All That She Needs: The Betrayal of a Marriage

Part 36 Aiden

I stared at my phone, the text message blaring up at me, refusing to let me look away. I couldn't close the screen or set the phone down. I just kept staring, reading it over and over.

It was from Vanessa. A simple message: "Can we talk? Over coffee, maybe?"

She'd sent it yesterday at midnight, three days after calling off her wedding.

What did it mean?

I wondered if this was some kind of sign. I was divorced, and now she wasn't getting married either. Maybe it was more than coincidence—maybe our lives were lining up in a way I hadn't expected. But then, why had she canceled her wedding? Was she reaching out because she knew I was single again?

I didn't know what was happening or what I was supposed to do now. I'd spent so long trying not to think about her, to try to ignore the pain in my heart, so that I could focus on repairing what was left of my family. And yet, if I was honest, there was one question I couldn't shake: did I still love her?

Yeah. I did. That feeling was still there, as intense and unrelenting as ever, refusing to let go no matter how much I tried to ignore it.

I closed my eyes and pressed a hand to my chest, as if that could calm the pounding beneath it. No matter how hard I tried to bury it, to convince myself to let her go, that feeling clung to me, raw and unyielding.

Because, really, she'd never left.

Why had I been like this? Why did I have to fall for another woman? Why couldn't I just be a good husband, a good father, and not turn into this despicable man who just couldn't stop himself?

The questions spiraled through my mind like a relentless storm. It felt like being lost in a haze, unable to see clearly or find my way out. I had made promises—to myself, to Asha, to my kids—and now, I felt like I was faltering, and it was all because of one message . From her . And I hadn't even done anything about it yet.

Why couldn't I be satisfied with what I had? Why did love have to be so complicated? The guilt weighed heavily on me. I should have been the one who made it work, who fought harder for my family. Instead, there I was, yearning for someone who wasn't mine anymore, lost in a sea of what-ifs and regrets.

How could my family forgive someone like me? I felt beyond forgiveness, lost in a pit of my own making. The magnitude of my mistakes loomed over me like a dark cloud, and I couldn't shake the belief that I didn't deserve a second chance.

Another text message came in, and for a brief moment, I thought it was from Vanessa again. Instead, it was from Roy: "Kayden asked me to drive him to your office. Will be there in thirty minutes."

The message pulled me from my spiraling thoughts, and I perked up instantly. Kayden hadn't spoken to me properly for months—only a grunt or two whenever I tried to engage him. Each time I reached out, he would turn away. His silence cut deep, a constant reminder of my failures as a father.

But the thought awakened me. Reminding me of the promise I made to myself.

I had made my choice, fully aware that it would leave me grappling with the emptiness of losing the two women I had ever truly loved. There was nothing I could do to change that reality, no undoing the pain I'd caused or the consequences I now faced. All I could do was bear it, accept that it was my burden to carry, make peace with the hurt in my heart that would never go away, and find a way to move forward—one step at a time.

Kayden and Chloe are my family, and I love them dearly. Even Asha remains family, even though not like it used to. I couldn't give up on Kayden, no matter how harsh he was with me. I loved him. He was my son, and I would fight for him, no matter how challenging it got. The possibility that he might actually want to talk today sparked a small flicker of hope in me. I couldn't let this chance slip away.

But what did Kayden want to talk to me about? Why had he come all the way here when I visited the house every morning? He could've talked to me there.

As the minutes ticked by, a mix of anticipation and dread churned in my stomach. I took a deep breath, trying to steady myself for whatever was coming. I counted the minutes, feeling each second stretch out, and when I estimated he would be arriving soon, I made my way down to the ground-floor lobby to wait for him.

I caught sight of the car approaching the main entrance through the glass wall. It came to a stop, and my son stepped out, stretching to his full height. Still wearing his school uniform, he looked tall and lean, radiating health and vitality. My son was strikingly good-looking, destined to grow into an even more handsome man. As he walked across the lobby toward me, with his hands in his pants' pockets, I noticed several people doing a double take at the sight of him, clearly captivated by his presence.

Kayden didn't visit my office often, and the last time he had come, he hadn't experienced his growth spurts yet. In the past year, his physique had transformed dramatically, making it hard to reconcile the little boy he once was with the young man walking towards me. I imagined that people who had met him before would barely recognize him now.

He stopped in front of me and gave me a nod, "Dad," he said quietly.

Just to hear him call me " Dad " made my heart swell. He didn't say it with disdain like he had lately.

"Kayden," I smiled at him, wanting so much to leap forward and pull him into a hug.

"Can we go somewhere private to talk?" His voice was deep and low, and I sensed an undercurrent of tension.

"Sure." I searched his face for a clue but found none. At such a young age, Kayden had already mastered the art of the poker face. "We can use my office."

"Okay," he replied, his expression still unreadable.

We walked toward the elevator, and a few people greeted me along the way. I returned their nods and smiles, while Kayden offered only a subtle nod and a slight smile of his own. It was a small gesture, but I noticed that he had become more guarded, maintaining his distance even as he acknowledged those around us.

