Chasing His Rejected Wife

Aiden's gaze bore into mine, his eyes narrowing in frustration. "Time? Are we talking about a mere day or maybe two?" His voice laced with impatience, barely concealing his struggle to contain his emotions.

A bitter laugh escaped my lips, tinged with a sense of resignation. I shrugged, a gesture filled with uncertainty. "I wish I had a definite answer for you, Aiden, but I can't make any promises."

He turned away and crossed to the window, arms crossed against his chest, his chin propped on his hand as he stared outside. The silent tension stretched into minutes as we were both lost in our own thoughts. Finally, he turned back to me, jaw clenched.

"I'm willing to try everything I can to make this work," he told me. "I've treated you horribly, and much as I'd like to go back and erase my mistakes, as much as I regret the poor decisions I made, I cannot change it. What I can do is to try to make sure I don't make the same mistakes going forward."

I wanted to believe him, but if I were being honest with myself, I was too scared. My eyes narrowed, mirroring his frustration.

"Trying isn't enough, Aiden," I retorted, my words laden with a mix of anger and resentment. It was easy for him to say he'd change and make all sorts of promises, but there were way too many issues that I just couldn't look past. "I can't hinge my future and that of my child on a promise."

Tension hung heavily in the air, a suffocating silence punctuated by our sharp exchanges. I knew the weight of my indecision was wearing him down, just as it weighed on me, but I couldn't afford to be reckless or naive.

Not again. I couldn't let my emotions dictate my decisions. The last time I had allowed that to happen, I had convinced myself that my one-sided love for Aiden would be enough to make our marriage work.

And now, despite everything, there was a hidden part of me that still kindled with fresh hope, that wanted to give in to the delusion that Aiden's promises were genuine. That part wanted so badly to surrender to the illusion that a baby would somehow miraculously heal the wounds of the past.

Aiden took a deep breath, visibly struggling to regain his composure. "I understand," he said, his voice strained. "What would work for you, then?"

I looked up at him, seeing the first glint of hope. "Some space for a start. And some more time to think things through.

Another heavy sigh escaped his lips, laden with frustration and a touch of weariness. "And you don't have an exact timeframe in mind? What if the baby arrives before we even have a chance to talk?"

"It won't be an eternity," I interjected, my words rushed, desperate to assure him. "Three months, maybe even less. We'll have that conversation then, and we can decide what's best for us and our relationship."

Aiden fell silent, his gaze fixed on some distant point in the room as he contemplated my words. The weight of his decision hung heavily upon him, evident in the tension around his jaw and eyes. Finally, he nodded, his shoulders drooping in a gesture of somber acceptance.

"Fine," he conceded, his voice tinged with a mix of resignation and quiet determination. "I'll give you the time you need. But know that I won't be waiting forever."

My heart jumped in elation. Was this really happening? I'd become too accustomed to just going along with what Aiden wanted, that this concession filled me with a newfound confidence.

"Thank you." My voice was soft and filled with genuine appreciation.

"But in the meantime, I want to be kept abreast of your welfare and that of the child." He added. "I would like to be a part of the baby's development and that includes doctor visits and hopefully...more." "We'll work something out." I assured him, nodding in assent.

*****

I was glad to finally be leaving the hospital. I hadn't been lying when I told Anna I hated hospitals, something about being here amidst the smells brought back memories of my mother's various visits to the hospital and left me feeling depressed.

"Careful." Aiden's hand landed on my lower back as he gently steered me out of the path of a patient being wheeled past us. The pressure of his hand, warm and possessive against my back, temporarily distracted me from my melancholic thoughts.

That touch, casual as it was meant to be, was unexpected. In all the time we had been married, I could count on the fingers of one hand the number of times Aiden had willingly let himself touch me like this. The night we had created our baby did not count, because he'd been drunk and I was pretty damn sure that had he been sober, he would have rather flung himself out the window than touch me.

Yet, here he was, his hand still a tender anchor against my back as he steered me towards the exit where Martin waited, leaning against the car, his crisp uniform defying the warmth of the evening.

"Good day, Mrs. Brown." Martin's face split in a genuine smile as soon as he spotted me. He straightened and moved to take my hospital bag from Aiden. "It's good to see you again and well."

