Chapter 5 Walton Pride

I stood my ground as Elizabeth's heels clicked across the marble foyer, each tap like a countdown to detonation. She wore her signature navy blue pantsuit-Walton corporate colors-power dressing as intimidation. Her silver hair reflected the chandelier light, creating a halo effect that couldn't have been more misleading.

Michael tensed beside me, his breath catching. "Mother, this isn't a good time."

Too late. Elizabeth's arctic gaze had already locked onto the wedding ring sitting on the counter between us-the physical manifestation of our broken vows.

"I see timing has never been your strong suit, Aria." Her voice dripped with manufactured politeness, the kind reserved for enemies at charity galas. "Then again, five years without producing an heir made that abundantly clear."

My stomach clenched. After catching my husband with my sister, after having my heart shredded to confetti, this woman had the audacity to waltz in and make this about my fertility?

Nelson appeared behind her, his imposing frame filling the doorway. Unlike his wife's calculated coldness, his expression held something more complex-disappointment mixed with resignation.

"What's this I hear about divorce proceedings?" he asked, his deep voice reverberating through the foyer. His eyes darted between Michael and me, then landed on the ring.

Michael stepped forward. "Dad, Mother-this is between Aria and me."

"Nothing in this family is between just two people." Elizabeth's eyes narrowed as she circled me like a shark scenting blood. "The Walton name carries responsibilities. Obligations."

My throat burned with unshed tears, but I wouldn't give her the satisfaction. "Obligations like fidelity? Or does that not apply to your precious son?"

"Watch your tone," she snapped, color rising in her perfectly powdered cheeks. "You have no idea the pressure Michael faces as the Walton heir."

The laugh that escaped me sounded foreign to my own ears-harsh, brittle. "Pressure so intense it drove him into my sister's bed? What an extraordinary burden he carries."

Michael flinched. "Aria, please-"

"No." I cut him off, finding strength in my fury. "I want to hear Elizabeth explain how your family legacy justified betraying our marriage vows."

Elizabeth straightened, her five-foot-six frame somehow expanding with Walton pride. "I've never approved of your... modest background, Aria. But I tolerated you because Michael chose you. When the question of heirs arose, and you proved... inadequate, I had hoped you'd at least have the dignity to step aside gracefully."

The room tilted. Blood roared in my ears. "Step aside? For my sister?"

"For someone who could fulfill her duty," Elizabeth corrected with surgical precision. She moved closer, dropping her voice to a whisper meant only for me. "I always knew you weren't Walton material."

The words struck like physical blows. Five years of strained family dinners, of fertility treatments hidden from the public, of crying alone while Michael worked late-all reduced to my value as a broodmare for the Walton dynasty.

"I was good enough for your son until your obsession with an heir drove him to cheat." My voice didn't shake, and I counted that as a victory.

Nelson cleared his throat. "The fertility issues were... unfortunate. But what's done is done. We need to handle this quietly." He spoke as if discussing a minor PR problem, not the implosion of my marriage. "The prenup is clear-"

"The prenup doesn't cover adultery with my sister," I interrupted, feeling a savage satisfaction when both elder Waltons blinked in surprise. "Jessica's involvement changes everything."

Michael stepped between us, his shoulders hunched beneath his designer shirt. "Father, can we discuss this later? Aria just found out-"

"Found out what everyone already knew?" Elizabeth cut in, arching a perfectly shaped eyebrow. "That this marriage had run its course? That we needed to secure the future of Halgate Group?"

The casual cruelty stole my breath. "Is that what this was about? Not just an heir, but a business transaction?"

Nelson's weathered face remained impassive. "The Walton legacy must continue. It's nothing personal, just business."

*Just business.* The family motto, apparently.

Michael's face reddened. "That's enough! Both of you need to leave. Now."

Elizabeth's eyes widened at her son's defiance. "Michael, be reasonable. Let our lawyers handle this. There's no need for public drama."

"Public drama?" My voice rose despite my best efforts. "Your son slept with my sister in our home, and you're worried about optics?"

Nelson stepped forward, his tailored suit creasing slightly as he moved between Elizabeth and me. "Aria, no one's happiness is served by dragging this into the tabloids. Let's be civilized."

"Civilized." The word tasted bitter. "Like plotting behind my back? Like watching me struggle through fertility treatments while encouraging your son to find alternatives?" The evidence was crystallizing before my eyes-their quick acceptance of Jessica, the way they'd pushed me aside so effortlessly.

Elizabeth's mask slipped for just a moment, enough to confirm my suspicions. "We did what was necessary for the family."

"No." Michael's voice cut through the tension. "Don't put this on them, Aria. The choice was mine."

His admission should have felt like vindication. Instead, it was just another betrayal-the final confirmation that I'd never truly been part of this family, just a temporary inconvenience to be managed.

I grabbed my purse from the counter, my movements jerky with adrenaline. "You're right, Nelson. The Walton legacy will continue-just not with me."

Elizabeth's lips curved into the ghost of a smile. "Finally, something we can agree on."

"Mother!" Michael protested, but the damage was done.

I turned to face my husband-soon to be ex-husband-one last time. "I came here today thinking the worst thing that happened was you sleeping with my sister. I was wrong." I gestured toward his parents. "The worst thing is discovering what kind of family I've been trying to become part of for five years."

Nelson's expression hardened. "You're making a mistake, Aria. No one walks away from the Waltons."

"Watch me." I moved toward the door, legs somehow supporting me despite feeling hollowed out.

Michael reached for my arm. "Aria, don't let them-"

I jerked away from his touch, my skin burning where his fingers had brushed. "Don't. You made your choice. You chose your family's legacy over our love."

Elizabeth's voice followed me to the door. "You'll regret this approach, Aria. We have resources you can't imagine."

I paused at the threshold, turning to face the three Waltons-the family that had never truly been mine. "Threaten me all you want. Your money bought you my husband's infidelity and my sister's loyalty. Congratulations on your investment."

As I walked out into the blinding sunlight, the mansion's heavy door closed behind me with the finality of a coffin lid. The Walton pride had shown its true face today-cold, calculating, and utterly without mercy.

And somewhere beneath my pain, a small, hard seed of determination took root. They thought I would crumble under their threats. They thought I would disappear quietly.

They were wrong.