Chasing His Rejected Wife

"Please stop crying." I'd never heard Aiden sound so unsettled. He kept looking at me with a helpless expression as I sat there and poured out all the tears I'd bottled up.

I ignored him and tried wiping my tears away with my bare hand since I had no tissues. He fumbled in his pocket, drew out a plain white handkerchief and handed it to me. "I'm sorry." He said again, but this time, there was a tinge of sadness to it. "I've been taking out my anger and frustration on you, and I've hurt you far worse than anything you did."

"I didn't do anything." I sniffed into the handkerchief, feeling composed enough to glare at him through reddened eyes. "Whatever your father did to force your hand, I wasn't a part of it, at least not to my knowledge. My only crime was being selfishly in love with you and clinging to you in some childish, vain hope that maybe, something magical would happen and you'd suddenly realize that you could love me too."

"So, I guess I'm responsible for keeping you trapped for my selfish reasons. But, like I said, you don't have to endure being with me for much longer. I've already filed the divorce papers, I'll move out of the house by the end of the week, and hope we never have to see each other again."

He sighed, raked a hand through his hair and looked far from happy. "You don't need to move out. The house is yours if you want it. I'll leave."

"I don't want it. Sell it if you like, I really don't care." The last thing I wanted was to remain in that house with all its bitter memories. "Can we go now? I'm really tired."

He nodded and started the engine again. I leaned against the window and pretended to fall asleep because I really didn't want to talk anymore.

****

I must have drifted off, because the next time I opened my eyes was when Aiden shook me awake.

I stared bleary-eyed at him, in the dark interior of the car. "Where are we?"

"In the garage." He leaned close to unbuckle my seat belt, then opened his door. I blinked as the interior lights of the car snapped on and sluggishly tried to exit the car.

Aiden came over to my side, opened the door and extended a hand to help me out. I hesitated for a beat, then gave him my hand, letting him help me up and when I stumbled on legs that had gone numb from sitting too long, I tried to ignore the heat of his hand on my waist, steadying me.

"Thanks." I murmured and pulled away from his touch. I walked into the house, leaving him behind to lock up and headed straight for my room.

On autopilot, I took off my clothes, my mind flitting back to the scene in the car as I tried not to cringe at my display of waterworks. This damn pregnancy had turned me into a leaky faucet, always ready with the waterworks at the drop of a hat.

I hated that I'd made myself appear so vulnerable in front of him. I'd had a whole final confrontation planned where I would calmly tell Aiden I had filed for divorce, he could keep the house and announce my resignation from Skylark at the same time, my bags packed and ready by the door to leave once I had said my piece.

A knock echoed through the room. I wrapped my naked body in a robe and opened the door. Aiden stood there, still dressed, holding a plate of sandwiches.

"Figured you might be hungry. I made you something to eat." He handed me the plate and a bottle of my favorite soda. His hair was mussed like he'd been combing fingers through it, and there were signs of strain around his eyes that told me he had one of his migraines.

I took the plate, stunned. This was the first time he had made me a meal. Was this out of guilt or what? "Okay."

"If you'd prefer something else instead, I can make it."

"No," I held the plate close. "This is fine. Umm...thanks."

He nodded and turned to leave. "Goodnight."

"Aiden." I called out and he turned back. "Take your meds before you sleep."

"Yeah."

I shut the door and leaned against it, staring at the sandwiches. Few weeks ago, this little gesture would have made me so happy and hopeful that things were finally going to be better between us, but now? It just accentuated the misery I felt inside, the fact that Aiden had been capable of showing me affection but had chosen not to because he just didn't care enough.

I set the plate and soda on my bedside table, slipped out of the robe and went to take a shower. Once done, I climbed into bed and lay on top the covers, staring at that plate, fresh tears streaming down my eyes until I exhausted myself and slept.

****

"I stopped by Anna's place and got your bag." I looked up from my screen as Claire set my bag on my desk, moving some stacks of files out of the way. "Your car is parked downstairs and Anna says you should call her when you can." "Thanks Claire," I smiled at her, leaning forward to massage my aching back and check my watch. "I need to leave soon for my appointment with the hospital administrator, I've finished working on the reports so please send them to HQ later." "Will do. Will you be back to the office today?"

