p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #222222;" data-p-id="cf9913730c3dc40a4a2f0ce1217b4c18"span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: bold;"Chapter Fifteen/span/p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #222222;" data-p-id="4ab2e3b49ffa83c0cee0c46531d41188"span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: bold;"em style="box-sizing: border-box;""/em/spanem style="box-sizing: border-box;"The future for me is already/em/p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #222222;" data-p-id="8829e4ada44dcb14685e3b2f9e57e899"em style="box-sizing: border-box;"a thing of the past -/em/p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #222222;" data-p-id="4e3423016b3f31334aa44c072d1c8e2b"em style="box-sizing: border-box;"You were my first love, and/em/p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #222222;" data-p-id="d0a29cf24c90083b63be72639f31a3d0"em style="box-sizing: border-box;"you'll be my last./emspan style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: bold;"em style="box-sizing: border-box;""/em/span/p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #222222;" data-p-id="0dbd23cad3c75f5a6143046893c737f5"em style="box-sizing: border-box;"- Bob Marley/em/p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #222222;" data-p-id="dc53785d25a3e11fb45aa5dbc946e293"span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: bold;"Ezra/span/p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #222222;" data-p-id="f4a5186e673c8867dac0867bc53eaa6b"A loud slam of the door woke me up from my deep slumber. I looked to the side to see that nobody was sleeping soundly next to me. Aria was gone, and the sheets weren't warm all of a sudden. I heard the jingle of her keys as she threw them on the counter, her face was red and puffy. I was lost. She was clothed, but you could tell it was something she threw on within seconds. She sniffled and rubbed her head. I jumped out of the bed and walked to her, kissing her forehead. She was freezing cold./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #222222;" data-p-id="45f26922314afd085388c606898b3c94""Where've you been? What's wrong, babe?" She flinched and backed away. Had I done something? "Is it me? I-I can go.." She shook her head at me and wiped her nose. If it were anyone else, I would see it as a gross gesture of sadness, but when Aria did it, it was cute, but a sad cute. I frowned as she walked away from me and sat on the couch. I sat next to her and pulled her into me. Hugging her close, trying to warm her./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #222222;" data-p-id="c025074c2702f5494250b92de0a8d704""Is this about Alison?" Her eyes grew, but shrunk soon after she realized her quick reaction./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #222222;" data-p-id="f6e6d556896d5e6e085547d4d4c769a5""N-No. I just found something that-" She was lying and it felt like Alison all over again. I didnt want to compare, but it felt repeditive./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #222222;" data-p-id="3faa5483fc6574277eedff50484e66e2""You don't have to lie. We can be honest with each other, Aria." I may have forgotten who she was, but the moment I saw her again, it was like reading an already opened book. Like cracking a code only I knew like the back of my hand. The way she paused before she spoke was always a dead give away, and the way she avoided my eyes and stammered. She breathed through her nose and grabbed my hands./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #222222;" data-p-id="7043a3c671f74eba8aa3c0fa59957956""I love you, alright?" I nodded. I wasn't sure I wanted to know where this was going. "But, please-" I stopped her quickly./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #222222;" data-p-id="e89644ab9e7357fb622d9a6df1568654""If you don't think we should be together anymore because of Alison, or-or just because you don't think we would work, I understand and I won't force-" She put her finger to my lips to shut me up. She shook her head, and let a new batch of tears stream down her angelic face./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #222222;" data-p-id="c19a135417bca36b498e456003bdfdfe""No, no, no. I just want you to give me time to tell you, because this is big, and I want you to be in the best of shape and- and I can't spring it on you, so, I just need time, because I can't even comprehend it." I was speechless, what was one supposed to say? I nodded. She pressed a kiss to my lips and smiled sadly. Aria sniffled and rubbed my arm./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #222222;" data-p-id="e67ccdf641594b8f698d47d70fbd2886""So, breakfast?" She put up such a good front, if I didn't know any better and she wasn't crying, I wouldn't have suspected a thing. Which led me to believe that whatever she was hiding or protecting me from was big, bigger than even I as I writer could imagine./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #222222;" data-p-id="a1a013e22a71caf894cbe74b0472bc35"span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: