Chapter 6

"Are you... leaving?" Elliott's drunken question hung in the air, heavy and laced with a strange mixture of confusion and disbelief.

My voice was flat, devoid of emotion. "Yes, Elliott. I am."

He tried to push himself up from the sofa, but his movements were clumsy, uncoordinated. "Leaving? Where are you going? Don't be ridiculous, Aria. You're not going anywhere."

"I'm going to my mother's for the night," I lied, the words feeling foreign and bitter on my tongue. "I just need some space. We both do. To cool off. I'll drop off the house keys tomorrow." I reached into my pocket, pulling out the small, silver ring of keys. "This house is yours, Elliott. It always has been, in your mind, anyway."

I turned towards the door, my small carry-on bag feeling lighter than it should. My ankle throbbed, a dull ache that reminded me of my broken body, my broken life. As I reached for the doorknob, his voice, suddenly clearer, sharper, cut through the haze of alcohol. "No! Aria, wait!"

He lunged, grabbing my arm, his grip surprisingly strong. "Don't go. Please, don't go. I know I messed up. I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry." He pulled me into a tight embrace, his head burying into my shoulder. His breath smelled of stale liquor. "Don't leave me, Aria. Please." He mumbled incoherently, words lost in the fabric of my shirt.

The sudden physical contact, the desperate plea, sent a jolt of revulsion through me. His words were empty, meaningless. "Let go, Elliott," I said, my voice cold, devoid of any warmth. I struggled, pushing against his chest, but he held me tighter.

"No! I can't. I can't lose you, Aria. I really messed up. But I can fix it. I promise. Just... just stay." He was trying to kiss my hair, my cheek. His lips brushed against my skin, sending shivers of disgust down my spine.

That was it. The last shred of my composure snapped. With a surge of unexpected strength, born from pure revulsion, I pushed him back with all my might. He stumbled, caught off balance, and his head snapped to the side, hitting the wall with a dull thud.

He stared at me, his eyes wide and momentarily clear, the drunkenness receding slightly in the face of shock. He opened his mouth, then closed it. He looked like a lost boy, bewildered and hurt. But I didn't care. Not anymore.

I turned, snatched my bag, and walked out the door without a backward glance. The click of the lock behind me was the most freeing sound I had ever heard. I didn't wait to see if he would follow. I knew he wouldn't. He was too consumed by his own self-pity, too tangled in his web of lies.

The night air was cool against my feverish skin. The street was bustling, cars whizzing by, people laughing, lives unfolding around me. I felt utterly alone, a solitary figure adrift in a sea of indifferent humanity. My mother's house. It was the only place I could think of, the only 'safe' harbor. A temporary one, at least.

My family, a sprawling, boisterous clan, lived in a modest house on the outskirts of the city. I was the golden child, the one who had escaped the mundane, who had reached for the stars. My brother, his wife, and their two kids lived with my mother now. It was always a chaotic, loving mess.

I hesitated at the front door, the familiar sounds of laughter and a TV droning reaching me even before I knocked. The thought of facing them, of explaining my shattered life, filled me with dread. But where else was there to go? I took a deep breath and knocked.

The door flew open. My mother's eyes, usually sharp and judging, widened in surprise when she saw me. "Aria? What are you doing here? It's so late!" Her gaze fell to my small suitcase. Confusion clouded her face.

I forced a weak smile. "Hi, Mom. Just... passing through." The lie tasted like ash.

My sister-in-law, a perpetually sour-faced woman named Brenda, appeared behind my mother, wiping her hands on a dish towel. Her eyes, already narrowed, became slits when she saw me and my bag. "Aria? What's going on?" Her tone was accusatory, as if I had arrived to commit a crime.

My mother, recovering slightly, ushered me in. "Come on in, sweetie. You look pale. Let me get you some water." She pushed a glass into my hand, her concern fleeting. "Now, tell me. Why are you here in the middle of the night with a suitcase?"

I couldn't bring myself to say the words. Not yet. "I just... I need a place to stay for the night, Mom. Just one night."

She paused, her gaze flicking to Brenda, then to my brother, Michael, who had just entered the living room, looking bewildered. A heavy silence settled in the room, thick with unspoken questions and unspoken resentment. I looked at Michael, my younger brother, always the peacemaker. He looked uncomfortable, avoiding my gaze.

Brenda, however, had no such qualms. She nudged Michael. "Honey, didn't you say you had a big early meeting tomorrow? And the kids have school." Her words were pointed, a clear message that my presence was an inconvenience.

Michael cleared his throat. "Aria, just for tonight, right? We're a bit cramped."

"Just for tonight," I confirmed, my voice barely audible.

Brenda scoffed, rolling her eyes, and marched off with the kids, her footsteps heavy with indignation. My mother, sighing, pulled out a stack of blankets and a pillow, setting them on the sofa. "You can sleep here, honey. It's not much, but it's warm."

She sat on the edge of the sofa, her hand gently patting my arm. "Aria, you need to think about this. Elliott is a good man. He's rich. He loves you. All couples have their ups and downs. You need to go back. You need to talk to him, make up. You don't want to regret this. A woman needs her husband." Her words were a familiar refrain, a song I had heard all my life. A woman's worth was in her marriage, her status, her ability to keep a rich man happy. She didn't want me, the broken, sick, discarded wife, burdening her family. The message, though unspoken, was clear. I was not truly welcome. Not anymore.

I nodded, too tired to argue, too defeated to fight. "I understand, Mom."

She left me then, to the quiet hum of the refrigerator and the distant sounds of my brother's family settling into bed. I curled up on the sofa, the blankets doing little to ward off the chill that had seeped into my bones. My head began to throb again, a dull, insistent pain behind my eyes. I fumbled in my purse for the small bottle of painkillers the doctor had given me, swallowing two with a gulp of water.

Sleep refused to come. I lay there, staring into the darkness, the headache a constant companion, the images of Elliott and Kelsie, of her pregnant belly, flashing behind my eyelids. Hot tears streamed silently down my temples, soaking the pillow. I bit my lip, clenching my jaw, desperate not to make a sound, not to wake anyone. I was an intruder, a burden. I closed my eyes, wishing for unconsciousness, for oblivion.

Sometime just before dawn, I finally drifted off, a shallow, unsatisfying sleep. I woke with the first hint of light, my body stiff and aching, my mind already racing. Where would I go? What would I do? My small savings account was dwindling, a paltry sum compared to the life I had once lived. And I couldn't, wouldn't, touch Elliott's money. Not a single cent. It was tainted, poisoned by his betrayal.