Page 48 of Till Forever Falls Apart
She laced her fingers through mine, and that tension instantly released. Bringing her hand to my lips, I planted a delicate kiss on it.
“I’m sorry for snapping at you.”
“I understand it’s hard, but let’s not argue over it anymore.”
I wondered if she could ever really understand how being back here made me feel. This place was nothing more than shattered dreams and ghosts trying to find their way into the light. It was cold, full of dark, twisted memories, where the walls would bleed from the pain trapped inside.
The last time I was here was when I’d left Aria standing in the kitchen the night I left.
No sooner had I rang the doorbell than Cathrine appeared. I was slightly surprised she was still here—she’d worked here since before my mum passed away. Aria was never her biggest fan. Cathrine used to tell her mum everything she did. However, she’d seen me in and out of Aria’s room at all hours and never once mentioned it. Think she knew it was nothing more than me wanting to protect her in the house. She saw the things my dad did to me.
“Mr Knight. Miss Summers.” She smiled for a split second, then went back to her usual sternness. “Your father is waiting for you in the living room.”
I gave her a nod, and we made our way through the foyer. It looked the same—the old oil landscape paintings on the walls, the rare antiques like the Ming dynasty vase my dad had around the house, all carefully curated to show his wealth. Not much had changed, but then my dad hadn’t been here.
Dad looked up as we entered the living room. His eyes flicked to my hand holding Aria’s, then to my face, that famous look of disappointment written all over him.
“Sebastian, nice of you to arrive on time.” He placed his drink on the table and then rose from the sofa, pulling his suit jacket straight.
“I know how much you dislike tardiness.”
He looked me up and down. “Yes, well, it’s a shame you didn’t get the memo about dressing appropriately.”
My eyes drifted down to the tailored midnight blue suit I was wearing. There was nothing wrong with it, but to him, I could never do right.
“I’m so glad you could both join us,” he continued.
Us?
Aria never said anyone else would be here. I looked down, furrowing my brows at her. She looked as confused as I was.
“Aria, how is your mother doing?”
This man was being nice for some reason, and I wasn’t sure why.
“Oh, she’s great. Happily married and living in New York. In fact, we visited her at Christmas. It was wonderful.” A wide smile reached her face.
“Stephen?” a woman’s voice called.
Heels echoed on the floor, getting louder the closer they got to the living room. I narrowed my eyes at my dad, then I turned. The first thing I saw was the wavy, fiery red hair that bounced a few more times before stopping. She must have only been a few years older than me.
Her bright red lips curled into a smile. “There you are, darling.” She walked past, reaching my dad, and kissed his cheek.
I furrowed my brows. What the fuck was this?
“Sebastian, Aria. I’d like to introduce you to my wife, Monica.”
“Your what?”
Burning acid started to swirl in my stomach. This was not what I’d fucking expected.
“You must be Sebastian, Stephen’s son.” She smiled and held her hand out.
My eyes crept over her for a beat, unsure what was going on, but I took her hand and shook it.
“And who is this beautiful girl attached to you?” She beamed at Aria.
“I’m Aria, Sebastian’s partner.”