bold;"Aria/span/p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #222222;" data-p-id="9ab3b843c2886e1a010976ea7d35b9d2"We sat at the mini table and ate our chocolate-chip pancakes in silence. He was worried about me, because every time he would look at me, he would shoot me puppy dog eyes. The snow wasn't as bad as it usually was, and by the time we had both taken showers and were covered head to toe in socks and layers of clothing, we were ready to take on an extremely lazy day. I was buddled up in Ezra's Hollis sweatshirt and he wore a tight UCLA one. I thought back to just a few hours ago, at Jason's apartment. He was right, everthing he told me was big. Too big for someone like me to handle. And if I couldn't find someone I could trust to confinde in, I would explode and tell Ezra everything. Now I knew what I needed in order to take Ali down for good. But if I did, I would be taking Ezra away from me too, emotionally./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #222222;" data-p-id="59cedf40c964ba03cf8dc004790cda99"span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: bold;"The Night Before/span/p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #222222;" data-p-id="b125d871e2c50a2040f931cbf8e09f50"em style="box-sizing: border-box;"I slammed my fist against the run down apartment complex door, Jason had buzzed me up. My hand was numb from the cold, and I had foolishly forgotten to wear a swearshirt that could endure such weather. Jason's door swung open and his hair was everywhere, and it wasn't cute, nor attractive./em/p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #222222;" data-p-id="66201de9962c76c677276f5ecc4fa9c6"em style="box-sizing: border-box;""Aria, please come in." He stepped back and allowed me to enter. It was a mess, papers scattered everywhere. Phone records, bills, boxes with the tile 'EVIDENCE' . Sighing I sat down on the kitchen stool with my purse clutched close to my body. I was afraid I would lose it in such a pig pen./em/p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #222222;" data-p-id="243f8daaf533cd2e29af864e377dcbb5"em style="box-sizing: border-box;""What happened?" He ran a hand through his har and let out a sigh. His breath stuck of alchohol, which made me question his sobriety. I could've just walked into a drunken booty call unknowingly./em/p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #222222;" data-p-id="b3b715c322b47e90d914bfe97c6541bc"em style="box-sizing: border-box;""It was Alison. She staged the accident in hopes of him getting brain damage, Aria, it was all her. She planned her life to be like this. The only piece that was screwed was you. You weren't supposed to come back. I've never been a rat, but if you knew the things I had to do for her to get what she wants.. You wouldn't believe me." He had tears in his eyes, but the only thing I could hear was Alison staged the crash. She was the one to bring the inconvinence to me. She wanted him to fall for her fake charm and lure him into a death trap. She tricked everybody around her into thinkig that she was an innocent long time girlfriend who was crushed that my beloved couldn't remember her. I sighed and suppresed tears./em/p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #222222;" data-p-id="572979f9bd963736a7948d50dd80f1d3"em style="box-sizing: border-box;""Continue," He looked me in the eye, as if to ask 'Do you wanna know?'. I folded my hands on the counter that was infested with bred crumbs and paper. The sink was full of dishes. It looked like a true horror stoy had taken place./em/p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #222222;" data-p-id="56d534d72e40704b51024d7729363099"em style="box-sizing: border-box;""It started a few weeks before you told Ezra to leave. He was a mess, and thats not an understatement. You destroyed everything he had, because you were the only person he had. His mom didn't care and Wesley was so into you that he couldn't look at Ezra without feeling like he owed him something for kissing you...when I say go home and don't tell him, I mean it. Alison could kill me for confiding in you." I nodded quickly, waiting for him to continue. Everything I missed, everything that I never knew..Jason had answers. I didn't know how I would keep this from Ezra...but if I had to, maybe I would...but I couldn't be like Alison. I wouldn't. We couldn't go down that dark path, and I wouldn't hurt Ezra or lie to him...I couldn't./em/p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #222222;" data-p-id="c72525596fa27955b958a8d2494b9718"em style="box-sizing: border-box;""Anyway, When he left, Ali was already in California. She was only here for visits. Nothing more, nothing less. She called me and told me she had a plan. Something that would resolve her issues with Ezra. I thought she was going to be honest," He scoffed. "But we both know Alison better than we would like to admit. She paid me to get in that accident. She said she would make sure I wouldn't get hurt, so I rammed into Ezra, straight on, and jumped out and crawled away before anything could be fatal...Aria I regret it. If I could take anything in my life back, it would be helping Alison destroy what you and Ezra had, I just can't ever forgive myself." He inched closer to me and I was tempted to step back, but for some strange reason, I didn't. I stood there like an idiot, letting him approach me. He lifted my chin up and pressed a kiss to my cheek. I reacted quickly. I flashed him a horrifed look. How could he? How dare he?