven years of marriage. Finished in less than ten seconds. He slid the papers toward me. 

Richard spoke again. "Sign it."

I looked at him. "You really don't care?"

"This is the best decision."

"For who?" I asked.

"For everyone." He replied.

There was that word again. Everyone. Except me.

Slowly, I picked up the pen. A tear landed on the paper. Then another. My hand shook as I signed the papers. When I finished, I dropped the pen. The sound echoed through the room.

Jason picked up the papers. "It's done."

No. It wasn't done. It was over. There was a difference. I looked around the room. At every face. Jason, Lila, Victoria, Richard. None of them looked like family anymore.

I quietly removed my wedding ring. The small diamond sparkled under the light. I placed it on the table. "I don't need this anymore." 

I turned toward the stairs. Victoria frowned. "Where are you going?”

"To pack."

Richard answered before I could.

"Leave the jewelry."

I stopped.

"What?"

"They belong to this family." He said.

I slowly turned around. Even Jason looked surprised.

Richard continued. "The car too."

My lips parted.

"The house keys."

I stared at him. "You want everything back?"

"It wasn't yours." He replied

"Fine." I reached into my handbag. The keys, the credit card. Everything they had ever given me. One by one, I placed them on the table.

Without another word, I walked upstairs. Twenty minutes later, I came back down carrying one small suitcase. Everything I truly owned fit inside it. The front door closed behind me. No one called my name. No one came after me.

The rain was still falling. No. It was worse than before. The wind pushed the rain into my face, soaking my clothes within seconds. My hair stuck to my cheeks. My fingers had already gone numb from the cold. 

I tightened my grip on my suitcase and walked toward the gate. The security guard looked at me with pity. He opened the gate without saying a word. I stepped onto the empty road. That was it.

I no longer had a husband. I no longer had a home. I reached into my handbag and pulled out my phone. "Come on" I dialed Naomi's number. 

The call refused to connect. Network Error. I frowned and tried again. Nothing. The rain was becoming heavier, and the signal bars kept disappearing. "Pleaseee" I lifted the phone higher. Still nothing. I sighed.

Naomi was the only person I could think of. The only one. But her apartment was almost four miles away. Normally, I would have booked a cab without thinking twice.

Now, I opened my purse, just a few notes. Nothing more. Richard had taken everything. The cards, the accounts, even the car. A bitter smile crossed my face. "So this is what starting over feels like."

I put the phone away and kept walking. The rain refused to stop. Cars rushed past me, splashing dirty water onto the roadside. Not one stopped. Minutes became almost an hour.

Then far ahead, I saw lights. Bright lights. Hope rose inside me. "Maybe a hotel. "I quickened my pace despite my aching feet. As I got closer, my hope slowly disappeared. It was a gas station.