Chapter 7
48%
###Chapter 7
After Aaron hit send on that last message, the group chat went silent.
A few minutes passed before the replies trickled in.
[It’s your first time playing around, man. Makes sense you’d be a little carried away. If Cassidy’s smart, she won’t make a scene.]
[But still… Cassidy’s not from our world. I heard her family’s the real proper kind. If this gets back to the Blakes, it’s gonna be ugly.]
[Aren’t you afraid she’ll just walk away? This isn’t exactly easy to swallow.]
Aaron froze.
The thought had crossed his mind–but he shoved it away.
No. I wouldn’t leave him.
He started typing again.
[I’m not divorcing Cassidy. Once Nancy gives birth, I’ll give the baby to Cassidy to raise. I’ll make sure Nancy’s taken care of financially–paying my debt. Cassidy’s the one I’m building my future with.]
[She won’t leave me.]
That was the last message anyone sent.
No one responded after that.
The silence hung heavy, but Aaron couldn’t sit still. His thumb hovered before opening my chat window. Still no messages. Nothing in three days.
He scrolled back up through their thread, looking for the last time we’d talked. Half a month ago.
That was when he first reached out to Nancy again. Things had been good between them -sweet, even. He hadn’t even noticed me going quiet.
Now, staring at that empty screen, something stirred in him.
But he pushed it down.
Ten years–I wouldn’t give up on him over this.
And it’s not like he hadn’t been honest. I knew what was going on. I was just upset, waiting
for him to fix it.
I had become so much more mature since I’d come back into his life. I didn’t get angry easily like I used to.
Except lately, yeah, I’d had a few moments. Nancy was the trigger, obviously. But even then, I always cooled off quickly. I was being upset just meant I still cared. Feeling oddly reassured, Aaron dialed my number for the first time in days.
No answer.
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08:37 Tue, 17 Jun
He waited a beat, then called again.
Still nothing.
Three. Four. Five calls–straight to voicemail.
A faint crack of worry spread across his features.
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He shot my a string of texts–over a dozen–but none of them delivered. His gut started to twist. He was just about to call someone to check in on me, when Nancy suddenly walked through the door.
Nancy slid her arms naturally around Aaron’s neck from behind, her voice sweet and
curious.
“Who are you texting, babe? You’re frowning like you just got some bad news.
Aaron locked his phone with a blank expression and replied flatly, “Nothing. Just checking out some wedding venues. How’s your dad doing? Any better?”
Nancy’s smile stiffened. She wasn’t stupid–no one frowned like that while looking at wedding venues. She knew exactly what was going on. Aaron was still in touch with me. The thought sent a bitter spark of jealousy through her chest, but she quickly masked it with concern.