/em/p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #222222;" data-p-id="bc6780c499cefadd14e2a89aab192b1c"em style="box-sizing: border-box;""Why would you do that?" He threw his hands into the air, widening his eyes./em/p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #222222;" data-p-id="9367b6f47d65ffef9d677138be4366ad"em style="box-sizing: border-box;""I-I don't know. I just thought that maybe we-" I shook my head and my hands, pulling my hair back, on the verge of tears. "You were in a vulnerable state and I took advantage of that. Aria, I'm sorry. I just thought maybe we could have a chance. I don't know why I-"/em/p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #222222;" data-p-id="9df8bafa41e841678e9c0077d6d17648"em style="box-sizing: border-box;""Stop!" I didn't want him to speak anymore. Tears pooled in the cracks of my eyes and poored down like rain did in a drought. I picked up my purse, it gave me an unknown sense of security while I was in this shit hole Jason called a home. I pointed towards the door./em/p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #222222;" data-p-id="1a98f5ab0c01398aa4e79f694b9e7d68"em style="box-sizing: border-box;""I'm leaving, but...thank you, for helping me with the missing cracks in the story.." I turned the knob and walked out halfway before I turned around again. "We can only be friends, Jason." He nodded and waved, I nodded at him. I shut the door and climbed into my car. I drove to Snookers, which I knew was closed at this time of night. It was almost 5:00 and I knew I had to get back home to Ezra. I shrugged it off, and sat down in front of the run down bar, trying to reminisce of what happened there, twice now. What if it was all a dream that I couldn't wake up from? What if I was in a coma and was trapped for the rest of my life. I remembered everything so vividly. The way he looked when he said he was a jerk, that he would trash the book. I should've listened, because if I did, I could have prevented it all. Ezra and I could have climbed back up to where we once were, taken things as slow as we could, but because of my stubbornness and his need for my happiness to be the first thing, I could only blame myself. I had to weigh my options carefully. If I told Ezra, he would take Alison to court and she would be charged with murder, poor Marley.. what would happen to her? Would someone track down her actual father or would she be forced into a foster home? I couldn't be the reason to subject an innocent four year old to such a condition, nor could I wish it upon her because she was just that, a four year old girl who didn't have a clue of what her mother was capable of./em/p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #222222;" data-p-id="60120af830dc35b2646e955e04f82dbe"em style="box-sizing: border-box;"My thin sweatshirt was withering away, and it felt as if I had nothing on in the snow. Basically naked in the thick white powder that covered half of the Eastern hemisphere. I sighed and crossed my arms. I couldn't tell Ezra, but I would eventually. He had to know what he would be doing if he filed those divorce papers. The question about Marley still remained. I always wanted to be a mother, but to one of my own. I definitely didn't want Alison's offspring...she wasn't even Ezra's. I kept sobbing and it felt like the choice was already decided for me./em/p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #222222;" data-p-id="31de9f14e0b9cb3160e91610deab4609"em style="box-sizing: border-box;"Tell Ezra when the time is right./em/p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #222222;" data-p-id="04293b55e78052f4bfa7824e601f41d3"em style="box-sizing: border-box;"And now when we were in such a fragile state, with his memory flooding back every now and then, we were not in the same world./em/p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #222222;" data-p-id="b37b9e24bfedd823e67823b21dcc909c"em style="box-sizing: border-box;"All I had to do then, was wait./em/p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #222222;" data-p-id="610d73ca34bc4c7485f19d1202b49b7b"span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: bold;"Present Time/span/p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #222222;" data-p-id="51a925cd8cccf9baaf05e12213301d9e"I understood that telling him would crush him, and I wasn't sure if he would be angry or sad or any other emotion one felt when they found out their significant other put them on the brink of death? All I could think of was Marley. What was she going through right