Page 30 of All That She Needs

"I'm so sorry," he said softly. I avoided looking at him directly, as I couldn't bear to see him looking at me with sympathy.

"It needs to be done. I realized that now."

"What happened?"

"Kayden confronted him."

Dennis gasped in shock. "What? How come?"

"Apparently, my son's a hacker. He was suspicious, so he hacked into Aiden's phone, her phone, and their emails. He found out everything on his own. He doesn't want his father living here anymore, and neither do I."

"That's so fucked up, Asha," Dennis mumbled, looking at me with disbelief. "I can't imagine what Kayden must be feeling."

My shoulder slumped, thinking the same thing. "Yeah. It's my fault I let it get this far."

"Oh, no." Dennis shook his head vehemently. "Don't you dare blame yourself. He's the one who caused this mess. He's the one who couldn't keep his dick in his pants. He has no dignity, no self-respect, and most importantly, no respect foryou. He's the one who neglected his family, the one who betrayed you. He made his choices. Now, he has to deal with the consequences,"

"I know. But I still can't shake the guilt, like I should've done something."

"It's not too late, Asha. You've done the right thing by standing up for yourself. You've been exhausted for so long—mentally and emotionally. Now, it's time to focus on you. Take a breath, give yourself permission to relax, and start enjoying life again."

"He asked me for another chance," I said quietly. "Honestly, I thought he was going to tell me he'd chosen her. I expected this to be the moment he made his choice, and I thought it would be her. But he was practically begging to stay."

"And what did you say?" Dennis asked carefully.

"I told him to move out. And I'll be packing his things."

Dennis smiled, clearly proud. "That's Good. Let him stew and be miserable for a bit, and then you can figure out what to do next."

I shook my head. "No need to think. I'm going to see a divorce lawyer at four p.m. today, and you're coming with me."

To my surprise, Dennis looked concerned, not ecstatic like I expected. "Are you sure, Ash? You need to really think things through first. I know I always said that you had to confront him and give him a lesson, but divorce is a big thing. It involved not only you, but your children as well. You need to be really sure."

"I've never been more sure. For me to take care of my children, I need to have the right frame of mind. I need to set an example to them where we stand up for ourselves. I can't do that if I'm miserable all the time."

Dennis paused, thinking it over. "Yeah, I guess you're right. As long as you're really sure, Asha. I just don't want you to decide in anger."

"I am angry, but I'm sure, I promise." I said. Then I headed to the bathroom. "Start packing. Don't bother folding. Just toss his stuff into boxes. And if you see something you think he liked, feel free to shred them to fucking pieces. You'll find big scissors somewhere near the boxes."

I heard Dennis squeal with delight just before I shut the bathroom door. "Yippee! We're going to have so much fun!"

Part 15: Asha

I found Aiden standing in our living room early in the morning, looking lost and miserable. Irritation surged through me as I narrowed my eyes at him. Without thinking, I marched over, jabbing a finger in his direction. "Why are you here?" I snapped as I came to a stop in front of him. "You don't live here anymore, Aiden. You need to tell me if you want to come, and I'll decide if you're allowed or not."

"This is my home too, Asha," he said gently, his calm tone only pissed me off even more.

"Not anymore," I shot back. "This hasn't been your home for months. It's just a stopover for you on your way to where you really want to be."

He didn't have a response to that. Instead, he just dropped his head and sighed. "I want to see the kids before I go to the office. I miss them." He looked up at me, his eyes searching mine. "I miss you."

I rolled my eyes at his bullshit, not believing a word of it. I was done being a doormat, letting him think he could just charm his way out of everything. What he did was cruel, and he fucking ruined my life. "You have to get used to being a guest in this house, Aiden. You've lost your privilege. And I swear to you, if you keep this up, I will fight for full custody. You'll only be allowed here on a scheduled visit. Is that what you want?"

"No," he said weakly. "But you wouldn't do that, Asha. You're not vindictive. It's not you."

"Yeah?" I scoffed, crossing my arms over my chest. "Watch me."

He stared at me with bewilderment, as if my outburst shocked him. The Asha standing in front of him was not the one he used to know. He probably never expected that I would finally grow a backbone. "Asha," he breathed my name with such tenderness that once would have disarmed me. In the past, it would have softened me. Made me do literally anything for him. He would just extend his hand, beckoning me to him, and I would go like I was compelled. Then I would bury far deep in the back of my head any disappointment, any suspicion, any anger, and let myself drown in denial that whatever wrong he did was excusable, somehow forgivable.

---