"No," Will mumbled, shaking his head and holding his stomach. "No, that isn't, no."
"Will," Sonny took a step forward, hands outstretched.
"No," Will recoiled, nearly running towards the other side of the room. His shoulders slumped forward, nearly folding himself in half. "No."
The couch now separated Will from Sonny and Paul. It didn't seem like enough space to Will. He wanted to be farther. He wanted to never see Sonny or Paul again.
Will thought he couldn't feel any worse than he already did. Didn't think it was possible.
Will was wrong.
"Will," Paul whispered. He couldn't stand seeing Will like this. Knowing it was his fault.
"No," Will slammed his hands to his sides. "Don't," Will glanced at Paul quickly before averting his eyes. He couldn't stand looking at Paul, not now. "Don't talk to me!"
"But I-," Paul tried to say.
"Stop talking to him," Sonny ordered, fists clenched. "Stop looking at him! Just stop it!"
"Shut up," Paul spat out, frustrated.
"How many times do I have to tell you? He's my husband," Sonny growled. "You're nothing compared to me."
"Yeah, and you're such a fantastic husband," Paul said mockingly. "You don't deserve him."
"Oh and you do?" Sonny crossed his arms, eyebrow raised.
"More than you do," Paul replied smugly.
"Stop it," Lucas hissed. "Just stop it! My son isn't a toy you get to fight over."
Will couldn't handle this. Paul was his friend. He supported Will through all this. He comforted Will, wiped away his tears.
Paul was there for Will, always. He helped Will with his writing, at the pub. He helped Will with everything.
'And he lied to me too,' Will realized. 'He held me while I cried over Sonny and he knew. He knew the whole time.'
For the first time it really sunk into Will's head.
'Sonny slept with Paul. Paul slept with Sonny. They spent a weekend together,' Will covered his mouth, nauseous.
'Oh god, I was in that hotel,' Will felt mortified. 'I-I was in there where they-oh god. I was there and they, oh god.'
'Paul knew. He knew the entire time,' Will pressed his palms into his eyes, hard. He was not going to cry. He wasn't, not anymore, not over them.
"Get the hell out of my house," Sonny glared at Paul.
Paul ignored Sonny and Lucas.
"Will, please," Paul insisted, trying to move around the couch that separated him and Will. "I can explain!"
"Explain?" Will shook his head, staring at the floor. He couldn't look at Paul. He wouldn't. "You lied to me!"
"I didn't want to hurt you," Paul argued. "It was stupid and I'm sorry, Will. I'm so sorry."
Will laughed wetly. It was too late for that now.
"Didn't want to hurt me?" Will repeated. "What did you think this was going to do? That I would be happy? That I would understand?"
Paul tried to speak again.
"No!" Will cut him off. "No, you, you did, that," Will spat out. "With my husband! And you never told me! You held me while I cried! You watched me fall apart and you didn't say anything!"
"What?" Sonny couldn't stop looking between Will and Paul, lost. "What are you talking about? What did you do?" Sonny challenged Paul.
"Shut up!" Will shouted at Sonny. "You, you're no better than he is!"
Lucas set his jaw. He took a protective step towards Will.
Will shook his head, clinging to his elbows across his waist. He braved a look at Paul.
"I told you everything," Will breathed out. "Everything and you knew the whole time."
Vicious, horrible thoughts played through Will's mind. Ripping away at the comfort and security Will managed to build in the past few days. The confidence that Paul helped build.
"I should have known better," Will murmured to himself. "I should have known whenever I get comfortable it all falls apart. No one cares, no one stays."
"That isn't true," Paul denied barely able to hear Will.
"Shut up," Sonny jeered.
Sonny didn't realize how much it hurt to see Will reacting to Paul's betrayal. Sonny didn't even know Will would consider it a betrayal. When Paul claimed to have feelings for Will, Sonny dismissed them. There's no way Paul could have anything with Will.
Now, Sonny wasn't sure if that was true.
"Did you," Will pressed his trembling lips together. "Did you two plan this? Did you just want to humiliate me?"
"Why would you ask that?" Paul couldn't let Will think that. "I've always been your friend, always."
"You slept with my husband!" Will choked out. "And you, god did you ever even care about me? Did you just want to hurt me too? Do everything you could to break me? Did you-did-did-"
Lucas put his arm around Will's shaking shoulders. He glared viciously at Sonny and Paul, daring them to come closer.
"I didn't even know," Paul insisted. "I didn't know who you were, not at first. Not for a long time, Will."
