Chapter 4

She pulled it up to her chin, eyes down, but not before I saw the flush on her cheeks, the way her chest heaved from what they'd been doing. 

I stood there, the food box slipping from my hands, crashing to the floor. Empanadas spilled out, golden and broken, just like me. 

"How... how could you?" I whispered, tears streaming down my face. 

Jason stood up, not even bothering to cover himself fully at first. His body was still hard, evidence of their betrayal right there. He pulled on his clothes quick, then stepped toward me. "Aria, wait. Let me explain." 

"Explain?" My voice rose, cracking. "You just said you love only her! Not me!" 

He ran a hand through his hair, no real sorry in his eyes. Just a bit of shock at being caught. "It's true. I fell for Lila. It started small, but... I can't help it. She's everything I want." 

Lila sat up, the sheet slipping a little. She looked at me with those big eyes, like she was the victim. "Aria, please. It was natural. We didn't plan it. We just... fell in love. True love. I couldn't stop it." 

"Shut up!" I screamed at her, my hands balling into fists. "You're my sister! How could you do this to me?" 

Jason stepped between us, his voice firm. "Don't yell at her. It's my fault. All of it. But what she said is true. We love each other. Aria, you have to understand…" 

"Understand?" I laughed, but it came out as a choke. "You two have been sneaking around, laughing behind my back, while I cooked for you, trusted you! And now you defend her?" 

He nodded, no shame. "Yes. Because I love her. Not you anymore. I'm sorry it hurts, but it's real." 

The room spun. My mind broke into pieces. Everything I believed, our home, our life, our vows gone. Lila reached out a hand, like she wanted to comfort me. "Sis, we can talk about this" 

"Don't call me sis!" I backed away, bumping into the door. My chest hurt so bad I thought I might pass out. "You two deserve each other. Rot in hell."  I turned and ran. Down the hall, into the elevator, out the lobby. People stared, but I didn't care. Tears blurred my vision as I got to my car, only to realize I had lost my keys. 

I simply walked out of the hotel. I walked, and walked, and walked. No direction at all in mind. No plan. I kept hearing his voice in my head. “I don’t love you anymore”.

I crossed the street without looking. The sound of a car horn pulled me back to the present. "Watch where you're going!" A driver leaned out of his window, glaring at me before driving away.

I looked around. People were walking past me, talking, laughing, carrying shopping bags as if nothing had happened. How could the world stay so normal when mine had just fallen apart? I stood on the sidewalk outside the hotel, unable to move. My phone rang again. Naomi. This time I answered.

"Aria!" she cried. "Where are you? I've been calling you."

"I'm outside."

"What happened?"

I couldn't speak.

"Aria?"

"He... admitted it.", I finally spoke.

Silence. Then Naomi whispered, "Oh my God."

"He didn't even try to deny it." My voice sounded empty. "He said he loves Lila and he said he doesn't love me anymore."

Naomi took a shaky breath. "I'm coming."

"No."

"But Aria…"

"I want to be alone."

"You shouldn't be alone right now."

"I just..." My voice broke. "I can't look at anyone."

"Please tell me where you're going."

I looked down the busy street. "I don't know."

"Promise you'll answer my calls."

"I'll try."

"Aria..."

"Thank you." I ended the call before I started crying again. I began walking. One street became another. I didn't know how long I had been walking. My feet hurt. My eyes burned. 

Every happy couple I passed felt like someone pushing a knife deeper into my chest. I remembered the first time Jason held my hands. He had smiled at me and said, "You'll be my forever."

I had believed him with all my heart. I smiled through tears. What a fool I had been. My stomach suddenly growled. Only then did I remember I hadn't eaten all day.

The meat pies...They were probably still lying on that hotel room floor. I wiped another tear from my face. "No more," I whispered to myself. But the tears kept coming anyway.

My phone buzzed. A new message. Maybe he really felt sorry. I opened it. It wasn't Jason. It was Lila.

“I'm sorry you found out this way. Please don't hate me. Love doesn't ask for permission”.

My hand tightened around the phone. Another message came before I could even breathe.

"Jason and I never wanted to hurt you. We just couldn't stop loving each other”.

Something inside me snapped. I blocked her number. Then another call came. Jason. His name filled my screen. I stared at it until it stopped ringing. A second later, he called again. And again. Finally, I answered.

"What?" I said coldly.

"Where are you?" His voice sounded calm.

"You've already taken everything from me. What else do you want?"

"Don't make this harder than it has to be." He replied 

I laughed bitterly. "Harder? Really"

"Come home."

"Home? You mean home when my husband sleeps with my sister?"

He stayed quiet. "I think we should talk like adults," he finally said.

"Adults?"

"You shouting won't change anything." He said.

My hand shook with anger. "You cheated on me!"

"I know."

"You lied to me!"

"I know."

"You stood there protecting her while I was breaking apart!"

"I know."

Every answer he gave was the same. Without guilt, without shame.

"I'll send someone to pick you up."

"No." I firmly snapped.

"We need to discuss the next step."

"What next step?"

"The divorce."