CHAPTER TWO

Aria Bennett – POV

The silence between us stretched for what felt like forever. We sat across from each other in my living room, sipping the wine I had opened earlier, while she talked on about everything that had changed back home.

New businesses opening. People getting married. Scandals in the neighborhood. Gossip I hadn’t asked for and didn’t care to know.

I nodded now and then, but the truth? I wasn’t listening. Not even a little. Every word she said only grated on my nerves, reminding me that this so-called “bonding” was happening here, in my home. Not in hers. Not in the place I once called home.

And honestly? That was fine with me. Because I had no desire, no reason, no strength to ever step foot back there again. That town was nothing but poison for me.

The memories slammed into me before I could stop them. Memories of the day everything shattered.

The day Ethan looked me dead in the eyes and accused me of being unfaithful. The day he called me a slut like I was trash, like I hadn’t given him my heart, my loyalty, my everything.

When it happened, I had done what any broken girl would do I ran to the people who were supposed to protect me. To comfort me. To catch me when I fell.

But instead of arms, I found doors. Closed ones.

Instead of comfort, I found betrayal.

Flashback

I remember running, my chest burning as sobs tore out of me. My feet barely touched the ground, my body moving on pure instinct. I didn’t even stop to grab clothes or money. Nothing mattered.

I just wanted out. Away from Ethan. Away from the house that suddenly felt like a cage.

I reached my car thank God it was mine, bought with my own savings, untouched by Ethan’s money. His ugly words echoed in my head: slut, gold digger.

Gold digger. That meant he never saw me for who I really was. He thought I wanted him for his wealth, for his empire, when in reality all I had ever wanted was him.

I slid into the driver’s seat, shoved the key into the ignition with trembling hands, and fastened the seatbelt through blurry tears. My gaze flicked to the mansion one last time. The place I thought we would build a family. A future. A life.

My hand instinctively went to my stomach. I hadn’t even told him yet.

He never gave me the chance.

The sobs came harder, ripping through my chest as I drove, the road disappearing beneath me. By the time I pulled up in front of my parents’ mansion, I was shaking so badly I could barely turn off the engine.

I stumbled out of the car and up the steps, desperate for the one thing I thought I’d never be denied: a mother’s comfort.

But before I could even knock, the door flung open.

There she was. Vivian. My mother. Her face twisted with disgust.

“You good-for-nothing little slut,” she spat before I could even speak. “You just couldn’t keep your legs closed, could you?”

The words hit me like knives, stealing the air from my lungs.

“Mom please,” I sobbed. “Aren’t you even going to hear me out?”

“Why would I?” she snapped, her voice dripping with contempt. “I knew this would happen. I knew you were nothing but trouble. Good for nothing.”

Then she slammed the door. Right in my face.

I just stood there, shaking, staring at the wood grain of that door. Somewhere deep down, I wasn’t surprised. Hurt, yes. Crushed, yes. But not surprised.

She had always been like this. Cold. Cruel. Only this time, I had been stupid enough to hope she’d be different.

With nothing left, I stumbled back to my car and drove to my friends’ house. We had all planned to meet there anyway. Maybe just maybe someone would believe me.

I unlocked the door with the spare key, wiping my tear-streaked face, praying I didn’t look as broken as I felt. But when I walked in, the sound of their voices froze me in place.

“She’s such a bitch,” Vanessa said.

“More like a slut,” Dylan sneered.

My stomach dropped.

“Don’t talk like that,” Oliver cut in, his tone sharp, irritated.

I should’ve been grateful he defended me, but the damage was done. The words were already carved into my skin.

I turned, ready to leave, when my best friend Harper appeared in the doorway. Her eyes were wet, her expression shattered. She didn’t ask questions. She didn’t need to.

She just pulled me into her arms.

She led me out to her car without a word, whispering soft reassurances, her warmth wrapping around me like a shield. And in that moment, she was all I had.

Ethan had left me. My mother had turned her back on me. My friends had betrayed me.

