Chapter 2
Cooper looked like he hadn't slept a wink. Dark circles shadowed his eyes, and he hadn't bothered to shave, making him look pretty rough.
He said, "That call last night was from Sarah. She said she rebooked her flight and she's coming in today."
"So?" Aria asked.
Cooper hesitated. "Aria, trust me. I'm going to pick her up and make sure she's settled. Then I'll be right back with you."
Aria stayed silent.
Cooper looked up, meeting her gaze, his brow furrowed. "Aria, what's wrong?"
"I heard it," Aria said.
"What?"
"I heard what you said to your friend last night."
Cooper's face stiffened for a moment. Then he let out a sigh. The gentle, patient tone he'd used to comfort her vanished.
He released her, stepped back, and leaned against the cabinet by the door. Fishing a cigarette from his pocket, he lit it and took a slow drag.
"Since you heard it all," Cooper exhaled smoke, "there's no point in acting anymore."
Aria looked at him, as if he were a stranger to her now.
"Aria," Cooper said, his tone cold, "Sarah's coming back. You need to move out. Don't reach out to me anymore."
"What did you say?" Aria asked.
"I said," Cooper stubbed out his cigarette, "you need to move out. You can't come between Sarah and me."
Tears streamed down Aria's face. "Cooper, you..."
"What's wrong with me?" Cooper let out a cold laugh, his expression showing a kind of indifference she'd never seen before. "Aria, did you really think I'd give up Sarah for you? Do you know who she is? And who do you think you are?"
"Who am I?" Aria's voice shook. "Cooper, you were the one who chased after me, the one who asked me to move in, the one who told me..."
"Told you what?" Cooper cut her off. "That I liked you? Aria, I've said that to plenty of girls before."
Aria stood there, frozen. Her tears streamed down her face. "Did you really lie to me?"
Cooper watched her cry, his gaze empty, showing no emotion at all.
"Aria," he said, "Sarah was the one I loved first. We were together for five years. When she went abroad, I thought it was over, but now she's back. She's really back. Do you get it?"
"What about me then?" Aria asked.
"You?" Cooper gave a cold laugh. "I'll compensate you. A house, money, whatever you want. Think of it as payment for the time you spent with me."
When Aria heard his words, it was like a slap in the face. "I don't want it."
"What?" Cooper asked.
"I don't want your money, your house, or anything else from you." Aria walked over, grabbed her suitcase, and pulled the door open.
Cooper stood at the door, watching her.
"Aria," he said, "do you know what Sarah is really like? She's gorgeous, smart, and accomplished. She graduated from a top school, runs her business, and wherever she goes, everyone notices her. And you?"
Aria's grip tightened on the handle of her suitcase.
"You don't have a proper job. You depend on me for everything." Cooper's voice was calm, as if he were stating the facts. "What do you have that comes close to her?"
Aria didn't say a word. She pulled the door open and walked out.
Behind her, Cooper's voice chased after her. "Aria, you'd better think twice. Once you step out that door, you've got nothing."
Aria didn't look back.
*****
Aria rented a place. It was an old building on the outskirts of town, sixth floor, no elevator, and it cost her 300 bucks a month.
The room was tiny. With a bed and a cabinet, there was barely any space left. The window faced the wall of the next building, so during the day, she had to keep the lights on.
The bathroom was shared, all the way down at the end of the hallway.
Aria opened her suitcase and took out her things. It was a couple of clothes, a battered old book, and a phone she'd been using for three years.
She sat on the edge of the bed for a long time.
Her phone buzzed with a bank notification. 150 thousand had landed in her account.
It was from Cooper's assistant, along with a message: [Mr. Reed asked me to transfer this. Please accept it.]
Aria stared at that line of text for what felt like forever.
Then she pulled up the transfer record and sent the money right back.
Her phone buzzed again. The assistant messaged: [Ms. Sanders, Mr. Reed said this is yours.]
Aria didn't respond, and she blocked the number.
She landed a job as a sales assistant at a fashion store on the first floor of the mall.
The pay was 800 dollars a month, plus commission. The manager, a woman in her forties with a booming voice, liked Aria for being hardworking and quick on her feet.
She ordered, "Aria, hang these clothes up. Aria, go help that customer. Aria, grab lunch for us at noon, will you?"
Aria answered every call. She didn't mind the hard work. What really scared her was having nothing to do. Whenever things got quiet, those voices would creep in.
One voice said, "You're only good for staying at home, cooking, doing laundry, and taking care of people."
Another voice snickered, "She's too easygoing. Say a few nice words, and she'll let it go."
And another voice scoffed, "Give her some cash, and she'll leave."
Aria shook those voices off and kept hanging up clothes.
She thought she could escape.
The mall was quiet that day. Aria was sorting the clothes, lining up each piece by size. The bright lights in the store made the silk shirts glow softly. She kept her head down, hands steady.
The door swung open.
"Welcome." Aria looked up, but her voice caught in her throat.
Cooper stood in the doorway.
He wore a dark gray coat, looking a bit thinner than he had a few months ago, but still as striking. Beside him stood a woman, tall, beautiful, dressed in a burgundy dress, her smile dazzling, almost blinding.
It was Sarah.
Aria was still holding the piece of clothing, forgetting to let go.
"This place looks nice," Sarah said, her arm hooked through Cooper's as they walked in, looking around. "Cooper, help me choose something that looks good on me?"
Cooper's gaze swept across the store, over her, and then moved on, as if she were a piece of furniture, a decoration, something not worth a second look.
Aria stood there, suddenly feeling so small, so insignificant that she could be ignored, invisible, like she didn't exist in his eyes.
"Does this look good?" Sarah held the dress up to herself.
Aria opened her mouth, but no sound came out.
"Hey, miss?" Sarah looked up at her, eyes flashing with a bit of confusion and impatience. "Do you have this in size S?"
Aria took a deep breath, forcing the words out of her throat. "Y-Yes, we do. Please wait a moment."
She turned and headed for the stockroom, her legs feeling weak.
The stockroom was tiny, crammed with boxes. She leaned against a shelf, pressing a hand to her chest. Her heart was racing so fast that she could hardly breathe.
He was out there with Sarah. They were here to shop, and Aria was there to wait on them.
Aria closed her eyes, taking deep breaths, one after another. 'It's fine,' she told herself. 'He's a customer. You're a sales assistant. Help them and get it over with. You'll be fine.'
Aria took the dress in her hands and walked out of the stockroom.