Page 57 of The Breaking Point

And me.

And this moment we didn’t know we needed until it found us again.

Chapter 21

We’re back in the little room with the brown couch and Dr. Claudia. Already having told her about the date, how good it was, how easy. Like something old and familiar slipping back into place.

Dr. Claudia leans forward slightly; hands folded in her lap. “And what were your thoughts after the date?”

Aiden answers without missing a beat. “Great. Like… like we’re on the right path.”

I nod slowly. “It did feel great.” Pausing I add. “Until the thoughts came back.”

I turn toward him. “Until now, I always thought you cheated because you were cornered. Because marriage felt like something you had to do, not something you wanted. But last night…” I hesitate, searching his face. “You told me you wanted it. The wedding. The big celebration. You said it mattered to you.”

His eyes stay locked on mine, but he doesn’t speak.

“So thenwhy?” My voice softens, but the edge doesn’t leave. “And don’t tell me it was because you were drunk. It wasn’t just that night. It was the month before. You were distant. Angry. You snapped at your mom, at me. You shut down every time I asked what was going on. It was like you hated me.”

He drops his gaze, jaw tight. “I didn’t hate you.”

“Then, why Aiden? Why did you do it?”

There’s a long, heavy silence.

Then he exhales. “I was jealous, okay?”

I blink. “Jealous?”

He nods, voice low. “Your parents came back. After your grandma died. Offered to pay for the wedding. And you said no, you told them they didn’t have the right. But your dad looked…heartbroken. I know now that you were protecting yourself, and I get that. But back then…” He trails off, his hands fidgeting. I stay quiet, afraid that if I say anything, he’ll stop talking. “I thought ifyourparents could come back, maybeminewould too.”

That stops me cold.

He continues, voice shaking. “So, I went looking for him. My dad. I knew what he’d done, what he put my mom through but I still went. I didn’t tell you. You were already dealing with your own family, and I didn’t want to pile on. I didn’t want to admit that while your parents came back toyou, I had to chase mine down.”

He swallows. “I found him in Dallas. Just knocked on his door and… he knew. The second he saw me, he knew who I was. Invited me in, made coffee, started talking like it was some kind of reunion.” Aiden laughs once, bitter and hollow. “He told me about his kids. He has three. Same ages as ours. And he wassmiling, like it was all normal.”

I watch him. He doesn’t look at me.

“I snapped. Asked him how he could be so damn casual after walking away from me and my mom. Told him he was the villain in my story.” He draws a long breath. “That’s when he told me the truth. Said he didn’t leave with Mom’s best friend. Didn’t abandon me. He said… when I was ten, we were out riding bikes. I fell, broke my arm and needed surgery. At the hospital, they learned I was B positive.”

I frown slightly, not following until he adds, “My mom is O positive. He’s B.”

The realization hits me like a jolt.

He nods. “He knew that wasn’t possible. Got a DNA test and found out I wasn’t his. Turns out, my mom had been having an affair. With her married boss.Mybiological father. He confronted her, asked for a divorce. She fought for full custody and won. Then she cut off her best friend too, because she wasn’t okay with what Mom had done. He never leftme, she pushed him out.”

My breath catches.

“He had no idea we were struggling. By the time everything fell apart financially, he was already legally blocked. Turns out his boss’s wife found out too, gave him an ultimatum. He chose his family.”

Aiden goes quiet, then adds, barely audible, “The day I found all that out… you’d just had another fight with your parents. And I just, God, I was pissed. I didn’t want to be, but it hurt.” His voice breaks. “I didn’t tell my mom I knew. Just told her to back off, to respect your boundaries. That was the fight we had. I couldn’t even look at her anymore.”

He swipes a hand over his face. “The day before the wedding, my dad texted me. I’d invited him but he said he couldn’t come. His kid was sick.”

I already know what’s coming, but I wait.

“I went out that night. Got drunk. Told myself I could shake it. That I’d be okay. But I couldn’t get out of it. I kept spiralling. And then” His voice falters. “That night, when the stripper… when she… I pushed her off. The second I realized what was happening, Iswear to God, I pushed her off.”

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