But I wasn’t truly alone.

I pressed my hand against my stomach, a shaky breath leaving me. I wasn’t alone. Not anymore. Not ever.

The flashback ended as quickly as it came, leaving me staring at the clock on the wall. It was already one in the afternoon.

“Shit,” I muttered under my breath, cutting off Vivian mid-sentence.

Her head snapped up. “What’s wrong?”

I pushed to my feet, grabbing a granola bar off the counter and snatching up my car keys. “I have to go pick up my son.”

She gasped, her eyes going wide. “You… you have a son?”

I smirked at her reaction. Of course she didn’t know. No one did. Not really. Harper was the only one I trusted. Even my father, who I occasionally called, never knew. I couldn’t risk him telling Vivian.

“Yes,” I said simply, pulling open the door. “And when I get back, you’d better be gone. I’ll contact you if I decide anything.”

I didn’t give her the chance to respond. I walked out and shut the door behind me.

The drive to the school gave me too much time to think. Mason. My sweet boy. He had saved me in ways he would never understand.

Those first months had been brutal. I’d fallen into depression so deep I almost lost him before he was born. Some nights, I hated myself for still missing Ethan, for still craving the man who had destroyed me.

But then came that day in the hospital. I was lying in bed, staring at the ceiling, when I felt it his tiny kick against my hand.

That single flutter changed everything.

It reminded me I wasn’t broken. That my life wasn’t over. That I had a reason to fight.

From that day on, I stopped letting the darkness win. For him. For Mason.

Pulling into the school parking lot, I grabbed my phone and dialed Harper. She picked up on the fourth ring.

“Hey, girl.”

“Harper!” I shrieked. “Where the hell are you?”

She laughed. “Where do you think?”

My eyes widened. “You didn’t ”

Her giggle gave me the answer before her words did.

“Harper!” I gasped. “You went without me?”

“I’m sorry!” she said between laughs. “I couldn’t resist.”

“We were supposed to do this together,” I cried dramatically.

“Don’t be mad,” she fake-sobbed. “I just couldn’t help it.”

“You betrayed me,” I groaned. “I thought you loved me.”

“I do!” she insisted, still laughing. “But come on, Aria. The chocolate ice cream was calling to me.”

We both burst out laughing, because of course chocolate had always been our weakness. If anything could pull Harper away from me, it was that.

Her tone shifted then, more serious. “So why’d you call? You usually text.”

I hesitated, chewing my lip. “Well… my mother showed up today. She wants forgiveness. A second chance. And the only way that’ll work is if I go back home.”

“Aria…” her voice softened. “Are you sure about this?”

“I am,” I said quietly. “Mason deserves a complete family. The least I can do is try.”

Silence stretched for a beat before she sighed. “Fine. I’ll get packing and come over in a few hours.”

A squeal escaped me. “Thank you!”

She chuckled. “I moved here with you, didn’t I? Going back home isn’t a problem.”

After a round of thank-yous, she hung up.

I tossed my phone onto the passenger seat just as the school bell rang. Parents gathered at the gate, calling for their kids. Excited voices filled the air.

Then I saw him.

Mason. Running toward me with that wide, innocent smile that made the whole world disappear.

“Mommy!” he squealed.

I dropped to my knees, opening my arms as he crashed into me. His little arms circled my neck, his body warm and small against me.

“I missed you, Mas,” I whispered, kissing his cheeks and forehead.

He giggled, returning the kisses in the exact same order. “I missed you too, Mommy.”

My heart melted.

“Let’s go, honey,” I said, standing and taking his tiny hand in mine.

We walked to the car, and once he was strapped into his seat, I started the engine. At the first stoplight, I glanced at him.

“How was school?”

“It was great,” he mumbled, yawning. His eyelids fluttered shut, and within seconds, he was asleep.

I smiled, my chest swelling with love so strong it nearly hurt.

The light turned green, and I drove on, one thought echoing in my heart.

I’m so lucky to have him. So damn lucky.