Will shook his head. He couldn't hear this. It was all lies. Everything. All Sonny and Paul did was lie to him. He couldn't trust either of them, anyone.
"Yes, he did!" Sonny yelled over Paul. "He had to have known, Will. How could he not know?"
Will brokenly sobbed, turning away from the shouting.
"That's it," Lucas threatened. "Both of you get the hell out of here!"
"I didn't know!" Paul shouted. "I didn't find out until a few days ago!"
"Don't listen to him," Sonny urged. "You don't know what he's like, Will!"
"Get out!" Lucas screamed.
"I sent you back to Sonny," Paul reminded Will. "I told you to work things out with him. I thought he would tell you the truth. I wanted him to be the one to tell you the truth!"
Will couldn't focus, couldn't think. Not with Sonny, Paul, and his father all yelling over each other. He couldn't do it.
"Bullshit," Sonny huffed. "You didn't tell him because you wanted to hurt him!"
"I'm the one that hurt him?" Paul asked incredulously. "I'm the one that's been there for him when you couldn't be bothered!"
"You don't know anything," Sonny growled.
"I'm not telling you again," Lucas shouted. "Get away from my son!"
Through the yelling and arguing, Will heard tiny whimpers coming from Ari's bedroom.
Will shoved out of his father's embrace and into Ari's room. He snapped the door closed, barricading himself inside.
"Will," Sonny rushed towards the door.
Lucas blocked his path.
"I don't think so," Lucas sneered, holding out his arm.
"Lucas," Sonny tried to walk around him.
"No," Lucas crossed his arms. "You need to stay away from him."
"He's my husband," Sonny didn't know how many times he had to say that. Why no one seemed to remember.
"Yeah," Lucas confirmed. "You're his husband. And you cheated on him. Not just with anyone either, with someone that Will considered a friend, maybe even more than that."
Lucas flashed Paul a harsh look as Sonny sneered.
"Both of you need to walk away right now," Lucas ordered. "Before you ruin things completely."
"I can't do that," Paul answered. He couldn't walk away from Will, not now that all his lies were exposed. Paul knew it would be ugly when the truth came out but he never envisioned this.
"I'm not asking," Lucas stated firmly. "I am telling both of you to get the hell away from my son."
"Lucas, I'm not leaving," Sonny responded, resolute. "Not until I talk to him."
"You know what?" Lucas stood up to his full height. He held Sonny's gaze. "When you first dated Will, you and I had our issues."
Sonny remembered. Recalling the way Lucas literally stalked Will down to keep him out of Sonny's bed.
"I thought you were just using Will," Lucas continued. "Thought you just wanted to bed him, right? Because he was young and naïve and you were so experienced. But you argued it. Told me over and over how much you liked him, respected him. Until you proved to me that you could be trusted.
"I trusted you," Lucas shook his head in disappointment. "I accepted you, watched you with my son, my granddaughter. God, Sonny," Lucas glared. "You became like a son to me! And I was right all along. I never should have let you near Will."
Sonny felt something crush inside of him. He couldn't stand those few weeks when Lucas didn't want him anywhere near Will. He couldn't stand Lucas withholding his approval. Everyone always liked Sonny, always.
Despite what Will said at the time, Sonny knew how important Lucas' support was. Sonny did his best to show Lucas he could trust him with Will. Trust that he wouldn't hurt Will, wouldn't use him.
'And I failed,' Sonny realized. 'I hurt Will in the worst way possible.'
Sonny did his best to keep what he did from getting out. He knew it would hurt Will, humiliate him even more. Sonny didn't realize it would be the same for himself.
'How many people are going to look at me like Lucas is?' Sonny thought. 'Like I'm some sort of monster.'
"I can't leave," Sonny whispered in a broken tone. "I love him. I know I hurt him but I have to fix this."
"I don't know if there's anything left to fix," Lucas replied.
"Don't say that," Sonny begged. "I-I love him and we're supposed to be together."
Paul crossed his arms and rolled his eyes.
"You don't do the things you did to someone you love," Paul huffed.
"Shut up," Sonny cried in exasperation. "You don't know anything!"
"I'm pretty sure I know exactly what you did," Paul fired back. "And not just what you did with me either. I know every little thing you've told Will, every time you ignored him."
Sonny groaned, frustrated.
"Go away, Paul," Sonny demanded.
Lucas was tempted to agree. But, he wanted to know what Paul was talking about. Lucas needed to know exactly what had been happening with Will and Paul. As well as what Sonny was doing to his son.
