I waited to hear Aiden''s voice but he said nothing. There was a long silence that I almost thought they had finished talking until the other voice spoke up again. I now assumed that the owner of the voice was Martin.


    He said, "I can still help, if you let me.


    "How would you do that?" Aiden asked almost immediately. I pressed my hand slowly to the wall as I wondered what it was they were talking about. At first, I thought, it wasn''t proper of me to eavesdrop on them.. But then again, I couldn''t help myself, especially after hearing about something beautiful being ruined:


    "I would confess to her that I staged the whole thing," Martin''s voice boomed through the morning and a frown settled on my brows. "I can still remember all the cheap dresses bought and even how I ced them."


    What were they talking about? What does he want to help Jordan with? And why did Jordan sound so hurt? What was staged?


    I had so many questions but their answers eluded me. And I knew there was only one way to find out. I stayed and listened more.


    "You''ve got a retentive memory," Aiden murmured back dryly.


    "I also didn''t tell you the whole truth that day," Martin said, his voice dripping with guilt.


    Aiden piped up and with his tone, I could tell that he was trying to lighten up the mood. "Interesting. What? You weren''t paid to do it? You were interested in my girl?"


    My frown deepened.


    Martin let out a breathyugh. "Of course not. I didn''t even know her."


    Chapter DóTT


    I zoned out. Who the hell are they talking about? Is Aiden now in another rtionship? Not that I wanted to go back to dating him. I was just curious. But their tone was a mncholic one and it didn''t sound like he was happy in this rtionship. It was either that or they were not longer together.


    I zoned back into the conversation, gently scolding myself for missing the bit that I did as Martin said with a nervous chuckle, "Sorry, your ext girlfriend."


    My heart mmed against my chest. Ex girlfriend? Could that be me? I wondered as I continued to listen attentively, refusing to lose


    concentration another time.


    Aiden''s next words answered all of my questions.


    "You know, she''s actually here," he announced.


    And Martin said, "It''s Anastasia, right?"


    By this time, my heart was beating wildly in my chest as I reyed the previous snippets of their conversation that I had heard and pieced everything together.


    It was staged. Those words echoed in my ears and my legs almost gave beneath me.Text property ? N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org.


    Shock couldn''t begin to properly describe how stunned I was. I was mortified. All these years and it had all been a ruse. I had pushed the most loving and caring man I ever had away all because of a lie. I had moved far away from him all because of a lie.


    I felt a tear slip down my face. By all indications, it had been implied that Martin was involved in the staging and I felt the need to go in there and yell in his face and hit him, pour out some of this anger and shame and sadness that had suddenly overwhelmed me. But I couldn''t.


    I couldn''t go in there and face Aiden. Not now, not ever. My eyes clouded with tears, my heart heavy with guilt as I ran back to my room.


    All those years of crying and cursing Aiden, of judging him...


    I ruined everything we had. I ruined the special connection. I ruined the trust and love that we had built for years because I didn''t stop to take a second look or confront my boyfriend about what I saw. I ruined everything because I was too scared to hear him admit that he cheated


    on me.


    It was still early and there was barely anyone out yet and I was d for that. Because as I ran to my room, the tears wouldn''t stop pouring and with each step I took, my sobs got louder, my shoulders trembling.


    In my room, the plumber was still at work. I opened the door to the bathroom where he was working. "Please, leave," I said in a trembling voice.


    The plumber looked up from what he was doing, surprised but even more surprised when he saw my face.


    "I uh," he gaze riveted from my face to the pipe, "I''m not-"


    "Get out!" I yelled, weeping. I crumbled to the bathroom doorway and wrapped my arms around myself. "Please, leave," I whispered.


    "I''ll return to fix it," he stammered as he rushed out of the room


    I ruined everything, I thought as I locked the door, buried myself in my bed and soaked the pillow.