Page 71 of Vitamin Sea
“And nothing happened between you two during that time?” she asked pointedly. “For six months before you broke up with me it felt like you were distant and distracted.”
“Nothing, Chlo,” Liam looked sincere. “I swear on my life.”
She thought about it for a second. She was satisfied by his answer. Giving into temptation wasn’t something she condoned or something she was thrilled about, but it had never occurred to her that Sophia was coming onto him.
Not that it absolved Liam of any guilt.
“What made you realize breaking up with me was a mistake?” she asked.
He shook his head.
“It was when she and I settled into a routine. It didn’t feel right. At first it was invigorating and exciting.” He looked sheepish. “But the more time she and I spent together, the more I realized I had made a huge mistake.”
Chloe kept listening as she popped a warm olive into her mouth and washed it down with a sip of wine.
“You’re supportive and kind. You’re not demanding, you’re not belittling, not combative. You’ve stood by me through thick and thin, and you’ve been my biggest champion.” He leaned forward. “I thought about all the great times we shared together. About all the plans we had made for the future. And I realizedwhat an idiot I was to throw that all away just because I was under stress. I lost sight of who I really am and what I really want because of a coworker who I confided in and spent a lot of time with. I realized I blew up my life for nothing. So, I broke up with her in hopes of getting you back.”
Chloe didn’t know how to respond to that.
It was a small satisfaction to finally receive answers to the questions she had agonized over for several months. But it was also a shock to her system. She thought about Liam’s behaviour during their last six months together and realized just how checked out of their relationship he had been.
“I’m sorry, Chlo,” he pleaded with her. “I really am. I wish I could take it all back. Everything. I’ll never forgive myself for the way I treated you and for how I hurt you.”
Chloe worked to keep a neutral expression on her face.
“And what about now?” she asked. “You still work with Sophia.”
Liam shook his head. He had told her during their first dinner that he had moved out of Sophia’s place and had been living with Karam for the past month. So, while she was no longer his girlfriend, she was still his colleague.
“She recently took a job at Bank of America.” He took a drink of his beer. “Her last day at the office was two weeks ago.”
A weird sense of relief swept over her. Sophia was gone. The woman she had spent so many hours and days worrying and feeling sick over was gone. Chloe had been unsure as to whether she was going to give things with Liam another go, and the lightness she felt after hearing that Sophia was out of his life was further confusing.
They had finished their appetizers and drinks with a conversation that was much lighter than before. And outside
the pub that evening, Chloe had been the one to initiate a
hug.
???
After that evening, Liam had taken to texting and calling her with increasing fervor—asking her to go for lunch, for dinner, for walks. It was, Chloe assumed, because he knew he had competition, but she was still shocked by how determined he seemed to get her back.
With regards to Jack, she didn’t know if they would go the distance, but for now, she was enjoying the journey. She was learning to appreciate things for what they are and not dwelling on wild fantasies of the future. More importantly, she had come to appreciate that friends and family are the most important things in one’s life. Romantic partners were great, but it was crucial to cultivate a life she was pleased with instead of crafting her life around her partner. That way, if something did happen—infidelity, a breakup, or, god forbid, death—she wouldn’t fall apart.
Not that she was falling apart anymore. She was thriving. It had been one month since Liam had come crawling back into her life, and she had done a lot of soul-searching. For the most part, her mind was made up, but there were many ‘what if’ moments.
What if things didn’t work out with Jack?
What if Liam actually was reformed after his stint with Sophia?
What if itwasa one-off and he would be faithful to her until the end of times?
It was stressful and she leaned heavily on her girlfriends. There were moments she was tempted, that was true. Throwing away the potential life with Liam she had envisioned for herself was hard. But when she really thought about it, Liam had thrown it away first.
Which was a funny thing really.
It was hard for her to believe that this was where she had ended up. She had known with every fiber of her being that she and Liam would have a happily-ever-after and she had been devastated when it didn’t turn out that way. For months.
