He steps towards me, and the moment he does, I throw my arms around his neck, the now-empty bottle of Shiraz clutched tightly in one hand. His arms catch me instantly, pressing me flush against him as if afraid to let me go, afraid I might fall.
Suddenly, his strong, steady arms lift me off the ground, carrying me inside, and he closes the door with his foot behind us. My face buries into the crook of his neck, and I breathe him in, his intoxicating scent already soothing something deep within me.
He gently sets me down on the kitchen island, taking the bottle from my hand and carefully tossing it into the recyclingbin. His warm hands find me again, resting them softly on my knees as he looks at me with worried eyes.
“Talk to me, sweetheart. What’s got you so upset tonight?” he asks gently, his callous fingers tenderly massaging my knees in soothing strokes.
It takes me a few minutes to finally speak—to finally open up. But when I do, I make sure to leave nothing out. I tell him about Adrian’s visit, his confession of countless affairs, the argument that followed, Zac stepping in to defend me and declaring he never wants to see his father again, and Adrian walking out of our lives for good. The words pour from me like a fountain—chaotic, rushed—but I manage to get everything out. By the time I’m finished, I’m spent, but also slightly relieved to have gotten it all off my chest.
“I’m so sorry, angel,” he whispers softly, brushing loose strands of hair from my face with his fingers. “He’s a despicable man who was never worthy of you and Zac. I know it’s hard to believe now, but in time, you’ll see you’re far better off without him.”
It takes every ounce of energy I have to nod, my eyes growing heavy with exhaustion, and I struggle to keep myself upright.Kaden senses my tiredness, leaving only to grab a bottle of water and a packet of Advil from the drawer, which he hands over to me. Once I have them in my palm, he lifts me off the island, my arm instinctively looping around his neck, as he carries me to my room.
Sitting me on the edge of the bed, he takes the items from my hands and places them on the bedside table, then slipsoff my shoes and sets them neatly beside the bed.He pulls back the covers and pats the mattress, signalling for me to lie down—and I do.
“Try and get some rest, okay,” he whispers softly. “We’ll talk some more tomorrow, when your mind is little clearer.”
I exhale a long, weary breath. “That’s probably a good idea.” A yawn escapes my mouth as I tuck my hand beneath my pillow. “I’m sorry for dumping all my issues on you tonight. I just… don’t have anyone else to talk to.”
“Didn’t I tell you? You have nothing to apologise for. I’m your friend, Hope. You’re meant to dump your issues on me—that’s what friends are for,” he says, flashing a playful wink.
I let out a small, tired chuckle.
“You can always talk to me about anything,” he continues. “Big or small, I’ll always listen. And if you just need a shoulder to cry on, know you can always lean on mine. I’ll do my best to help lift you back up.”
I offer him a grateful smile and slowly raise my hand to cup his cheek. He instantly leans into my touch, briefly closing his eyes.
“Can you stay for a little while? I don’t want to be alone right now.”
A slow smile spreads across his face as he leans over to switch off the lamp. I roll onto my other side, my back now facing him, but I can feel him watching me through the dark as he perches on the edge of the bed.
After a few minutes of lying restlessly on the bed, I turn my head to glance at him.
“Kaden?”
“Yes, angel?”
“Would it be okay if you just hold me for a bit?”
He doesn’t reply, but I hear movement behind me and the soft sound of his shoes being slipped off. Moments later, the mattress dips and I feel him slide under the covers with me, his arm slowly encircling my torso.
“Is this okay?” he whispers, his warm breath brushing my neck.
I nod silently, and he tightens his hold around me as my eyes slowly drift shut. We lie entwined on the bed, his warmth easing every knot of tension in my body, until sleep finally pulls me under.
When I wake, morning has arrived as if no time has passed at all.And with the space beside me now empty and cold, my first thought upon waking is that, despite the trials of yesterday, I’ve just experienced one of the most peaceful sleeps of my life.
Chapter 42
Hope
The workweek flies by in a flash, and before I know it, the weekend has arrived once again. It’s been a long and draining six days since that Sunday, when Adrian dropped yet another explosive bombshell at my feet, and shattering whatever hope remained between us.
I haven’t heard from him since, and I sure as hell wasn’t about to reach out. The silence has been both liberating and devastating. The man I gave so much of myself to, the one I spent most of my life loyal and devoted to, the first to ever win my heart and then break it into a million pieces is gone, leaving no trace of the person I once knew.
Never did I think Adrian and I would end like this—reduced to strangers, as if the life we spent years building together meant nothing at all to him. The shy, gentle, soft-spoken boy I fell for in high school all those years ago grew into a deeply flawed man—a serial liar, an adulterer, a selfish and immature coward capable of unforgivable cruelty.
He didn’t just ruin our lives, he fractured something deep inside me. And whatever happens from here on out, I will never let another man into my heart unless he proves himself worthy of not just me, but Zac too. Even if that means spending the rest of my life alone, so be it—if it spares me from ever having to go through what I did with Adrian.
