It's Just A Phase

Aria’s POV:

I had no words to explain how I felt right now, and I was also not in the mood to exchange words with Caleb or hit the woman who opened her legs widely for a married man.

I turned around, and everyone, including Caleb’s employees, were staring at me and whispering amongst themselves.

I walked out of the office with Ava behind me; we got to the car, which drove out, and the drive was silent.

My gaze moved to Ava, who kept staring at me; I clutched my chest as tears rolled down my cheeks… Ava moved closer and hugged me. “It’s okay, baby.”

I shook my head in denial. “I am a fool…I thought he was genuinely busy working, but he…he.” I couldn’t even construct a sentence as my sobs choked me.

“Believe me, it’s just a phase,” Ava added, and I expected her to remind me of how stupid I was, of how I almost thought of her as a villain when she had once told me she spotted Caleb and Olivia before the mall.

“It’s not a phase, Ava; it’s my life, and it’s ruined,” I added and cried all the way home.

Soon we arrived at the mansion, and immediately we stepped out of the car; we spotted Isa. She didn’t come with us because she was busy organising my other events, like the interview with House Of Love tomorrow about my book and all.

“Okay…baby, let’s all calm down.” Isa hugged me tightly and rubbed my back; I hugged her even tighter.

“We were going to renew our vows today, Isa,” I said, and she kept rubbing my back.

“You are strong,” she encouraged, and I shook my head in denial. I wasn’t, because right now I feel like a piece of sh*t. Isa broke the hug, and we walked in when I found the marketing team present in my sitting room.

“I brought them here; we have to find a solution.” Isa explained, and my brows furrowed. Solution to what?

“Hopefully we have the best marketing team, and they already came up with a solution,” she added, and I folded my hand in disbelief. What solution was there to the fact that my husband cheated on me on my fifth anniversary?

But I was anxious, anxious to hear what Isa came up with this time around.

“Go on.”

“We let the public know everything was an act; it was just a stupid marketing strategy, and that’s why we hired Olivia to play that role… Luckily, she is an actress,” she explained, and I was amazed. Was everything just about business and some stupid book promotion?

“Tomorrow you will show up at the interview with Caleb, the happy couple, and sell out your books…problem solved.” Isa concluded, and I chuckled in disbelief. I couldn’t even be mad at her because it was my fault for being stupid and making the world believe I had a perfect home,, meanwhile I could feel it breaking.

“You have lost it, you know?” Ava walked to Isa with the same shocked look as I.

“Is everything just about her selling her books? She just got cheated on and humiliated on a live video, and all you think about is promoting a book?” Ava added, and Isa shook her head in denial.

“She already lost her marriage; will she also want to lose her career? You are a strong woman, Aria; many look up to you. If you snooze now, then you lose everything you have worked for.”

“Wow,” I chuckled and hurried upstairs, banging my door hard, but I could hear Ava argue with Isa.

I sat on the cold floor and reminisced about the scene of how Caleb dipped his tongue into Olivia’s p*ssy, he always refuses to go down there with me; he says he is tired from work and just needs sleep.

Now I felt dirty. Was something wrong with me? My ringing phone interrupted my thoughts; it was my mum.

I sniffed back my tears as the call got connected. “Aria, dear,” she called, her voice low and not cheerful. I knew at once that she had seen the video.

“Come home, baby, I will make your favourite rice yoghurt, just as you like it,” she said, and I chuckled. Sorry, Mommy, but this time…rice yoghurt just won’t fix anything.

“I am fine, Mum,” I said, but it was a lie; it was the biggest lie of my life. I was fine?

“It’s okay to cry, darling; you know that, right?”

I shook my head in denial. At the same time, I didn’t want to be strong, but I also didn’t want to shed so many tears.

“You are worth much, baby; just leave him and come back home,” she added, but I shook my head in denial.

“I can’t let everything go to waste, Mommy,” I muttered and sniffed my tears. I know what he did was painful, and I might never get to forgive him, but it was five years and not five days. I spent five years of my life building this marriage and couldn’t just leave easily.

A knock came from the door, and I frowned. Didn’t Ava know I loved being alone? Why was she knocking?

“It’s me, open up,” I heard Caleb say from the other side of the door. I ended the call with my mum and clenched my fist; maybe what I needed was a conversation with him and to pour out my heart and anger.

I pulled the door open, and he stood there, looking reckless.

“Aria, I messed up…”

“I saw,” I chimed in. I mean…the whole world saw.

“But we can’t let this ruin us; we are the power couple, right?” He held my hand, and I burst out in laughter. Power couple? It sounded funny coming from his lips.

“You ruined us; there is no more us, so get out of my face,” I scolded, and he stared at me in disbelief. My toes curled after I said that; deep down I didn’t want him to leave. I know he was never going to stop until he gained my forgiveness.

“So you’re going to just pin all this on me?” He asked, and I raised a brow. Who else if not him?

“You placed all your attention on your stupid books, leaving me wishing you could focus on me as well. And you think I don’t read every word of your book?”

What? How is this about my books?

“You describe a man who is not me; you dream of a fairytale that doesn’t exist,” he scolded and walked forward.

“What have my books got to do with what happened today?” I always put a lot of effort into our marriage, but every time he assumes I was simply doing it for my followers.

“You gave up on us first, and now I just put the final hit; there was indeed no us,” he added before he kissed his teeth.

“You couldn’t even give me a child, Aria.”

He didn’t…

He didn’t just say this right now.