Things were taking shape, there was no telling which route each of their paths would take.
Aiysha skipped work the next day but not only her, Jones came back home early.
Aiysha was surprised by this because she knew how seriously he took his work, it was a way for him to be up and about.
She understood why he wanted to keep working as opposed to sitting in the house all day despite their financial struggles about being eliminated.
He needed to be up and about, to feel like he was contributing and they both took this day off to try and reconnect.
They knew that they wanted to make their marriage work and were willing to put in the effort but Aiysha knew that meant coming clean.
If not for them then for their children, Aiysha wasn’t going to force this marriage and it had to be a mutual effort.
Jones got back home and like usual, Aiysha was scantily dressed with the aroma in the air violating his nostrils.
“Something smells good,” Jones said with a smile but there was no denying that this would be a difficult interaction but they had to give it a shot.
“Are you sure it isn’t just me?” Aiysha asked. Jones wasn’t blessed with Kyle’s sweet tongue, he knew Aiysha was trying her best to reciprocate.
“Nothing can smell as good as you,” Jones responded. A simple line that got the job done. It wasn’t the words that mattered but rather, who said them.
Aiysha had a wide smile on as she brought him some food, placing it right in front of him like a good wife. In truth, Aiysha remained devoted to her husband and that was why she even tried to make this marriage work.
She had made Jones’ favourite food further showing her effort but the truth was, despite Jones being a good husband on paper and doing everything a husband should.
The spark in their marriage was dimming with each passing year.
Aiysha did her part yet Jones returned empty-handed, he didn’t get her flowers or any small gesture that showed her he was thinking about her.
Jones could tell he had messed up because he didn’t expect Aiysha to try this hard to begin with but maybe that was the problem, maybe he kept expecting her to make the first move and only then would he reciprocate.
“You are too much!” Aiysha said, giggling slightly.
Jones wanted to apologize for not getting her anything but knew he had to salvage the situation.
“Give me a minute, I will be right back and then, you will have my full attention,” Jones said with a wink and Aiysha gave him her permission.
Jones quickly rushed to the toilet and tried to call Kyle multiple times but ultimately, decided to send a text when he wasn’t answering.
Jones hoped that Kyle could come to his rescue but this process didn’t take up to five minutes as he returned to the table in which his wife was seated.
“Done already?” Aiysha asked, she hadn’t touched the steaming hot food yet, waiting for her husband.
They always ate from the same plate, this would help both of them watch their weight as well as allow each other some form of intimacy that didn’t involve physical touch.
“Yup! Let me enjoy the meal my beautiful wife made for me,” Jones complimented her.
They were trying their best and Aiysha was looking at him, this might be the man she fell in love with but it was during a stage where she was not only at the bottom in terms of self-esteem.
But because she didn’t have any option to pick from, however, she vowed her commitment to Jones and that was the single thing keeping her here.
It took a few minutes for Jones to finish but Jones picked up on something because his wife looked like she wanted to tell him something.
“Is there something wrong?” Jones asked Aiysha, holding her much smaller hands in his.
“No, nothing is wrong but there is something I need you to know,” Aiysha said.
The transparency became the foundation of their marriage, she was trying her best to restore it and that began by her coming clean to her husband.
She told Jones every single detail about what happened between her and Kyle.
–
Kyle didn’t believe the woman claiming to be his sister but the fact that she knew the name of his father left little doubt in his mind.
Kyle knew con artists had a way of finding out things about rich people and the fact that she used AI to age regress his face and stick it on a picture with her as a kid told him all he needed to know.
He couldn’t trust whatever came out of her mouth regardless of how true it sounded, it was simply too good to be true.
However, he didn’t cut off the lady’s access to him because Kyle wanted to know why she came after him.
She bore no resemblance to his father either, a face he couldn’t quite place but her face was kind.
There was no way she would have such a kind face if she did grow up with that monster as a father. Kyle took her number, giving him the power of communication.
He got into his car and the moment he arrived at the JPD Agency to see Isabella, he noticed that there were multiple missed calls and a text from Jones.
“That is weird,” Kyle thought to himself before opening the text message.
It was Jones asking for his help, he needed Kyle to help him get something that he thought Aiysha would like.
Kyle had no idea what she would like but the fact that Jones didn’t give him any specifics.
It was vague but Kyle knew it was supposed to be a gift for his wife and it had to be from him, Jones.
Kyle sighed the moment he read this because Jones was putting him in the middle of their marriage once again, he didn’t want to get involved because if things went south then there was a chance he was going to be blamed.
Kyle knew it had to be within his pay wage, Jones that is or she might catch on.
“Sighs, Jones man…” Kyle muttered under his breath in frustration because he was already running low on energy but couldn’t turn down this favour.
Jones was his only friend and the only person who had made sacrifices for him the way he did.
Kyle headed to the nearest store but knew going a bit above budget would make the gesture even more romantic.
This took a little over an hour to do but Kyle wasn’t about to deliver it to her front door, he instead chose to leave this up to a dispatch rider.
He gave a generous tip to make sure that the item reached its destination not only as soon as possible but in one piece.
Unknown to Kyle, his relationship with Jones was about to take a different dynamic altogether.
–
Cassandra was ready to accept her fate, trusting Kyle wholeheartedly but Justin called her phone out of the blue.
She didn’t want to pick up at first but this might be him throwing in the towel or offering a compromise.
“What do you want?” Cassandra asked right away, her voice burning with anger.
[[Don’t forget, we aren’t divorced yet so therefore, you are still my wife.]] Justin reminded her.
The title disgusted Cassandra, it felt sickening to hear him use that word to describe their relationship even though he was right.
“I will hang up if you have nothing else to say,” Cassandra said.
She wasn’t interested in mundane interactions with him but Justin wasn’t bothered by this.
The thing about marriage is that your partner just knows how to push your buttons but most importantly, they know when to call one’s bluff.
[[Is that so? Go ahead then.]] Justin said.
Cassandra wanted to but she knew if she did she might never find out why he called her.
[[You couldn’t, could you?]] Justin asked with a mocking tone.
“What do you want Justin?” Cassandra asked once again.
[[I want us to meet, just you and I.]] Justin proposed but the moment Cassandra heard this, a look of disgust crept up on her face and she hung up the phone right away.
“Huh?” Cassandra was surprised by this feeling because while Justin was a terrible husband, her emotions never evolved into actual hatred but for some reason, picturing them together made her want to throw up.
But a smile crept up on her face because she realized that she had broken free from his clutches.
At this same moment, she came to realize that Kyle was the reason she recoiled at the thought of Justin touching her.
It was the best thing that could happen because it confirmed what she secretly feared, she no longer had any emotional attachment to Justin.