now because Alison caught us in the moment? Nothing good. I could assume nothing Alison said to Marley about Ezra right now was true or happy./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #222222;" data-p-id="abe4689f8c74b64bdac84c0a463a26d3""Babe?" I turned as he called me, he was smiling at me, guilt pulsed through my veins. If only he knew the severity of the situation. "I'm gonna go talk to Alison about the divorce. Are you gonna be okay?" My smile dropped and I nodded, unsure. Would he eat her lies out of her hand? He took notice in my internal struggle and kissed my nose./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #222222;" data-p-id="54817b1e914f48105294da1ac5cebe97""You don't have anything to worry about. I love you." I muttered an 'I love you, too', he walked out of the door with his keys in hand./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #222222;" data-p-id="d97e40d213ef9d16937383a121de1288"If only he knew how much I had to worry about./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #222222;" data-p-id="9c0f0b59a4cb6d6c59f6002bf3892a28"span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: bold;"Alison/span/p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #222222;" data-p-id="6188e9b444b4fb3f01509e9eefec2ba6""So. I guess you know what I'm going to ask." I was preparing the vegetables for dinner in two days, and I had too much to do to talk to my dad about Ezra./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #222222;" data-p-id="a6dc8ef35fdf5003c8c8fed7d2ab802a""Ezra and I aren't in a good place, Dad," My dad nodded but looked at me lovingly. "I hurt him. A lot."/p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #222222;" data-p-id="9e2c87a99d184dd5a9b1e6db81185a0b""He-he didn't hurt you back. Right?" I shook my head and watched Marley play with her barbie innocently. Her games with dolls had the same storyline, a perfect family falls apart because of something the mommy did a long time ago. It's usually something like eating all the ice cream or taking too many cookies from the jar. She was a smart kid and I knew that she would figure my plan out if I didn't fill her head to the brim with lies. My dad excused himself. He told me he had a friend with some lawyer questions, so I gave him a kiss and waved goodbye, when he left I continued watching my daughter, running around with her dolls like they were superheroes. She ran towards me but I couldn't look her in the eyes. No yet./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #222222;" data-p-id="cb0c8e49b870008cc884960e31049b69""Mommmaaaaaa!" She cooed. I loved her, and that was undeniable but what would I tell her besides 'Daddy won't be coming home, ever again.'/p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #222222;" data-p-id="3dcfbd45a9d26449580d106ae5b3935c"My thoughts were taken when I heard a harsh knock on the door. I set Marley up in a chair with some carrots. I swung the mahogany door open to reveal Ezra's face. I smiled, thoughts of a new beginning filled the cracks of my mind. Nothing could've been sweeter. He wore the UCLA sweatshirt Marley and I bought him for his birthday- since he thought he was an alumni. He held a Manila folder in his left hand and was biting his lip as if to keep from saying something rude./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #222222;" data-p-id="3dd976dbfcadfb24c67f20598e094193""Ezra," I couldn't be angry with him, even though I should have been. He was with Aria, but I understood. Maybe he was leading her on so he could get 'answers'. He was silent, avoiding my eyes. "Look, babe.." He flinched./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #222222;" data-p-id="e2bfe241348dc2ebdf10b7396b400dc0""span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: bold;"Stop/span."/p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #222222;" data-p-id="8dbaa6ad767fc01ca22ef5aa0c361c66""I know I should be mad and you should be mad at me, too..but we can work through this. We em style="box-sizing: border-box;"can/em be the couple we used to be. Marley has been asking a lot about where her Daddy was and I didn't want to tell her you weren't-" He lifted his hand to make me shut up and I did./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #222222;" data-p-id="a5c8e6a1d81cd874784d29c1b1fdbfe0""You should tell her that she might not see Mommy again.." He trailed off, not daring to look up and my eyes that held all of my fury. Was he threatening me?/p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #222222;" data-p-id="a9cb31126d692e9fa2d40a93eedf10a7""What?" He sighed and played with the Manila folder./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #222222;" data-p-id="0206496b53883de59d7a0e281be296d6""I want full custody of Marley."/p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #222222;" data-p-id="68acfb998faaf9f89293969c459d79eb""Ezra, what are you talking about?" He handed me the folder and crossed his arms over his chest./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #222222;" data-p-id="ce4e9bf6d84ef46da499260599d50d9b""I want a em style="box-sizing: border-box;"divorce/em, Alison."