The atmosphere felt heavy with tension, at least to me, as we stepped into the elevator, the doors sliding shut with a soft thud behind us.

"How's school?" I asked, trying to make a conversation, after we both turned around to face the door.

"As usual," he replied, his tone casual. "Nothing special."

"How about basketball?"

"We won again last competition. Just a friendly match between schools."

I sucked in a breath. No one had told me he'd had a competition. I would have been there if I'd known. But he didn't realize that I wanted to be there, probably because I had disappointed him too many times. I needed to fix that real soon.

That's great, son." I clasped his shoulder, and he winced slightly before quickly schooling his expression to neutral. I couldn't tell which had caused the reaction—my touch or the fact that I called him ' son .' Either way, it twisted my chest with pain.

The soft ding of the elevator signaled our arrival. I let Kayden step out first and followed behind as he walked confidently toward my office, catching the attention of everyone he passed. When he reached Sean's desk, he stopped, looking at him intently for a moment before extending his hand.

"I'm Kayden. You must be Sean."

I racked my brain, trying to remember if I'd ever mentioned Sean to Kayden. Maybe he'd heard about him from Asha, or even Roy.

Sean rose from his seat, extending his hand with a broad smile as he accepted Kayden's handshake. He clearly recognized who Kayden was, seeing the resemblance to me in his features. "Yes, nice to meet you."

Kayden returned the smile briefly, then continued down the hall toward my office. I turned to Sean. "Hold all my calls and reschedule my meetings for today," I said.

"For how long?" he asked, looking a bit panicked. I knew that it wasn't that easy to reschedule my meetings as my calendar had never been empty.

"Until further notice," I replied, my gaze following Kayden.

I caught up to Kayden as he reached my office door, opened it and gestured for him to step inside. He walked in and took a seat in one of the chairs across from my desk without a word, his posture tense but composed. I closed the door behind us, my heart starting to pound a little faster.

I walked around to sit across from him, unsure of what to expect. Kayden's expression was unreadable, his gaze steady and fixed, but something about his demeanor felt more serious than usual.

"So," I began carefully, leaning forward. "What's on your mind?"

Kayden cleared his throat, taking a moment before he spoke. His gaze, which had been fixed on the desk, slowly lifted to meet mine. "I want to know how you're doing after the divorce."

The question caught me so off guard that I leaned back in my chair, momentarily at a loss for words. A few seconds passed before I finally spoke, deciding to be honest with him. "Not good, to be honest. I miss you and Chloe. I miss your mom."

He nodded, his eyes studying my face, as if gauging whether I was telling the truth.

"Are you still staying in the company's apartment?" he asked.

"Yes," I replied.

"Alone?"

I paused for a moment, wondering where he was going with this. "Yes. It's just me."

"You're a single man now, Dad." He said. I gave him a nod, my eyes intently searching for clues on his face. "So, is she going to be back in your life again?"

I felt my chest tighten as I searched for the right way to respond. "I never pursued her again, Kayden. I haven't contacted her since you found out."

"I know that." He gave me a small smirk. "But why, though? I kept wondering about it. After Mom kicked you out, you had every opportunity to get back together with her. But you didn't."

My gaze was puzzled as I looked at him. "Wasn't that the right thing to do?"

He crossed his arms, and I finally got a reaction, skepticism etched on his face. "Not too sure about that, Dad, but you have the right to believe whatever you want to believe."

"What do you believe, Kayden?" I asked, narrowing my eyes to him.

"I thought about it a lot. And I have a few theories, which I believe are the truth. You really want to hear what I think, Dad?"

I nodded, bracing myself for whatever was coming next. This felt like a defining moment for my relationship with my son. It was crucial that I respond with the truth while also giving the reassurance he needed to hear.

Kayden leaned forward, his expression serious. "I know that you love Mom, Dad. I never doubted it for a second. She's your family—the family you never had before. Let's face it, Grandad and Grandmama aren't exactly the poster-perfect parents. They were never really your family." He pulled back slightly, gauging my reaction, before continuing, "That's why you tried so hard to get us back. Because without us, you really had no family at all."

I opened my mouth to respond but hesitated, the weight of his words settling heavily on my chest. He looked like he still had more to say, so I decided to let him. I didn't know what to say anyway, but deep down, I was wrestling with the truth in his observation.

"But you love her as a woman, as a lover. That's the difference. With her, it's more intense and complicated." He paused, giving his words time to sink in. "It's as if you're torn between two worlds. Your family occupies one part of your life, while she occupies another, but you need both to feel whole."

Sixteen. My boy was only sixteen, and I could only stare at him in surprise at his insight.

"When Mom and I confronted you, it forced you to make a choice, and you chose family. You didn't want to return to the life you had before you met Mom—before you knew what it felt like to have a family. So, you sacrificed your feelings for her—for us."

I swallowed hard, struggling to respond. I didn't know why I had never viewed it that way, but now, hearing it spoken, I couldn't deny the truth in his words.

"Am I right so far, Dad?"

I was still mute, gaping at my son. I was truly at a loss for words.

