Forbidden Serenade

Chapter Five

As the doorbell chimed, I rushed to greet my children at the front door of my townhouse. Lillian, my oldest at sixteen, blew right past me with the summer breeze, bypassing my hug. She looked so much like my husband it made my heart ache when we first separated to look at her. Big brown eyes dominated her face, and beautiful dark hair went halfway down her back that she fussed over until it was perfect.

Amelia came skipping in behind her. At eight, she was my youngest and the one who had adjusted to our divorce the easiest. Perhaps her age made the transition simpler. Or maybe it was her sunny disposition. She had brown hair which matched her sister, but it was curly around her face. With big brown eyes, her warm smile could brighten any day.

I opened my arms for a hug. "Millie! I missed you, sweetie."

Unlike her older sister, she ran into my embrace. Her thin arms wrapped around me and hugged me tight. "Hi, mommy. I missed you. Did you know daddy is going to build a pool at his house? Can we build one here?"

Pulling back, I gave her a weak smile. I was fully aware I could never provide them with the same life their father could. "I'm not sure I have the yard space here for that. We can go to the local pool if you want to swim. Okay?"

Disappointment flooded her eyes and tugged her lips down to end her smile. "Okay."

My gaze shifted to my ex-husband as Amelia walked past me with slumped shoulders. James Bennett was everything I and most girls dreamt of. With the bright blue sky behind him illuminating his features, he was tall, dark, and handsome. He kept his dark hair short and styled. Green eyes shone like emeralds on his thin face. He wore a blue polo shirt with an expensive logo and khakis. He always put himself together perfectly. Living and being married to him, I knew how important his appearance was to him. He took it extremely seriously. Despite being married to the man, I'd hardly ever seen him not put together. Even his pajamas were always perfect and ironed. He'd never leave the house with a ball cap and sweats like I did. And I'd made sure that, while with him, I did my best to live up to his impossible standards. I dyed my hair blonde and became the trophy wife he desired. It was never enough, though.

I was never enough.

"Hey, Riley." James approached the door of my townhouse with a confident stride, exuding the self-assuredness of someone aware of their good looks. His body hadn't carried our children. Or breastfed them. It was me who made all the sacrifices, both in our marriage and divorce. "How are things going?"

Faking a smile, I tried to pretend my life was as perfect as his. "Great."

He smiled and nodded. I wondered if he even listened to my answer. His eyes followed the girls into the house. "That's great."

My heart leapt in my chest. Why, even after our divorce, did I pathetically hope he had changed his mind and wanted our family back? I devoted eighteen years of my life to him. We'd been married for fourteen years. He'd thrown it all away in what felt like a minute to me. Years of memories and love flushed down the toilet in the pursuit of something new. Something prettier. Something better.

I folded my arms across my chest, protecting my heart from my false hope that I knew would never materialize. "What's up?"

James shoved his hands into his trouser pants. "We ran out of time this week to get the shopping done for the kids. I assume you can take them to get their required supplies? You don't want to wait too long, or things will run low."

I didn't have the financial security he enjoyed. He was well-aware of the fact, yet he often pawned off shopping for the kids onto me. He was too busy with his new wife. My eyes shifted behind him and spotted her sitting in the passenger seat of his luxury SUV.