/p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #222222;" data-p-id="4ab2e3b49ffa83c0cee0c46531d41188"span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: bold;"em style="box-sizing: border-box;""/em/spanem style="box-sizing: border-box;"The future for me is already/em/p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #222222;" data-p-id="8829e4ada44dcb14685e3b2f9e57e899"em style="box-sizing: border-box;"a thing of the past -/em/p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #222222;" data-p-id="4e3423016b3f31334aa44c072d1c8e2b"em style="box-sizing: border-box;"You were my first love, and/em/p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #222222;" data-p-id="d0a29cf24c90083b63be72639f31a3d0"em style="box-sizing: border-box;"you'll be my last./emspan style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: bold;"em style="box-sizing: border-box;""/em/span/p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #222222;" data-p-id="0dbd23cad3c75f5a6143046893c737f5"em style="box-sizing: border-box;"- Bob Marley/em/p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #222222;" data-p-id="dc53785d25a3e11fb45aa5dbc946e293"span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: bold;"Ezra/span/p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #222222;" data-p-id="f4a5186e673c8867dac0867bc53eaa6b"A loud slam of the door woke me up from my deep slumber. I looked to the side to see that nobody was sleeping soundly next to me. Aria was gone, and the sheets weren't warm all of a sudden. I heard the jingle of her keys as she threw them on the counter, her face was red and puffy. I was lost. She was clothed, but you could tell it was something she threw on within seconds. She sniffled and rubbed her head. I jumped out of the bed and walked to her, kissing her forehead. She was freezing cold./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #222222;" data-p-id="45f26922314afd085388c606898b3c94""Where've you been? What's wrong, babe?" She flinched and backed away. Had I done something? "Is it me? I-I can go.." She shook her head at me and wiped her nose. If it were anyone else, I would see it as a gross gesture of sadness, but when Aria did it, it was cute, but a sad cute. I frowned as she walked away from me and sat on the couch. I sat next to her and pulled her into me. Hugging her close, trying to warm her./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #222222;" data-p-id="c025074c2702f5494250b92de0a8d704""Is this about Alison?" Her eyes grew, but shrunk soon after she realized her quick reaction./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #222222;" data-p-id="f6e6d556896d5e6e085547d4d4c769a5""N-No. I just found something that-" She was lying and it felt like Alison all over again. I didnt want to compare, but it felt repeditive./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #222222;" data-p-id="3faa5483fc6574277eedff50484e66e2""You don't have to lie. We can be honest with each other, Aria." I may have forgotten who she was, but the moment I saw her again, it was like reading an already opened book. Like cracking a code only I knew like the back of my hand. The way she paused before she spoke was always a dead give away, and the way she avoided my eyes and stammered. She breathed through her nose and grabbed my hands./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #222222;" data-p-id="7043a3c671f74eba8aa3c0fa59957956""I love you, alright?" I nodded. I wasn't sure I wanted to know where this was going. "But, please-" I stopped her quickly./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #222222;" data-p-id="e89644ab9e7357fb622d9a6df1568654""If you don't think we should be together anymore because of Alison, or-or just because you don't think we would work, I understand and I won't force-" She put her finger to my lips to shut me up. She shook her head, and let a new batch of tears stream down her angelic face./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #222222;" data-p-id="c19a135417bca36b498e456003bdfdfe""No, no, no. I just want you to give me time to tell you, because this is big, and I want you to be in the best of shape and- and I can't spring it on you, so, I just need time, because I can't even comprehend it." I was speechless, what was one supposed to say? I nodded. She pressed a kiss to my lips and smiled sadly. Aria sniffled and rubbed my arm./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #222222;" data-p-id="e67ccdf641594b8f698d47d70fbd2886""So, breakfast?" She put up such a good front, if I didn't know any better and she wasn't crying, I wouldn't have suspected a thing. Which led me to believe that whatever she was hiding or protecting me from was big, bigger than even I as I writer could imagine./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #222222;" data-p-id="a1a013e22a71caf894cbe74b0472bc35"span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: bold;"Aria/span/p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #222222;" data-p-id="9ab3b843c2886e1a010976ea7d35b9d2"We sat at the mini table and ate our chocolate-chip pancakes in silence. He was worried about me, because every time he would look at me, he would shoot me puppy dog eyes. The snow wasn't as bad as it usually was, and by the time we had both taken showers and were covered head to toe in socks and layers of clothing, we were ready to take on an extremely lazy day. I was buddled up in Ezra's Hollis sweatshirt and he wore a tight UCLA one. I thought back to just a few hours ago, at Jason's apartment. He was right, everthing he told me was big. Too big for someone like me to handle. And if I couldn't find someone I could trust to confinde in, I would explode and tell Ezra everything. Now I knew what I needed in order to take Ali down for good. But if I did, I would be taking Ezra away from me too, emotionally./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #222222;" data-p-id="59cedf40c964ba03cf8dc004790cda99"span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: bold;"The Night Before/span/p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #222222;" data-p-id="b125d871e2c50a2040f931cbf8e09f50"em style="box-sizing: border-box;"I slammed my fist against the run down apartment complex door, Jason had buzzed me up. My hand was numb from the cold, and I had foolishly forgotten to wear a swearshirt that could endure such weather. Jason's door swung open and his hair was everywhere, and it wasn't cute, nor attractive./em/p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #222222;" data-p-id="66201de9962c76c677276f5ecc4fa9c6"em style="box-sizing: border-box;""Aria, please come in." He stepped back and allowed me to enter. It was a mess, papers scattered everywhere. Phone records, bills, boxes with the tile 'EVIDENCE' . Sighing I sat down on the kitchen stool with my purse clutched close to my body. I was afraid I would lose it in such a pig pen./em/p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #222222;" data-p-id="243f8daaf533cd2e29af864e377dcbb5"em style="box-sizing: border-box;""What happened?" He ran a hand through his har and let out a sigh. His breath stuck of alchohol, which made me question his sobriety. I could've just walked into a drunken booty call unknowingly./em/p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #222222;" data-p-id="b3b715c322b47e90d914bfe97c6541bc"em style="box-sizing: border-box;""It was Alison. She staged the accident in hopes of him getting brain damage, Aria, it was all her. She planned her life to be like this. The only piece that was screwed was you. You weren't supposed to come back. I've never been a rat, but if you knew the things I had to do for her to get what she wants.. You wouldn't believe me." He had tears in his eyes, but the only thing I could hear was Alison staged the crash. She was the one to bring the inconvinence to me. She wanted him to fall for her fake charm and lure him into a death trap. She tricked everybody around her into thinkig that she was an innocent long time girlfriend who was crushed that my beloved couldn't remember her. I sighed and suppresed tears./em/p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #222222;" data-p-id="572979f9bd963736a7948d50dd80f1d3"em style="box-sizing: border-box;""Continue," He looked me in the eye, as if to ask 'Do you wanna know?'. I folded my hands on the counter that was infested with bred crumbs and paper. The sink was full of dishes. It looked like a true horror stoy had taken place./em/p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #222222;" data-p-id="56d534d72e40704b51024d7729363099"em style="box-sizing: border-box;""It started a few weeks before you told Ezra to leave. He was a mess, and thats not an understatement. You destroyed everything he had, because you were the only person he had. His mom didn't care and Wesley was so into you that he couldn't look at Ezra without feeling like he owed him something for kissing you...when I say go home and don't tell him, I mean it. Alison could kill me for confiding in you." I nodded quickly, waiting for him to continue. Everything I missed, everything that I never knew..Jason had answers. I didn't know how I would keep this from Ezra...but if I had to, maybe I would...but I couldn't be like Alison. I wouldn't. We couldn't go down that dark path, and I wouldn't hurt Ezra or lie to him...I couldn't./em/p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #222222;" data-p-id="c72525596fa27955b958a8d2494b9718"em style="box-sizing: border-box;""Anyway, When he left, Ali was already in California. She was only here for visits. Nothing more, nothing less. She called me and told me she had a plan. Something that would resolve her issues with Ezra. I thought she was going to be honest," He scoffed. "But we both know Alison better than we would like to admit. She paid me to get in that accident. She said she would make sure I wouldn't get hurt, so I rammed into Ezra, straight on, and jumped out and crawled away before anything could be fatal...Aria I regret it. If I could take anything in my life back, it would be helping Alison destroy what you and Ezra had, I just can't ever forgive myself." He inched closer to me and I was tempted to step back, but for some strange reason, I didn't. I stood there like an idiot, letting him approach me. He lifted my chin up and pressed a kiss to my cheek. I reacted quickly. I flashed him a horrifed look. How could he? How dare he?