"But Mom didn't buy it," Kayden continued, not waiting for my response. "She didn't believe you still wanted her the way a husband wants his wife. Mom knew she had lost you, and that's why she decided to divorce you. Honestly, I think it was the right thing to do because your love for that woman is so strong. Once the fear of losing us faded, it was only a matter of time before you'd find new reasons to chase her again. Because it kills you to feel so incomplete."

"Kayden," I finally found my voice, "even after the divorce, I still didn't pursue her again. You know that, right? So, there's a little flaw in your theories."

"Things have changed now. With her wedding canceled."

That jolted me upright in my seat, shock coursing through me. I glared at my son with suspicion, wondering how he knew. "Don't tell me you're still hacking her phone, Kayden. That's unethical, not to mention illegal!"

Kayden only shrugged, as if it wasn't a big deal.

"Tell me, Dad, will you pursue her again? There's nothing holding you two back now. You're single, and she's single. So, what's stopping you?"

I struggled to comprehend what I was hearing; it almost sounded like he was pushing me toward her. "I don't understand," I said, searching his face for any hint of what he was really thinking. "Why does it sound like you want me to go after her again?"

"Well, you could chase her again," he said casually. "Nobody is going to stop you now, right?" I wanted to say something about it, but he already spoke again, "But before you do that, I'm going to give you something to think about."

Oh, fuck. This was it—the reason for his visit, everything he'd come to say. I held my breath, bracing myself for whatever would come next.

"The two worlds I mentioned—you can only choose one, Dad. It's either me, your son, or her. If you choose her, you'll have the woman you love back. Maybe you'll be happy, build a new family, have more kids... or whatever." He took a trembling breath, his voice tight with each of the words spoken. I could see how hard it was for him to say this.

"But you'll lose me." His voice softened, a little shaky. "You won't be at my graduation. You won't be there on my first day of work, wishing me luck. You won't be the one I introduce to the woman I fall in love with. You won't stand by me at my wedding. You won't get to hold my kids or watch them grow."

He paused, gathering himself. "And maybe you'll lose Chloe too. We're closer than ever now because of losing you. You know that she'll choose my side instead of yours. And you've already lost Mom."

I leaned forward, resting my elbows on the desk, and covered my mouth with my hand, trying to conceal the shock I felt.

"That's the price you'll have to pay, Dad," he said, his voice gaining strength. "For what you did, for the choices you made. You'll never feel completely whole again. A part of you will always be missing, close enough to reach yet forever out of your grasp. Maybe you'll carry that for the rest of your life." He paused, taking a steady breath, his gaze locked onto mine. "So, I'm asking you now to choose which part of you to keep. Which one means more to you? Me, or her."

"Kayden, son," I leaned forward, reaching out to him, hoping he could feel the depth of my regret and my determination to make things right. Every word he'd spoken hit me at the struggle I faced every single day. I had come to accept that the loss would stay with me, that it was something I'd carry for the rest of my life. I'd prepared myself for that journey. "I already know my answer to that—"

He shook his head as he stood up. "I'm not asking for an answer right now, Dad. It's a big decision, and it deserves some real thought." He straightened, slipping his hands into his pockets. "And don't think that choosing me would magically fix things. The damage runs too deep. You'll still need to work to rebuild our trust. This is the only way for you to redeem yourself. Not to Mom, but to me and Chloe. As for Mom, I hope she never goes back to you. She deserves a new beginning."

He stepped back, turned toward the door, leaving me still stunned behind the desk. Just as he reached for the handle, he glanced back. "We're going away for the school break. For twelve weeks. We leave tomorrow. Going skiing."

No one had thought to tell me. I could have shown up at the house in the morning, only to find it empty. I wasn't even a factor in their lives anymore, not part of the considerations in everything going on. And the saddest part was, I didn't think they were doing it on purpose. I'd just distanced myself from them for so long that I'd faded out of their lives without even realizing it.

"Just the three of you?" I asked, hoping that Liam wouldn't be part of the trip. It felt too soon; I wasn't ready to confront that reality yet, especially the thought of him taking my place beside Kayden and Chloe.

"Uncle Max and Mason will be joining us for the first two weeks," he added, "and they'll be back for the last week. We'll take Sandy with us too." I released the breath I didn't realize I was holding, feeling relieved. Kayden looked thoughtful for a moment before he said, "Give me the answer before I go tomorrow, Dad. We'll be leaving the house at 5 p.m. to catch the night flight."

I could tell him my answer now, but I knew he wouldn't be convinced—not until he believed I'd truly thought it through. "Okay, son." I stood up and walked over to him. "I'll come by the house before you leave."

"Okay," he nodded, and for the first time since entering my office, I noticed sadness in his expression. It was as if he was exhausted from maintaining his facade and no longer had the energy to hide his true feelings. "I can show myself out. See you, Dad."

He turned to leave, and I watched him until he stepped into the elevator, our eyes holding each other's gaze until the doors closed. Silently, I promised myself I wouldn't let him down again.

Turning back toward my office, I pulled in a steadying breath. But just as I reached the door, my phone vibrated in my hand. I glanced down and saw Vanessa's name flash across the screen.

A message from her: "Please, Aiden. I really need to see you. Can we meet?"