"What?" Paul asked in a mocking form of concern. "You don't want to talk about all the times you rejected Will's advances? Or the times you'd yell at him for ruining dinner or not cleaning to your satisfaction? The dates that you forgot? Don't want to bring up how you think he's useless and stupid?"
"I don't think any of those things," Sonny clenched his fists. Sonny didn't understand how Paul knew any of this.
"Isn't that what you said?" Paul lifted one eyebrow. "That he was useless."
"You don't know anything," Sonny took a step towards Paul.
"I know that you're an awful husband," Paul declared. "Will deserves better and I'm going to give it to him."
Sonny lunged towards Paul, wanting to hit him again.
"No," Lucas shoved himself between them, keeping the two at bay. "Both of you need to shut up and listen!"
Once he separated the two, Lucas cleared his throat.
"To be frank," Lucas stated. "You're both assholes. You both hurt my son. If you think that I'm going to stand here and let you confuse him even more, you're sadly mistaken."
"If you care about my son at all," Lucas finished. "You'll stay away from him."
When both Sonny and Paul opened their mouths to complain, Lucas cut them off.
"No," Lucas lifted his hand. "He's hurting right now because of you, both of you. If you ever want him to forgive you or even think about forgiving you, then let him heal."
Paul bowed his head, glaring at the floor. After a brief moment, he nodded his head.
"I'm not giving up," Paul professed. He just couldn't be the cause of any more pain for Will.
Paul saw the packed bags at the door. He had been so close to getting Will and Ari away from here. Paul did plan on telling Will the truth, eventually. He had it all planned out.
Paul would whisk Will and Ari away. He'd continue to support Will, comfort him. When he was certain Will no longer wanted to be with Sonny, Paul would tell him the truth.
'By then it would have been too late,' Paul thought wistfully. 'Will would be as taken with me as I am with him. Sonny wouldn't matter. Will wouldn't care that I slept with his ex before I even knew who he was.'
'That was a stupid plan,' Paul realized. 'I wanted Will so badly I didn't think about reality. I didn't think about what the truth would really do. I am just as bad as Sonny.'
Paul glanced at the door Will was locked behind. He knew Will could hear them, probably heard everything they said.
"I'm not giving up, Will," Paul said even louder. "I'm never giving up. I promise it was real."
Sonny wanted to yell at Paul's retreating figure. He wanted to scream out or hit him. Anything to work out the unbelievable anger he felt at the situation.
Deep down, Sonny knew the person he was angriest with was himself.
'How could I do this?' Sonny thought. 'How did it come to this point?'
Sonny's throat started to burn, eyes watering.
"I don't want to lose him," Sonny admitted, voice breaking.
"You need to reevaluate your priorities, Sonny," Lucas maintained firmly. He didn't give any sympathy or offer any comfort. "Decide if you can be the man my son deserves. Will doesn't feel safe right now with you. I don't know if that feeling will ever come back."
"But I love him," Sonny whimpered.
"That might have mattered before," Lucas looked Sonny right in the eyes. "But right now it doesn't mean anything. All you are right now is the man that broke my son's heart."
Lucas tuned away from Sonny when he started to cry. He moved into the kitchen area, pulling out his phone. When it came to Will, there was only one person Lucas could think of to help.
Sonny stumbled towards the door to Ari's room. Sniffling, Sonny spread his hand along with door, fingertips curling.
"Will?" Sonny called. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I love you so much. I've always loved you. I'm always going to love you."
"I didn't tell you about Paul because I didn't want to hurt you," Sonny admitted. "I didn't want to hurt you any worse. I, Paul doesn't mean anything to me, not anymore. It's only you. It's only ever been you. I was stupid to think any differently.
"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry I did this to you, to us. I never wanted to become this person. I didn't. I love you.
"But," Sonny swallowed. "I-I know you can barely even look at me right now. So, I'm-I'm going to go stay at my uncle's mansion for a little while. Until you-," Sonny closed his eyes. "I'll wait as long as it takes. Just, just know that I love you, together or apart. I'll love you no matter where I am or where you are."
"I'm not giving up on you," Sonny professed. "You and Ari are my everything. I won't stop until I get you both back."
Will, head resting against the door, licked away the tears that fell across his lips. He methodically rubbed against Ari's back, making soothing sounds so she would relax. Will hated that his daughter was caught in this. That she was so rudely awoken from her nap to this nightmare.
Will did everything he could to block out everyone's words. Sonny saying how much he loved him. Paul saying he wasn't giving up. Sonny insisting Paul was out to hurt him. Paul's pleading that he wanted Sonny to tell Will the truth too.
It was too much for Will to deal with. He didn't know who to believe. It was easier to disregard them both. Will wouldn't get hurt any more that way.