/em/p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #222222;" data-p-id="bc6780c499cefadd14e2a89aab192b1c"em style="box-sizing: border-box;""Why would you do that?" He threw his hands into the air, widening his eyes./em/p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #222222;" data-p-id="9367b6f47d65ffef9d677138be4366ad"em style="box-sizing: border-box;""I-I don't know. I just thought that maybe we-" I shook my head and my hands, pulling my hair back, on the verge of tears. "You were in a vulnerable state and I took advantage of that. Aria, I'm sorry. I just thought maybe we could have a chance. I don't know why I-"/em/p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #222222;" data-p-id="9df8bafa41e841678e9c0077d6d17648"em style="box-sizing: border-box;""Stop!" I didn't want him to speak anymore. Tears pooled in the cracks of my eyes and poored down like rain did in a drought. I picked up my purse, it gave me an unknown sense of security while I was in this shit hole Jason called a home. I pointed towards the door./em/p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #222222;" data-p-id="1a98f5ab0c01398aa4e79f694b9e7d68"em style="box-sizing: border-box;""I'm leaving, but...thank you, for helping me with the missing cracks in the story.." I turned the knob and walked out halfway before I turned around again. "We can only be friends, Jason." He nodded and waved, I nodded at him. I shut the door and climbed into my car. I drove to Snookers, which I knew was closed at this time of night. It was almost 5:00 and I knew I had to get back home to Ezra. I shrugged it off, and sat down in front of the run down bar, trying to reminisce of what happened there, twice now. What if it was all a dream that I couldn't wake up from? What if I was in a coma and was trapped for the rest of my life. I remembered everything so vividly. The way he looked when he said he was a jerk, that he would trash the book. I should've listened, because if I did, I could have prevented it all. Ezra and I could have climbed back up to where we once were, taken things as slow as we could, but because of my stubbornness and his need for my happiness to be the first thing, I could only blame myself. I had to weigh my options carefully. If I told Ezra, he would take Alison to court and she would be charged with murder, poor Marley.. what would happen to her? Would someone track down her actual father or would she be forced into a foster home? I couldn't be the reason to subject an innocent four year old to such a condition, nor could I wish it upon her because she was just that, a four year old girl who didn't have a clue of what her mother was capable of./em/p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #222222;" data-p-id="60120af830dc35b2646e955e04f82dbe"em style="box-sizing: border-box;"My thin sweatshirt was withering away, and it felt as if I had nothing on in the snow. Basically naked in the thick white powder that covered half of the Eastern hemisphere. I sighed and crossed my arms. I couldn't tell Ezra, but I would eventually. He had to know what he would be doing if he filed those divorce papers. The question about Marley still remained. I always wanted to be a mother, but to one of my own. I definitely didn't want Alison's offspring...she wasn't even Ezra's. I kept sobbing and it felt like the choice was already decided for me./em/p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #222222;" data-p-id="31de9f14e0b9cb3160e91610deab4609"em style="box-sizing: border-box;"Tell Ezra when the time is right./em/p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #222222;" data-p-id="04293b55e78052f4bfa7824e601f41d3"em style="box-sizing: border-box;"And now when we were in such a fragile state, with his memory flooding back every now and then, we were not in the same world./em/p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #222222;" data-p-id="b37b9e24bfedd823e67823b21dcc909c"em style="box-sizing: border-box;"All I had to do then, was wait./em/p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #222222;" data-p-id="610d73ca34bc4c7485f19d1202b49b7b"span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: bold;"Present Time/span/p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #222222;" data-p-id="51a925cd8cccf9baaf05e12213301d9e"I understood that telling him would crush him, and I wasn't sure if he would be angry or sad or any other emotion one felt when they found out their significant other put them on the brink of death? All I could think of was Marley. What was she going through right now because Alison caught us in the moment? Nothing good. I could assume nothing Alison said to