Begin Again novel Chapter 107

"—You didn't want to talk to us; you shut us out for two years!" Like she always did, Erica dredged up the past, conveniently forgetting her part in the mess.

But Eden wouldn't let her get off scot-free. "And who's fault is it, Mom? Mine? You gave me no other choice!"

"You didn't want to tell us who Aiden's father is. You still don't. Is it Liam? I've been thinking a lot since we saw him last Friday—"

"I told you it's not him! Don't bring him up again!" Eden stopped her before she could go far with her quest for the truth, her eyes drifting back to the window, to the man in question.

It was becoming increasingly harder to fight off the urge to pack her shit up and leave town again since her friends had brought up the idea at the playground. But she couldn't leave until Liam was okay.

She held his gaze for a while, wondering if he missed her and if he regretted their fight as much as she did.

She would have carried on with their ogling match if her mom didn't try to make a play for the mother of the year award again. "If you want to talk, your father and I are here for you."

Eden gritted her teeth; she didn't want to talk. What good would it do when they'd already decided to end their marriage and ruin all their lives?

"Mom, I have to go," she interrupted her second or maybe third round of apologies. She was so tired of people doing stuff and then apologising for their shitty actions. If sorry was enough, then there wouldn't be the need for the police.

Her parents, Liam, Lucy.

Everyone thought it was simply okay to treat her like shit, and a 'sorry' would excuse their actions.

Her mom was trying now with her million sorries. Lucy came in earlier to offer a half-hearted vague 'sorry'. Liam, too. The vase and the painting were supposed to be his apology for the incident with the cookies and the shit in Linda's office.

How many more sorries would she have to take?

How much longer would she allow everyone to trample all over her?

"Let's have dinner soon," Erica suggested.

"No, Mom," Eden outright refused.

It ended here. No more sorries. No more being treated like everyone's bashing doll.

"I'm good. Your announcement shattered me briefly, but I'm okay. And I don't care if you both want to ruin your lives. At least calling it quits is the first real, authentic thing you've done in twenty-six years, so there's that."

"Eden—"

"Goodbye, Mom!"

She hung up the phone and stood dead still for several minutes as she held on to the edge of her desk, willing herself to get her emotions in check. Walking into an interview emotional wouldn't serve her well, even if it was for a handyman vacancy.

Feeling calm, at last, Eden pulled out her compact case from her handbag and retouched her lipstick before snapping on her oversized shades. She smiled at her reflection, pleased to see she could easily pass for a B-lister celebrity. Just the look she's going for.

She grabbed her handbag and dashed out of her office, colliding with Liam outside her door.

"What the fuck did she do you?" He asked, his voice deathly silent. "How hard did she hit you? How many times? It wasn't just a slap, was it?"

"It's nothing. I'm okay, Sir." Eden snatched the shades back from him and pushed them in place again. "I have to go."

"It's 10:50 AM. Where could you possibly be going so early in the morning?"

"I've cleared it with Matthew, Sir!"

"Ms McBride—" Liam gritted his teeth, an angry glint in his eyes. "Where are you off to?"

"I'm meeting a friend, Sir," she raised her chin stubbornly.

He glared at her for a while, a small muscle twitching in his jaw the deeper his scowl grew. She was starting to think he planned to keep her there the whole day in their little standoff when he sidestepped her, snarling over his shoulder as he brushed past her, his back stiff with tension and anger. "Be back here in an hour."

"I'll head straight to the venue," she called after him as she watched him leave.

She would never get used to that, seeing him so cold and aloof again. But what did you expect, she thought as she called the lift to take her to the ground floor. She couldn't have her cake and eat it too.

"It will get better," she told herself as she trudged to Isaac's building across the street.

Would it, though? Would things ever get better between them?