"Will," Lucas softly knocked on the door. "They're both gone."
Will opened the door a few moments later. Ari securely held in his arms.
"How are you feeling?" Lucas questioned.
Will shrugged as he put Ari down on the floor and watched her toddle towards her toys.
"Is there a bigger word than humiliated?" Will wondered.
"Probably not," Lucas sighed. "In the interest though, of being honest," Lucas gave Will a grim smile. "I called your mother."
"Great," Will slumped onto the couch. He rolled over into a ball. "Just what this situation needs, Sami Brady."
"She loves you," Lucas sat next to Will and rubbed his back. "She needed to know."
Will grunted, face pressed into the arm of the couch.
Lucas allowed them to sit in silence for a few minutes. He couldn't get something Paul said out of his head though.
"What did Paul mean?" Lucas questioned. "About Sonny thinking you were useless?"
"Sonny told me the only thing I was good for was writing," Will lifted his head so his father could hear him. "He yelled at me a lot, before I found out. About burning dinner and not cleaning. He said I shouldn't go to the pub if I couldn't handle things at home."
Lucas balled his fists and set his jaw.
Will voice trembled. "Paul told me he was wrong. Told me how great I was, how much I was worth."
It took all of Lucas' control to not hunt down Sonny and Paul, make them pay.
"It was all a lie, wasn't it?" Will asked in a small voice. "Everything."
Every encouraging word, every supportive glance, it meant nothing to Paul.
'I opened up to him,' Will thought. 'I listened to everything he ever told me. And he knew.'
'He slept with my husband,' Will closed his eyes. 'And he wanted to sleep with me too. Did any of it mean anything?'
Will recalled the time Paul kissed him, when he confessed to being gay.
'He wanted to sleep with me after my husband cheated with him.'
'Paul's no better than Sonny. They both lied to me. They both used me.'
"Daddy," Ari moved over to the couch and pushed against Will's hips. "Daddy," Ari whined.
"Yeah?" Will sat up, wiping his eyes. He never wanted his daughter to see him like this, to remember any of this.
"Daddy sad?" Ari patted Will's wet cheeks with her tiny little hands.
"I'm okay," Will lied, giving her a painfully fake smile. "Daddy's fine."
Ari handed him one of her favorite bears, wanting to comfort him.
"Thank you, baby," Will tried his hardest not to cry again as he cuddled the bear against his chest.
Ari laid her head against Will, attempting to wrap her small arms around Will's middle.
Will lifted her up and held onto her tightly. He bit his lip as hard as he could to stave off his tears.
Lucas watched the two with a heavy heart.
Eventually, Ari wiggled her way out of Will's arms. She didn't want to sit still for so long after her nap.
"When I found out Gabi was pregnant," Will turned to look at his father. "I was so afraid I would ruin everything. That I would find some way to scar my baby for life. I tried and I tried and it still happened."
"You didn't do anything, son," Lucas assured Will. "This isn't your fault."
"Bad things always happen to me," Will murmured. "Now they're going to happen to Ari because of me."
"You aren't going to let that happen," Lucas maintained.
"She's going to remember this," Will insisted. "She's going to remember me being a miserable, crying mess."
"She's not even two yet," Lucas argued.
"I remember Mom," Will implored. "I remember her crying and crying and feeling like it was my fault she was never happy. I could never make her happy, no matter what I did."
Lucas sighed. He hated what he and Sami put Will through as a child. Hated that he screwed up so badly.
"That wasn't your fault then," Lucas promised. "And it's not your fault now. You love that little girl more than anything. You know what it was like to grow up in that environment. You are not going to do the same to Arianna, ever."
Will pressed his lips together, staring at Lucas hopefully.
"Your entire world's changed, again," Lucas pointed out. "You're allowed to be upset. You just can't let it control you."
Will wasn't so sure he could do that.
Will watched Ari playing with her blocks for a few moments before saying the first thing that came to mind.
"The whole time Gabi was pregnant," Will stated conversationally. "I was so certain Ari was gonna look just like Gabi. I thought she would have dark hair, dark eyes, look just like her. Be this little Gabi mini-me. I thought I would hold her and not recognize myself. But that didn't happen."
"She looks just like you," Lucas smiled proudly.
"I look just like Mom. Ari looks just like me," Will turned away, nibbling his bottom lip.
Will didn't need to voice his fears. Lucas could see them written across Will's face.
Author's note:
Will is going to go through a series of emotions over the next few chapters. He's going to struggle a lot.
Thanks for reading!