Marley about Ezra right now was true or happy./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #222222;" data-p-id="abe4689f8c74b64bdac84c0a463a26d3""Babe?" I turned as he called me, he was smiling at me, guilt pulsed through my veins. If only he knew the severity of the situation. "I'm gonna go talk to Alison about the divorce. Are you gonna be okay?" My smile dropped and I nodded, unsure. Would he eat her lies out of her hand? He took notice in my internal struggle and kissed my nose./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #222222;" data-p-id="54817b1e914f48105294da1ac5cebe97""You don't have anything to worry about. I love you." I muttered an 'I love you, too', he walked out of the door with his keys in hand./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #222222;" data-p-id="d97e40d213ef9d16937383a121de1288"If only he knew how much I had to worry about./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #222222;" data-p-id="9c0f0b59a4cb6d6c59f6002bf3892a28"span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: bold;"Alison/span/p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #222222;" data-p-id="6188e9b444b4fb3f01509e9eefec2ba6""So. I guess you know what I'm going to ask." I was preparing the vegetables for dinner in two days, and I had too much to do to talk to my dad about Ezra./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #222222;" data-p-id="a6dc8ef35fdf5003c8c8fed7d2ab802a""Ezra and I aren't in a good place, Dad," My dad nodded but looked at me lovingly. "I hurt him. A lot."/p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #222222;" data-p-id="9e2c87a99d184dd5a9b1e6db81185a0b""He-he didn't hurt you back. Right?" I shook my head and watched Marley play with her barbie innocently. Her games with dolls had the same storyline, a perfect family falls apart because of something the mommy did a long time ago. It's usually something like eating all the ice cream or taking too many cookies from the jar. She was a smart kid and I knew that she would figure my plan out if I didn't fill her head to the brim with lies. My dad excused himself. He told me he had a friend with some lawyer questions, so I gave him a kiss and waved goodbye, when he left I continued watching my daughter, running around with her dolls like they were superheroes. She ran towards me but I couldn't look her in the eyes. No yet./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #222222;" data-p-id="cb0c8e49b870008cc884960e31049b69""Mommmaaaaaa!" She cooed. I loved her, and that was undeniable but what would I tell her besides 'Daddy won't be coming home, ever again.'/p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #222222;" data-p-id="3dcfbd45a9d26449580d106ae5b3935c"My thoughts were taken when I heard a harsh knock on the door. I set Marley up in a chair with some carrots. I swung the mahogany door open to reveal Ezra's face. I smiled, thoughts of a new beginning filled the cracks of my mind. Nothing could've been sweeter. He wore the UCLA sweatshirt Marley and I bought him for his birthday- since he thought he was an alumni. He held a Manila folder in his left hand and was biting his lip as if to keep from saying something rude./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #222222;" data-p-id="3dd976dbfcadfb24c67f20598e094193""Ezra," I couldn't be angry with him, even though I should have been. He was with Aria, but I understood. Maybe he was leading her on so he could get 'answers'. He was silent, avoiding my eyes. "Look, babe.." He flinched./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #222222;" data-p-id="e2bfe241348dc2ebdf10b7396b400dc0""span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: bold;"Stop/span."/p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #222222;" data-p-id="8dbaa6ad767fc01ca22ef5aa0c361c66""I know I should be mad and you should be mad at me, too..but we can work through this. We em style="box-sizing: border-box;"can/em be the couple we used to be. Marley has been asking a lot about where her Daddy was and I didn't want to tell her you weren't-" He lifted his hand to make me shut up and I did./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #222222;" data-p-id="a5c8e6a1d81cd874784d29c1b1fdbfe0""You should tell her that she might not see Mommy again.." He trailed off, not daring to look up and my eyes that held all of my fury. Was he threatening me?/p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #222222;" data-p-id="a9cb31126d692e9fa2d40a93eedf10a7""What?" He sighed and played with the Manila folder./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #222222;" data-p-id="0206496b53883de59d7a0e281be296d6""I want full custody of Marley."/p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #222222;" data-p-id="68acfb998faaf9f89293969c459d79eb""Ezra, what are you talking about?" He handed me the folder and crossed his arms over his chest./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #222222;" data-p-id="ce4e9bf6d84ef46da499260599d50d9b""I want a em style="box-sizing: border-box;"divorce/em, Alison."/p