Aiden Harper

Confrontation

Eden

As much as I disliked the idea of meeting Wayne and talking to him, Aiden was right. I needed answers to lingering questions. Wayne owes me the truth for once, and I deserve to get it.

After waking up cuddled beside Aiden, I headed home to shower and change my clothes. Aiden did the same at his place before coming to my place to go with me. I texted Wayne, asking him to meet me at the cafe. He replied with several text messages, but I didn't bother responding. It wasn't an opening for us to talk like before.

We arrived at the cafe and headed inside. Diego was already working in the kitchen when we arrived. Aiden whispered reassurances to me before heading toward Diego. I grabbed a coffee and sat at an empty table, waiting for Wayne to arrive.

It didn't take long before Wayne entered the cafe and spotted me sitting at a table. He made a beeline to me and sat across from me. "You have no idea how happy I was when I heard from you."

I held up my hand before Wayne launched into his happiness. I didn't want to give him false hope. "This isn't a social call or a second chance for us."

"Then why did you want to meet?" Confusion laced his features.

I studied Wayne. He had dark circles under his eyes and looked like he had lost weight. His hair was a mess, and his clothes were messy. He looked nothing like he did when we were together.

"Eden."

"Wayne, I know you've been sneaking around with Mia behind my back for a year."

His face blanched, and he opened his mouth.

I shook my head. "Before you say it was a mistake, I saw the text messages."

Wayne snapped his mouth shut.

"I have questions, and you need to answer them. I don't want to wander for the rest of my life. How long have you been cheating on me?"

"Eden."

"Answer the question, Wayne!"

Wayne stared at the table like it was more interesting than me and dropped his voice. "Four years."

"Four years." I bobbed my head and pursed my lips. "So the nights you claim you were busy studying or at work, you were with another girl."

"Yes."

"I thought it was me."

Wayne's face snapped up to mine. "No, Eden. It wasn't you."

"When did it start, Wayne?"

"A few months after I started college. We were studying for a test. It just happened, Eden." He shook his head.

"Your dick just happened to fall in some whore?"

"No, Eden! It wasn't like that!"

I held up my hand to silence him. "I don't want to hear your excuses. I got to hear them during our relationship. I should have realized it was a mistake to date you."

"Eden."

I shook my head. "Nothing you can say can change what you did. I was too blind to see the truth. I thought you loved me."

"I do love you!"

"No, Wayne. You don't. You don't cheat on someone you love for four years. You don't make excuses and lie to the person. You don't shatter them if you love them. That's not love."

Wayne furrowed his brows and dug his fingers into the table.

"Love is defending the person when their family treats them like shit. Love is being honest with someone. Love is showing up and proving your intentions. Love is chasing someone down when they bolt. Love is listening to a broken person when they've broken themselves." My voice trailed on the last part when I realized Aiden did everything I described.