Secrets? Never.

13. A Woman Scorned

Aiden dropped his keys into the bowl next to the front door, letting a resounding clatter of metal on glass echo around the apartment. Having presumably been roused by this noise, Aubrey poked her head around the door of her and Aiden's bedroom. "Have a good evening, sweetie?" Her smile as she spoke was so sickeningly sweet, paired with the fact that she never referred to Aiden as 'sweetie' was enough for him to begin to question the sincerity of her question, the answer to his question was promptly answered by her continuation. "Mine was certainly enlightening. Tell me, how's Emily? She certainly seemed fine the night of that benefit, or so it looks; judging by these surveillance tapes from the hotel you booked a room at, despite our having our own apartment a mere fifteen blocks from it." Aubrey was seething, and Aiden could see it, but just didn't see any point in interrupting her spiel with any interjection just yet, but instead chose to slump down to the dining table with enough whiskey to satiate the men's alcoholic tendencies.

"Don't you feel at all guilty about any of this Aiden?! About the deception, the lies, the cheating?!" It was then he thought it prudent to insert himself into what had been thus far a completely one sided argument. "There's no such thing as guilt, not really. It's something someone's preschool teacher made up to promote the idea that everyone is born with a conscience, a moral compass. With everything I've seen in my life, I know that's complete bullshit. Because there really isn't such a thing as guilt, what everyone is experiencing is merely a fear of getting caught." He downed the rest of the whiskey in his glass and poured himself another from the crystal bottle he'd taken to keeping near at all times. "Are you really so conceited in your old age that you don't believe for a split second that anyone in this world is born with a sense of what's right and what's wrong?" "Maybe once upon a time I did, but once you've seen and experienced half of the things I have, you'll realise that there isn't a single person, or at least none that I've ever encountered, that has such a strong set of morals that they can't be bended or warped for some sort of self preservation or twisted sense of salvation."

"I cannot deal with your shit anymore Aiden. I'm done fighting for this relationship when all you do anymore is drink and mull over your mistakes. It is perhaps the most annoying experience I've ever had being with you; I hope you, your whiskey, and your memories are all very happy together. I'm out." She smiled, picking up the duffel bag she'd packed and left by the door, and leaving with a slam of the door. Aiden, redirecting his attention back to his glass, threw back another two fingers, and took his bottle to bed.

"Having a sister is so weird," Isabella announced, "one minute you want to strangle her because she won't leave you alone, the next minute you're both past it and you're singing a dramatic duet together." Daniel and Emily shared a look from across the room, and simultaneously stifled laughter, while Isabella looked at each one in turn, puzzled as to what they were so obviously laughing about. "You'll be thankful for your siblings one day, when you're old and grey and they're the only ones who'll take your side no matter what" Daniel replied. "Like you and aunt Charlotte?" Isabella retorted. "Hey!" Daniel scolded playfully clearly joking "I may be old, but I'm not grey!" He looked theatrically from Isabella to Emily, and back again, before Emily giggled "Hate to be the one to break it to you champ"

© Sarah Egan 2014 - 2015. All rights reserved. This story is subject to copyright and may not be copied or reproduced without the express permission of the author.