"I have a couple of personal errands to run, so probably not."

"Noted." She hesitated then asked. "Are you and Mr. Brown really getting a divorce?"

"We are."

"I'm sorry to hear that." She looked contrite. "You two always looked so good together, I was really rooting for your relationship to work out."

I ignored the pang in my chest. "We were doomed from the start, made each other miserable, so it's best we part ways." I said this with a hint of finality in my tone.

Taking the hint she simply nodded and left the office. I took a minute to just get a grip on my emotions then began gathering my things to leave the office. My fingers brushed over the envelope that held my resignation and I paused, losing a bit of the emotions I kept firmly in a lock.

"We need to make a clean break." I whispered to my belly, my throat tight with sadness. Leaving Aiden also meant leaving everything that was associated with him. I couldn't continue at Skylark, and because I intended to raise my child alone, it meant leaving New York as well.

With a sigh, I tucked the envelope in my bag and left the office. I needed to wrap up all the projects and contracts under me before leaving, which meant the next few days would be incredibly busy.

***

As I stepped out of the elevator, my phone began to ring, interrupting my stride. Frowning, I glanced at the caller ID, surprised to see Claire's name flashing on the screen. We had just spoken a few minutes ago, so I couldn't help but wonder why she was calling again.

Answering the call, Claire's voice rushed through the line, "Please tell me you haven't left the building yet!"

"I literally just reached the lobby. What's going on?" I questioned, puzzled by her urgency.

"I completely forgot to remind you about the monthly review meeting," she admitted, her words tinged with regret.

"Today? Are you serious?" I checked my watch and grimaced, realizing I had less than ten minutes to make it to the conference room. Determined, I pivoted and headed back towards the elevator. "Well, thankfully I'm still nearby. I'll head up now. Email me all the necessary files and materials for the meeting."

"Already taken care of," she assured me. A notification beeped on my phone, indicating a new email.

"Got it. Thanks."

Ending the call, I stepped into the elevator just as the doors were about to close. To my dismay, the hand of an all-too-familiar person slipped through the gap, preventing the doors from shutting.

Aiden entered the confined space, pausing momentarily upon seeing me. Recovering quickly, he joined me inside. My heart skipped a beat, the once spacious interior now feeling incredibly cramped in his presence. I tightly gripped the handle of my bag, avoiding eye contact, hoping to evade any further interaction.

"Good morning," his voice carried an unexpected warmth, devoid of its usual coldness.

"Morning," I murmured, keeping my gaze lowered, unwilling to meet his eyes. My cheeks flushed, aware of the lingering discomfort from our altercation on Friday. Most of the weekend had been spent secluding myself in my room, contemplating the incident. Aiden had kept his distance as well, and when we did accidentally meet coming down the stairs or in the kitchen, we would simply nod and go our separate ways. "What floor?" Aiden asked, his finger hovering over the panel.

"Yours." I replied,a trifle breathless and hating how affected I was. He nodded and stepped back as the lift began moving, coming to stand beside me, so close that his broad shoulders brushed against mine.

I shuffled a little to the side as subtly as I could but he still caught me trying to get away from him. His mouth tightened and a muscle ticked in his jaw, the air instantly becoming several degrees cooler.

The silence between us grew heavy, suffocating even, as the elevator ascended. I could sense his gaze on me, but I stubbornly kept my eyes fixed on the floor. The weight of the unspoken tension filled the small space, making it hard to breathe.

His terse voice broke the silence. "The housekeeper informed me you moved some of your things from the house this morning."

"I did." I kept my gaze down and my tone mellow. "I mentioned I'd be moving out by the end of the week, didn't I?"

His lips twisted in a bitter smile. "Where are you moving to?"

This time, I looked up and narrowed my eyes at him. "Why?"

"Why what?" A brow rose in the query.

"Why do you want to know where I'm moving to? It's not like you care, do you?"