Chapter 11: The Weight of Choices
1127 Words
A Life in Ruins
The house felt unbearably empty.
Alodia sat on the couch, her knees drawn to her chest, staring at the door Jasper had just walked out of.
The moment replayed in her mind like a cruel loop.
Figure out what you want.
She didn’t have an answer.
She had already lost Raegan. And now, Jasper was slipping away, too.
How had she let it get this far?
A muffled cry escaped her lips as she pressed her hands against her face.
She had spent three years balancing on the edge of a knife, thinking she could keep both men in her life without everything crumbling around her.
But the illusion had shattered.
Now, she was left with nothing but the ruins.
A sharp knock on the door made her flinch.
Her heart leaped—had Jasper come back?
She rushed to open it, but instead of Jasper, her best friend Liana stood there, arms crossed, her expression unreadable.
“We need to talk.”
---
A Harsh Truth
Alodia barely had time to react before Liana stepped inside, shutting the door behind her.
“I just got off the phone with Raegan,” Liana said, her voice tight. “He told me everything.”
Alodia’s stomach dropped.
Liana had always been her confidante, but she had never told her about the affair. She had never dared.
Now, there was no more hiding.
“Say something,” Alodia whispered.
Liana’s eyes softened for a moment before she exhaled sharply. “I don’t even know where to start.”
“I never wanted to hurt him,” Alodia said quickly. “Or the kids.”
Liana gave her a sharp look. “But you did.”
The words hit harder than she expected.
“I know,” she admitted.
Liana paced the room. “Raegan is devastated. He’s trying to hold it together for the kids, but Alodia—this broke him.”
Tears pricked Alodia’s eyes. “I didn’t mean for it to go on this long.”
“But it did,” Liana countered. “Three years. That’s not a mistake. That’s a choice.”
Alodia winced.
Liana sighed, rubbing her temples. “And now what? Are you leaving Raegan for Jasper? Or are you going to beg Raegan to take you back?”
“I don’t know,” Alodia whispered.
Liana groaned. “You have to know, Alodia. Because right now, you’re at risk of losing both of them.”
Alodia swallowed. “Jasper already walked away.”
Liana’s expression darkened. “I don’t blame him.”
Alodia flinched.
Liana softened slightly, reaching for her hand. “Look, I love you. But you need to start making decisions instead of just reacting.”
Alodia nodded slowly.
“I don’t want to lose everything,” she admitted.
“Then fight,” Liana said firmly. “For who you truly love. Not for convenience. Not for guilt. But for who makes you happy.”
Alodia’s heart clenched.
Because she still didn’t know the answer.
And she was running out of time to figure it out.
---
The Breaking Point
The night was long, restless.
Alodia sat in her bedroom, staring at her reflection in the mirror. She barely recognized herself. Her eyes were swollen from crying, her face pale, her thoughts an endless storm of guilt and longing.
Liana’s words echoed in her mind.
"Fight. But for who truly makes you happy."
Who did she want?
Raegan, the man she had built a life with?
Or Jasper, the man who had made her feel alive again?
A knock at the door startled her.
Her heart lurched. Was it Raegan? Jasper?
She hesitated before opening it.
To her shock, it was Raegan.
He stood in the doorway, his face unreadable. The sight of him sent a fresh wave of emotions crashing over her.
“Raegan…”
“We need to talk,” he said, stepping inside.
She swallowed hard, closing the door behind him.
Raegan took a deep breath. “I’ve spent the last twenty-four hours trying to make sense of this. Trying to understand how we got here."
Alodia’s throat tightened. “I don’t have an excuse.”
“I don’t need an excuse,” he said quietly. “I need the truth.”
A heavy silence fell between them.
Then Raegan met her eyes. “Do you love him?”
The question made her chest tighten.
Jasper had asked her the same thing.
And she still didn’t have an answer.
“I love you, Raegan,” she whispered. “You’re the father of my children. My husband. You’ve always been there.”
“But that’s not what I asked,” he said, his voice laced with pain. “Do you love Jasper?”
Alodia’s breath hitched.
She thought about Jasper’s touch, his voice, the way he had made her feel desired and seen.
But she also thought about the destruction. The guilt. The weight of the affair.
“I don’t know,” she admitted.
Raegan exhaled, running a hand through his hair. “That’s not good enough, Alodia. Because I can’t fight for a marriage that you’re not even sure you want.”
Her chest constricted.
“I want my family,” she said desperately. “I want to fix this.”
Raegan’s eyes softened with sadness. “But do you want me? Or do you just want to fix the mess you made?”
Alodia opened her mouth to respond, but the words wouldn’t come.
Because deep down, she wasn’t sure of the answer.
Raegan nodded, as if he already knew.
“I’ll be filing for separation,” he said finally.
Alodia’s stomach dropped. “No—Raegan, please—”
“I can’t do this anymore,” he whispered. “I deserve someone who chooses me. Every time. Not someone who hesitates.”
Tears streamed down Alodia’s face. “I never wanted this.”
“But you chose this,” Raegan said softly.
A finality settled into his expression.
Then, without another word, he turned and walked away.
And this time, he wasn’t coming back.
---
A New Chapter
Hours later, Alodia sat on the floor of her bedroom, numb.
Her marriage was over.
There was no fixing it.
She had destroyed the one thing she had sworn to protect.
Her hands trembled as she reached for her phone.
Jasper’s number was at the top of her call log.
She hesitated.
Then, before she could overthink, she dialed.
The line rang once. Twice.
Then his deep voice came through.
“Alodia.”
Tears welled in her eyes.
“I need you.”
Silence.
Then Jasper spoke.
“I’m here.”
And for the first time in years, she let herself believe it.
- Writer
