Chapter 196
Aria’s POV
My period finally ended, and I felt alive again after days of feeling like death warmed
over.
Lillian texted to meet up for dinner, and the timing couldn’t be better since Aiden was out of town on business.
With my mood lifting post-period, I decided to put in some effort—applying a full face of makeup and slipping into a pretty maxi dress, even though it was just dinner with my bestie.
Lillian had been slaving away at work all week, and the moment the clock hit five on Friday, she bolted out with her purse swinging. Overtime? As if! She was done with that life.
We’d booked this restaurant she’d been dying to try for ages—the kind of place where reservations are like gold dust. Being the “lady of leisure” that I am these days, I arrived early and snagged us the perfect window table.
“So how are those in-laws treating you? They giving you any trouble?” Lillian asked, eyeing me over her menu.
I took a sip of water, shaking my head. “No trouble at all. They even gave me a ruby jewelry set p>
“God, I’m jealous,” she muttered.
I shifted topics, something that had been nagging at me. “Do you think first loves are really that hard for men to forget p>
Lillian was half-distracted, thumbing through work messages. “Oh definitely. Haven’t you seen, like, every movie ever made about this? First love snaps her fingers, and men come running p>
Midway through her sentence, she finally registered what I was asking. Her head snapped up. “Wait, Aiden had a first love? No way. As far as I know, the man hasn’t had so much as a female mosquito near him p>
“Elena told me he has some perfect woman he can’t forget,” I said, trying to sound casual.
“And you’re believing your rival’s gossip?” Lillian arched an eyebrow.
I paused, blinking. “You make a good point p>
“Sweetie,” Lillian sighed, “you really are too trusting sometimes p>
“I mean, I was skeptical,” I defended myself. “But she went into detail-even described the woman’s type p>
“Did she actually say who this mystery woman is p>
I shook my head. “No p>
Lillian considered this for a moment. “Look, I don’t think Aiden’s that kind of guy. If he truly wanted someone else p>
“I chose him, remember?” I cut in.
“Right Lillian trailed off, clearly remembering our marriage began as a business arrangement.
Still, Lillian was more optimistic than me. She figured a man like Aiden wouldn’t waste time with unrequited pining if he really liked someone.
Honestly, I wasn’t taking it too seriously either, but as a woman, it’s hard not to wonder. My romantic experience was basically nonexistent before Aiden, so I mainly wanted Lillian’s take.
The universe has a sick sense of timing though. Just as we finished analyzing whether Elena’s “perfect woman” story was just manipulation tactics, we ran into the devil herself while leaving the restaurant.
“Aria, what a coincidence,” Elena smiled with practiced sweetness.
I bit the inside of my cheek. This really did seem like random chance, and I hated it.
Lillian shot me a questioning look, and I responded with an eye roll that said it all. Her expression immediately shifted to “this bitch” mode.
Since Elena had initiated the greeting, I forced myself to nod. “Hello, Elena p>
She gave me that irritating half-smile. “Remember what I mentioned before? There’s a speedboat competition in Lake
Placid next month. You mig net
want
to check Aiden’s schedule If i’m not mistaken, he’ll be visiting his dream girl p>
With that bomb dropped, she flipped her hair dramatically, gave me a loaded look, and sauntered away.
Lillian flipped her off behind her back. “Babe, she’s obviously trying to mess with you p>
I knew Elena was deliberately trying to hurt me—who keeps calling someone’s husband by that stupid nickname when she’s been asked to stop? Pure bitchiness.
But despite recognizing her game, I couldn’t ignore what she’d said. “She mentioned Lake Placid on the 17th p>
“Don’t let it get to you,” Lillian urged. “She’s clearly stirring shit. If you start believing her, you’ll end up fighting with Aiden over nothing p>
Logically, I understood, but emotionally? That was a different story. An
uncomfortable knot formed in my stomach.
Lillian squeezed my arm. “Let’s go see a movie! There’s this new rom-com everyone’s talking about p>
“Perfect,” I agreed, grateful for the distraction.
With Aiden out of town, I didn’t need to rush home. Lillian immediately bought tickets
on her phone, and we grabbed a cab to the theater.
The movie was hilarious-at first. Then it turned into this emotional rollercoaster that
had us laughing in the first half and crying through the second.
By the time we left, my eye makeup had completely disintegrated, leaving me with puffy, red-rimmed eyes.
“It’s getting late,” Lillian noted. “Time for bed, Miss Early-to-Bed p>
I sniffled dramatically. “Yeah, I should head home p>
We each caught separate cabs but kept texting the entire ride. Twenty minutes later,
I reached home first.
Fatigue was hitting me hard, so I texted Lillian: *Home now. About to shower. Text me when you get home safe p>
Lillian, nearly at her place, responded with a thumbs-up emoji.
I unlocked the front door and kicked off my heels, noticing Aiden’s favorite oxfords
on the shoe rack. Huh. I didn’t think much of it-the man owned dozens of similar- looking dress shoes, and it wasn’t like he only wore one pair.
After changing into slippers, I dragged myself to the kitchen island, poured a glass of water, and perched on a barstool, letting my mind drift while I sipped.
That’s when Aiden came downstairs, catching me completely off-guard. I was so lost in thought, holding my glass against my lips, that I didn’t even notice him approach.
He stood beside me, silently watching with an amused smile, not announcing his presence.
After a moment of zoning out, I remembered something and dug through my purse. I pulled out a small ring box and opened it to reveal a pair of simple, matching bands.
Lillian and I had spotted them while
browsing before the movie. She’d
teased me about not wearing a
wedding ring like a properly married
woman The truth was, the, ridiculously expensive diamond
Aiden had given me was too valuable to wear casually-losing something worth six figures would give me a heart attack.
When we first got married, it was just a business arrangement, so I hadn’t thought about everyday rings. But today, with Elena’s comments fresh in my mind and noticing Aiden’s perpetually bare hands, l’a impulsively bought the set.
They weren’t expensive, just a couple thousand dollars for the pair.
I rested my chin in my palm, examining the rings in the light. “I hope I didn’t get the
size wrong p>
“There’s only one way to find out, isn’t there?” came Aiden’s voice from right beside
me.
I nearly jumped out of my skin.