Chasing His Rejected Wife
Chapter 22 -

"I don't know what to do." I whined to Anna who was busy devouring the lunch I'd been too worked up by Aiden's unreasonable demand to stay married. "This is ridiculous! I'm finally ready to get over my love for him and move on and now he wants me back?"

After Aiden had left, I'd sent an SOS text to Anna, and in true best friend fashion, she'd dropped everything and hustled over here to offer some much needed advice and comfort.

"I didn't peg him for the traditional type." Anna muttered, pushing aside pieces of red onions from the salad. "And correction, Aiden doesn't want you back, rather he wants the child." "Exactly!" I sat up and tucked my legs under me. "I mean his own family is not exactly the one man, one woman typical suburban family. Julian married four times for heaven's sakes."

"I dunno, it could be why he's so hung up on creating the picture perfect family." Anna replied with a shrug. "Statistically, it could be said that people who come from fragmented families tend to create normal ones themselves."

"Well he can go do that with Elisa, for heaven's sakes." I groaned. "They're both young, they can have more children if they put their minds to it. I just want him to leave me alone."

"So, what are you going to do?" To get a divorce, you need two consenting signatures before a judge will grant you one, unless you can prove either infidelity or something equally similar."

"I could cite infidelity." I mused, chewing on my nails. "He did cheat on me with Elisa after all."

"Yes, you could. But knowing Aiden, he won't let you go that easy. What you should do is talk to a lawyer and see what options you have."

"Yeah, I guess so." I was a bit reluctant to go that route because I knew the outcome could be messy. I also knew that Aiden employed a team of excellent lawyers who would pose a formidable force against me unless I hired someone exceptionally good. I may have money, but I wasn't wealthy enough to spend money on a similar team like his.

"Another thing you could do is to take control of the situation." Anna suggested. She polished off the last of the salad and made a start on the chicken.

"What do you mean?" I shot her a questioning look. "How am I supposed to do that?"

She pointed her fork at my belly. "You've got the leverage - the bargaining chip - if you will. He wants to stay married for the baby? Fine. But that puts you in a position to make some demands. You get where I'm going with this, right?" "I do. But, I dunno, won't that just be me manipulating the situation? I'd essentially be doing the very thing I've been denying."

"Well, he pushed your hand and you should let him know that." Anna replied. "He can't be the only one making demands and he needs to understand that you won't let him walk all over your feelings anymore. If he wants to stay married, he needs to stay faithful and stop treating you like some unwanted vermin that turned up at his front porch."

"Ouch." I couldn't help but wince at the comparison. "Do you think it'll work?"

"It will if you do it right. Take charge and don't let him use one of his glares to intimidate you. Jess, you're a tough girl, except when it comes to Aiden, but you need to summon up some backbone when making your wants known otherwise, he'll ride right over you as usual."

I winced again, stung at the bitter truth. That was one thing I liked about Anna, she had a way of giving me a swift kick back to reality. And she was right about this. I was someone who had learned from a young age to stand up for myself, thanks to a mother who used emotional tricks to manipulate people around her, myself included, into doing things her way and guilt tripping anyone who went against her.

"Okay, so I admit I do get a bit awkward around him." I admitted with reluctance. I leaned forward to snatch a drumstick from Anna's mouth. Ignoring her protest, I took a bite and chewed for want of something to do. "But, in my defense, Aiden has got the intimidating look down to a science."

"He doesn't scare me." Anna scoffed and bit into another piece of chicken. "I'll willingly do the dirty work for you if you want."

"That's a tempting offer," I sighed longingly then shook my head in regret. "But I think it's better if I do it myself. Like you said, I need to grow some balls if I want to have a chance at not repeating the last two miserable years." "Atta girl." Anna patted my thigh reassuringly. "Give him hell."

I grimaced and sighed again. "I should just stick to my original plan and walk away. It was less daunting than this."

"Well, there's still on the table, if you prefer it." Anna informed me. "It might be a tad difficult now since Aiden will not willingly grant you a divorce, but you can still walk away, as a separation, if not divorce."

While I pondered this, Anna polished off the rest of the food and began cleaning up. "By the way, about that safety box? Have you been able to open it?"

"Not yet, sorry." She replied with an exasperated sigh. "Turns out getting the blueprints for the design is much harder than I thought. It's not impossible, but it'll just take a while longer."

I didn't have a while longer. I needed to return the safety deposit box to Aiden's room at the manor before he noticed it was missing.

"I need that box back, Anna." I said. "Even if you haven't been able to open it, can I have it?"

"Okay, I'll bring it to your new apartment tomorrow evening. You're being discharged in the morning, right?"

I nodded and looked around. "I can't wait to leave this place."

Anna lifted an eyebrow, and cast a critical eye around the room too, mouth twisted in a smile. "You're surrounded by the most expensive furniture in a luxury hospital room, and you want to leave in a hurry?"

"I do. Hospitals give me the itch." I replied and scratched at a spot in my arm for emphasis and we both burst into laughter. It was true though, I disliked hospitals and looked forward to going back to my new place.

******

"That's unacceptable," Aiden's tone left no room for argument, his expression warning me not to even think of putting up a fight. I stared back at him, my arms crossed petulantly, trying to level a stubborn look despite our significant height difference. It was hard to participate in a stare down when he stood at six-two and I was only five foot five.

"I'm not moving back to the house," I insisted, my voice tired but firm. "I need some space right now, Aiden. I have an apartment that's perfectly fine, and most of my stuff is already there."

Aiden dismissed my argument with a huff, his frustration evident. "That's hardly the issue, Jessica. After what happened, you need rest and proper care. Our house has staff who can see to your needs and ensure you get the recommended amount of rest and care for the baby."

Anger welled up inside me as his words stung. "I don't need staff to take care of me," I retorted sharply, my voice laced with exhaustion. "I need time to recover and heal, not to be suffocated by constant reminders of how miserable I've been." Aiden's eyes narrowed, his jaw clenching as he struggled to maintain his composure. "This is about more than just you and me, Jessica. We have a baby on the way, and I'll do what it takes to ensure they stay safe. Besides, we need to stay together and work through our problems if we are to stay married."

A bitter laugh escaped my lips as I felt a surge of resentment. "Oh, now you suddenly care about working through our problems? Where was that concern when you were too busy hating me for just existing? Or when I had to spend nights alone in my bed wondering where you were and torturing myself with thinking about you in Elisa's -"

I cut off, too wound up to continue, not wanting to expose too much of my pain. "Anyway, I haven't yet agreed to stay married, Aiden, not if things are just going to go back to living like strangers under the same roof. If I need that kind of relationship, I can just get a roommate."

Regret flickered across Aiden's face, his gaze softening momentarily. "I admit I haven't been the best husband, but I would like to try once more."

I took in a deep, shaky breath and sat down, unsure of what to think, conflicting emotions racing through me. I wanted to believe him, but then memories of the cold, lonely nights and uncertainties of the day would resurface.

"I need time," I whispered, my voice strained. "Time to rest, time to recover from what happened. And I need time to figure out if staying married is truly what's best for me and our baby."