In spite of her refusals, he became more persistent and she got desperate. She felt she needed to something fast so she asked for advice from her friends.
They were surprised that she kept Aden waiting for so long. They told her she was sending him into other girls' arms and there was nothing wrong In sleeping with Aden. Even then, she couldn't bring herself to do it
One of the words of wisdom her grandma told her was; Never sell yourself cheap Imara, no man deserves to see you naked until there's a ring on your finger.
The best gift you can give your husband on your wedding night is a body that has never been touched by a man. She had believed her grandma, but all that changed when she saw Aden holding hands with a girl and it didn't look platonic. He was looking so longingly at her as if he wanted to eat her up. Then and there, Imara made up her mind, if Aden wanted sex, he was going to have it; she wasn't going to lose him because she was a prude
Next to her grandma, Aden seemed like the best thing to have happened to her. He gave her the attention she had been deprived of as a child, listened to her and was interested in her dreams. He was always there, encouraging her to be the best she could be. If she lost him, she wouldn't know how she would survive.
She had gone to a lingerie shop and bought the sexiest piece she could find. Then she went to a beauty shop and had facials, a manicure and pedicure. Later that evening in her room, before she could change her mind , she called Aden and asked if she could spend the night at his place. She could hear the surprise in his voice. He had been asking this for months.
He had sounded so excited on the phone. he picked her up that evening and she had never forgotten that night! she gave herself to him unreservedly and they were at it for most of the night.
But when Aden fell asleep, she let the tears fall freely. She lost her virginity at the age of seventeen. She had given up the only thing she held dear just for this. It could have waited and it hurt her that she had to give it up like this!
That was just the beginning and after that day, there was no stopping them; even when she caught him red handed with other girls, he always came back on his knees telling her she was the one he loved and that the other girls didn't matter. Foolishly she believed him.
Now, nineteen years later, she hadn't stopped asking herself how could she could have been so blind! How could not have believed all his lies? The signs were there. He did not know what it meant to be faithful. He was used to having his way and always had a crowd of girls on his trail.
She had been needy and in dire need of a father's love, so she turned a blind eye to all his fault even when she had the opportunity to get out; all because cause she didn't want to be alone. But being alone was a lot better than living like this! It was better to be single and alone than to be married and be terribly lonely.
She had done all she knew to do to make this marriage work. She had given up a lot: college, her dreams and her love of art. She tried to work on herself but gave up when she realized she was in this marriage alone. Their marriage foundation was faulty, what can she do? They had gone into it for all the wrong reasons. Life would have been better than it was now and even her grandma would have given her support before she died. She would still have her dignity, self-esteem and a sense of well being. To be true to herself, she could say now that Aden's feelings for her died when he realized he had to get married. He was only a year older than her, he should have enjoyed his youth!
He loved Raizel deeply but somewhere in him, he still blamed her for being the reason he was tied down too early. Her life and changed completely when she found out she was pregnant.
She had decided she would wait for Raizel's wedding after that, it would be over. She would move out of the house. She would just keep appearances until their daughter began her life with Josh and then they could tell the world the truth; their marriage had failed!
The only thing she and Aden had in common was that they loved their daughter dearly and were both ready to give an arm or leg if it would make her happy.
Aden had graciously offered her the house but she had declined. She didn't want anything that reminded her of him. She wanted a fresh start. However, she got a fair settlement ; she kept her car which was latest Mercedes Benz model, and a sizable amount of money , enough to buy her a cute little house on the outskirt of boulder and some upkeep for a number of years. Aden could give her more and he offered more, but she didn't want to be obligated to him.
Her new home was ready to move into. She had decorated it to her taste, not Sapphira's and definitely not Aden's either, it was hers. She loved the feeling she got when she was in her own home. It felt good to have something that was truly hers and not anyone else's.