Page 47 of All That She Needs

I laughed."Catch you later, big guy,"

I closed the app, still laughing, when my phone beeped again. I glanced at the name on the screen. Richard Malloy. My divorce attorney. His message said he had the draft ready and requested a meeting.

My heart gave a painful pinch. Suddenly, it all became too real. Twenty years with Aiden. Eighteen years of marriage. Two wonderful children together. We'd been through so much—navigating life's ups and downs, raising our kids while we were still students, building our careers, struggling and succeeding together. And now, it was all coming to an end.

The weight of it hit me hard, and for a moment, I just sat there, staring at the screen, feeling the finality of it all. This was it. Everything we had built—every shared laugh, every intimate moment, every milestone reached—was about to be reduced to legal paperwork and signatures. It felt surreal to think that years of our lives could be summed up in a few documents.

Memories flooded my mind: the day Aiden and I first met, the joy of bringing our children into the world, the countless family vacations and quiet evenings spent together. All those moments, once vibrant and full of life, now felt overshadowed by the harsh reality of what was to come—a reality I had never once considered would happen to me. I had always pictured our life together, growing old side by side, but now that vision was broken, leaving only remnants of what we had and a dream of a future that would never be.

And I couldn't shake the heavy feeling of loss in my chest, wondering all over again if I really had the strength to do this.

Part 26: Asha

I hadn't visited Aiden's office in so many months.

Especially since I knew that she'd be there, I couldn't bring myself to go. And the last time I had an unannounced visit, I came face to face with the girl Aiden was having an affair with, who stared at me with wide, fearful eyes, like a deer caught in a headlight. I was much taller than her, and it satisfied me to look down while she quivered in fear. We exchanged glances for a brief, powerful moment. And in those few seconds, she realized I knew.

My eyes said, I know you know what my husband looked like naked.

Her eyes said,oh shit, I think she knows I know what her husband looked like naked.

And most importantly, she also knew that I was only seconds away from stabbing one of her fucking doe's eyes with my Louboutin's heel.

She opened Aiden's office door for me, glancing nervously at my husband, who stood behind his desk looking equally unsettled, as if seeking protection. I leaned down to her and whispered, "He won't protect you, dear. Not when he needs to protect himself from me."

Her face went white as a sheet. Her hand shook as she gripped the door handle and quietly closed it behind me.

Then I swiveled to the side and smiled at my lying, cheating asshole of a husband. "She's lovely, isn't she?" Imoseyed across the room, then sat in the chair across from him. "All boobs and ass. Big eyes. Gullible face." I clunk my tongue. "But not your type, right?"

Aiden shook his head slowly, looking so tense, like a rubber band about to snap. He swallowed hard. "You're my type."

"Yes. I knew that." Then I glared at him. "There's nothing I should worry about, right?"

He swallowed again. "Of course not."

"Hey, are you not going to kiss me?" I fake pouted. He should have known that there was something wrong with me because I never pouted. I glared. I cursed. I yelled. But I never pout.

Like there was lightning striking him, he jumped from his seat and rounded the table. He cradled my face with both hands before he leaned down and gave me a long, deep kiss that was a little sloppy and jittery from trying too hard. "Hi," his gaze softened, smiling fondly as he looked at me. Although he was fucking another woman, Aiden still adored me. I remember wondering,How does he do it?Living a double life, lying constantly—how could he manage that? I always knew Aiden was smart, very smart. But I hadn't realized his brain had the capacity to hold so many lies. Wouldn't he worry he'd forget what he was lying about? Or maybe, at some point, he just didn't care anymore.

And then I realized too late that those luscious lips that had just kissed me were probably kissing her a few minutes before. I suddenly wanted to throw up. Or washed my mouth with bleach.

This visit, even though somewhat different from the last, I still found his assistant staring at me with wide eyes. I tilted myhead to the side, a bit confused. "Sean, right?" The guy was still staring and didn't respond. As if seeing my face rendered him utterly stupid. "I'm Asha."

I offered my hand, and his gaze fell to it, before he looked up again and snapped out of his daze. "Umm... sorry. I apologize. You're just so beautiful. Yes. I'm Sean. Pleasure to meet you, Asha." he rambled nervously, quickly accepting the handshake. I smiled at him. He's cute. "Aiden is waiting for you in his office."

"Thank you." I gave him a nod. He walked ahead to open the door for me. When I stepped inside, Aiden wasn't hiding behind his big mahogany desk like he had last time. Instead, he practically flew across the room, pulling me into a bear hug that not only startled me but also shocked the hell out of Sean.

"I miss you." Aiden rambled against my neck, tightening his arms around me. The soft click behind me told me that Sean had left the room. "You're here."

"Let me go, Aiden," I grumbled, trying to wiggle my way out of his big arms. "I didn't come here for this."

His sigh warmed my neck before he finally let go. "But you're here," he said softly. "I was hoping you came because you missed me."

I rubbed my forehead in frustration and let out a long exhale. "Let's sit down. I need to sit down." I walked toward the seating area, where two sets of brown leather sofas—which probably cost as much as a car—sat under the large windows overlooking the lake behind the building. The lake sat on the property which the company privately owned. It suddenly hit me: Aiden's office had the perfect location. Secluded. Even with the floor-to-ceiling windows, no one could see the inside unless they were illegally sailing on a boat, parked right in front of the building, peering through binoculars up to the 21st floor whereAiden's office was. How the fuck it never occurred to me right until this moment.

I turned to him, disgust curling in my chest. "Tell me, Aiden."

"Yes, sweetheart?"

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