"Thanks, Martin. It's good to see you too." I smiled back, warmed by the care he displayed. Aiden opened the back door and gently guided me in. I didn't miss the hand he placed against the edge of the door to shield my head from knocking against it. This new version of Aiden was a tad disorienting and I didn't know what to make of it.

I sank into the plush leather seat, relieved to be off my feet. Much as I felt better, the weight of uncertainty still lingered in my mind. Aiden climbed into the other side, the scent of him, the scent of his cologne, a subtle blend of sandalwood and cedar, wafted through the car, enveloping me and I shut my eyes and tried not to dwell too much on the effect it had on my senses.

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I was vaguely aware of Martin getting into the driver's seat until I heard him ask Aiden. "Where to, Sir?"

I opened my eyes in time to see Aiden glance at me, his expression guarded. "Where do you want to go first?" He asked me.

"Umm...my apartment." I replied, then paused, suddenly remembering something important. "Actually, can we stop by a furniture shop first?"

Aiden's brows rose in surprise. "A furniture shop?"

"I need to buy a bed," I said feeling a bit sheepish. "Well, a mattress at least."

"You don't have a mattress at your place?" His brows rose even higher, mouth twisting downward in disapproval.

"Well, I don't have any sort of furniture yet," I chuckled and quickly sobered when I noticed Aiden's dark expression. "I didn't exactly plan on moving out this quickly, so I'm still in the process of buying the stuff I need."

"I see." He said, though his tone clearly indicated he was having second thoughts about letting me stay on my own. But then, he turned to Martin, "Take us to a furniture store."

"Yes Sir."

The ride to the store was silent, mostly because I spent most of it with my eyes shut, pretending to be asleep in order to avoid more questions until Martin pulled up in front of a furniture shop.

Once more, Aiden helped me out of the car, his hand remained on my elbow as he guided me into the shop.

Inside, a store clerk, an attractive brunette in her early twenties, approached us with an eager smile. "How may I help you Sir? I'm Julia, and I'll be happy to serve you today."

I didn't miss the admiring look she gave Aiden or the way her eyes lingered on his handsome face, nor did I miss the change in her demeanor, from professional to well...flirty, even though I was standing right there, and Aiden still had his hand on my elbow.

Before today, I would have felt some stirrings of jealousy at being ignored so blatantly, but right now, I couldn't bring myself to care. She didn't stand a chance anyway, not against the love of his life, Elisa. Speaking of Elisa...I wondered how she had taken the news that Aiden had decided against divorce, and on the heels of the loss of her baby too. Again, I could barely bring myself to care much.

"We'd like to see some of your best beds." Aiden answered, his gaze sweeping over the shop which seemed to deal exclusively in bedroom furniture and accessories.

"Of course, Sir." She damn near batted her lashes at him with a sickening smile. "What would be your preference regarding size?"

"It's not for me, it's for my wife." Aiden replied, gesturing to me.

She glanced at me, as if noticing me for the first time and her smile dimmed a little. "Okay. We have double, queen sizes, king's."

"Umm..." I paused and tried to visualize the bedroom in my apartment. It wasn't an overly big room by any means, nowhere near as large as my room back in Aiden's house. "I think a queen size should be just fine."

The next hour passed with us looking at several samples, but finally, I settled on a bed and mattress I liked, along with some sheets and pillows. Aiden and I got into a small argument when he insisted on paying for my purchases but I soon gave in, exhaustion dogging my heels from being on my feet too long.

The clerk promised us that I could get the bigger items delivered before the store closed at five, while we left the store, Aiden's arms were laden with packages from the other things I'd ended up buying.

Back in the car, I was exhausted and hungry. I had no food at my place and getting a delivery would take more time than I wanted to wait. I turned to Aiden, intending to ask if we could stop to pick up something to eat but then, his phone rang.

In the dim light, it was easy to see the name that popped up on the screen and reality crashed down on me. Dully, I watched as Aiden glanced down, then up at me, a muscle ticking in his jaw as he seemed to be torn about answering. I feigned nonchalance and looked away. "You should get that. She probably needs your help with something."