My Regretful Ex Husband

03. The Hospital: She's Back!

I sat on the cold hospital chair trying to control my breath that had grown edgy and ragged. Mother was still crying uncontrollably on the floor. Marcus was standing by the wall, with his back turned to me. He wasn't trying to console mother anymore, well it must be hard to console someone when you needed consoling yourself.

I felt distraught for them, but my heart ached for my mother the most. I knew what it was like to lose someone you had sworn to love forever, and especially in a way you never expected.

It was still a shock to me. I had expected him to make a full recovery but now he was gone and I had no idea how I was supposed to feel.

We were never close, and even though I was certain that he never loved me, I still cared deeply for him. After all, regardless of however our relationship might have been, he was still my father, the only one I had. Of course I loved him.

"Hey, how're you holding up?"

I looked up at my ex husband who was staring at me with so much concern. He arrived about thirty minutes ago and we just sat together in silence until he finally spoke to me.

I nodded, unsure of how I was supposed to reply him. All through our marriage, Liam had never looked at me with that much care in his eyes. And I could tell that even now, as he stared into my eyes, I could tell that he was seeing her, and not me. He was worrying about her, and not me.

"I'm okay." I added.

It seemed like I was the only one who didn't shed a single tear after hearing the news. I didn't know if it was because I had cried so much for him when he was alive, or maybe the shock still hadn't left my body, but my eyes were completely dry.

From the corner of my eyes, I noticed someone walking towards me, and when I looked up, Marcus was staring down at me. I didn't understand the look in his eyes, but for a brief moment, a flicker of warmth seemed to brighten up his eyes. But it was only for the slightest moment.

"Is something wrong?" I asked.

"Mom called sis Alexa to hurry home because dad was in an accident. Presently, she's unaware that he's gone."

At the sound of her name, Liam inhaled sharply, uncrossing his folded legs. When I looked at his face, that warm version of him that was concerned about me just a few seconds ago had vanished completely. He was gone again.

I knew Alexa would come back home, it was only natural that she did. "Okay." I said.

I was sure that even after all those years of being apart, she would still despise me when we met. Maybe Marcus was trying to ask me to leave, because I knew she would never want to be in the same place as me.

"Your brother is telling you this so you can behave yourself around her." Mother said, standing up from the ground. "And I also expect you to be on your best behavior and give her the space she needs."

"The space she needs, don't you even care about what I need too?"

"You stole my daughter away from me ten years ago! You took her from me, you betrayed her trust in you, and you almost ruined my relationship with my delicate princess. I will not let you do it to me again. Especially not now, not when I need my family around me." Mother shot at me with an icy glare.

"I'm your daughter too mom!! Or did you forget? You had two daughters. And if you feel otherwise, then why am I even here?"

Without waiting for her reply, I stormed out of the building. My vision had blurred with fresh set of tears but I did my best not to shed them.

I was just nineteen years old, I was young and blind, why did they keep reminding me of the childish mistake I made? I had paid terribly for my mistakes, and I was still paying for it. So why wouldn't they just let it go? How much longer would I have to suffer for them to be pleased?

Once I was outside the building, the cool breeze of the late afternoon flowed through me, calming my trembling nerves. I inhaled deeply, trying to keep myself from crying but it didn't do me much good.

"Come on Aria, you're a grown woman. You can't cry out here." I told myself, but even that didn't help no matter how many times I repeated it.

I collapsed to the ground, hugging my knees close to my body. I didn't care that I was outside, and that people might see me.

I was hurting. Bad. I didn't know why a part of me was wishing that we could finally be a family. But I guess that was just wishful thinking.

I thought about leaving. Just getting in my car and drive off, not caring about them or whatever they did, since it was obvious that they never considered me a member of their family…but I couldn't.

We had a terrible father-daughter relationship, but leaving like that would be a huge disrespect to him, and I couldn't do that.

I decided in that moment that I was going to endure it. The pain, the loneliness, the hurt, I would endure it all, just until after his funeral. I owed him that much. Despite his neglect to me, he still provided for me. I went to the best school, wore the best clothes, and ate the best food, so it was my responsibility to pay him my last respect.

But once the funeral was over, that was the end.

They could go back to being their perfect little family. I didn't mind if I had to move to the ends of the world to avoid them, but I would get out of there way, permanently.

Going back inside, I was told they had been directed to the morgue for body viewing, so I headed there as well. By the time I got there, they were already done.

"Rest in peace dad." I whispered.

He looked so peaceful, almost like he did whenever he was taking his afternoon naps. It was still hard to believe that he was gone, for good. His soul had moved on to wherever dead people went.

Marcus received a call that lasted for about four seconds. He nudged mother and together they walked out of the morgue, leaving just me with him.

After saying my goodbye, to father and to the Smith family, to the fantasy I had been creating in my head that we could ever be a family again. I walked outside.

Mother and Marcus were speaking to a doctor, probably the one in charge of the bodies in the morgue. Liam was sitting on a chair opposite them, then his eyes suddenly brightened up and he sat up straight.

I quickly turned my head to the direction he was looking at and my heart almost dropped to my feet as I spotted her.

I couldn't say she looked the same, because she didn't. Unlike me who had aged fifteen years in the past ten years, she looked younger. Her skin was glowing and radiating wealth. Her figure was still as perfect as it was all those years ago, if anything she looked more perfect. It wasn't hard to see why she was always the one popular with the guys.

She was gorgeous, and she looked like a super model.

Before I could say anything, Liam jumped to his feet. "Alexa," he said in a dreamy voice.

We had known each other for more than fourteen years, and I had never seen or heard him look and sound so loving.

"Liam, hey.." Alexa gave a small wave.

In an instant, Liam had crossed over to her and entrapped her in a bear hug. The embrace lasted for more than twenty seconds, something that had never happened between my husband and I.

The truth that I had been trying desperately to avoid for the past ten years came crashing down on me like an anvil. My knees felt weak as I accepted the bitter truth in my heart.

Liam was still in love with Alexa.