Chasing His Rejected Wife

I stumbled out of Elisa's room, sick to my stomach and badly shaken from what I'd heard. Numb, I walked down the corridor, oblivious to anything and anyone, my feet moving on autopilot while my brain struggled to absorb the shock. The day Julian died. The same night Aiden and I had sex for the first time was the same day that - if Elisa was telling the truth - they had given into temptation and slept together.

Despite the fact that I couldn't recall much of our time in bed, thanks to being drunk, I'd still held onto the small flashes of that moment like a precious treasure.

It had been a night of firsts for me - the first time Aiden kissed me, the first time he'd seen me as more than just a nuisance, the first time making love with the man I love.... All those precious memories were now nothing more than ashes, burned on the altar of reality.

Now it made sense why Aiden had looked so horrified and revolted when he woke the morning after, to see me cuddled against him, our naked bodies tangled together in the aftermath. He had probably thought he was making love once more to Elisa and to wake up and find out the opposite...anyone would be disgusted.

He'd jumped from Elisa's bed, straight to mine. The thought wrenched at my shattered heart and kindled the embers that ate away at my self worth with every revelation about the true nature of my marriage.

And now, Elisa and I were both pregnant as a consequence of that one night.

"Hey, lady. Watch where you're walking." An annoyed voice pulled me from my thoughts and I sidestepped just in time to avoid colliding with a patient pushing an IV pole.

"Sorry," I flushed, mortified at my distraction but the woman just glared at me and moved on, muttering under her breath. I stopped and took in my bearings, not sure where I'd ended up and spotted a door leading to the stairwell. In desperate need of some fresh air, I pushed open the door and climbed up, heading for the echo gardens on the hospital roof.

"You're not being fair, you know." I heard Vincent's voice coming from somewhere close.

Apparently, Aiden and Vincent had the same idea as me. Both men leaned against the wall, Vincent nursed a cigarette while Aiden stared off into the distance, jaw set in the usual way that indicated he was mad about something, hair fluttering in the breeze.

I debated turning around and leaving what was obviously a private conversation but Vincent's next words stopped me in my tracks.

"We've both known Jess since we were kids, remember when she found that bird that had fallen out of its nest? She braved a fucking thunderstorm to climb up that tree just to get the bord back to its mama. She would never have pushed Elisa down those stairs and the fact that you immediately jumped to that conclusion is just wrong, bro."

"It was a mistake." Aiden admitted, keeping his gaze pinned on the horizon. "I was...upset and may have overreacted."

"You did more than overreact. I watched you almost throw her out of the waiting room, refused to listen to her explanation and almost exchanged blows with Logan, all because he was trying to defend her. That's messed up." Aiden winced, his mouth forming a thin line. Then he sighed, looking exhausted and contrite. "Fuck, I know I was an ass. I'll apologize to her.

"Better make it soon." Vincent drawled, turning to his friend. "Cos that poor girl has been through enough and she looks like she's barely holding on. The least you can do is lay off her for a change. You're not the only one who lost someone dear to them."

There was silence for a while, then Aiden spoke, his tone pensive. "She asked for a divorce."

Vincent threw back his head and laughed, the sound whipped away by the wind. "Atta girl. Glad to know she's finally mustered up the balls to leave your miserable ass."

"Whose side are you on?" Aiden glared at his friend who just grinned back at him. "You do know she was the one who forced me into this mess of a marriage in the first place?"

"Yes, but to play the devil's advocate, maybe she didn't exactly know your dad's real motives, but just went along with his suggestion because she was so in love with you and we know love makes people do stupid things sometimes." Aiden side eyed him, his lips curling in a mocking smile. "You're always so ready to jump to her defense, aren't you? If I didn't know better, I'd think you have feelings for my wife."

Vincent threw back his head and laughed. "Well, you do know better, thank fuck. Look, all I'm saying is, don't do something you'll come to regret in the future in regards to Jessica. She may love you now, but remember that saying about a woman who's been scorned? Don't play a dangerous game, Aiden. Especially this thing with Elisa, it can get out of hand if you're not careful."

"I know what I'm doing." A muscle twitched in Aiden's jaw. "It won't get out of hand."

"Well, I'm sure Jess must have spent the last two years regretting forcing you to be with her. That's got to count for something."

Aiden snorted in derision. "If she regretted it, then she would have asked for a divorce a long time ago. She had that safety deposit box with her that day at the funeral. If I hadn't made it clear that I was done with her and my dad's bullshit, I'm not sure she would have agreed to a divorce. And until we've signed the last piece of paper that officially puts an end to this...fucked up situation, I'll take her words at face value."

I flinched at the scorn in his voice. And also because he was partly right because for a short while before I had walked in on him and Elisa, I had considered doing what Jodie had told me to do.

Which brought to mind that I had left the box back in Aiden's room. I was really curious to know what was in that box that held the potential to keep Aiden married to me. Just what had Julian done?

A feeling of dread surfaced, as a niggling thought took hold. Had Julian used some underhanded methods to keep Aiden in line? Something like blackmail?

That would explain why Aiden hated me so much all these years, especially since he thought I was in on whatever information Julian had held over his head like a dagger.

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"Really?" Vincent looked surprised then thoughtful. "That's surprising. When I spoke to her in your house before we left, I got the impression that she'd come to terms with the end of your relationship."

Aiden scoffed. "You got the wrong impression. If she hadn't found out about Elisa and I, she would never have agreed to leave."

"And since due to the terms of the agreement with Julian, you can't be the one to initiate a divorce, that would have left you in the deep end."

"Right."

Wait. What?

Doubting what I had just heard, I leaned against the wall, deep in thought. Had Julian really made it so Aiden could not divorce me? Just what the hell was going on?

I needed to find that damn box. I had left it in Aiden's room that day and had never gone back for it so I assumed he would still have it with him. I couldn't ask him directly for it, because he would take it the wrong way, so how could I get it? One way would be to somehow get it myself, but that would involve sneaking into his room and just the thought was enough to give me the chills.

I heard footsteps and beat a hasty retreat. I hurried back to the nurses station and left the hospital, my mind working overtime to process the loads of information it kept being bombarded with. The mystery surrounding my marriage was like a dark cloud that hung overhead, threatening to burst into a downpour of a shitstorm at any moment and there were so many truths that I needed to uncover.